It’s difficult to think of a more sensible car than the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. It’s an estate car, which is clearly a very sensible body style, and it’s built by Toyota, surely one of the most sensible car makers. It’s also very economical, relaxing to drive, comfortable, well built, and likely to be very reliable - see what we mean?
At the same time, it’s quite a sharp-looking car, and a very well equipped one too. And while Toyota hybrids tend to hold their value well too (another thoroughly sensible characteristic), you can still save thousands by shopping for a used model.
There are still quite a few estates of this size around, though relatively few with full hybrid drivetrains like the Toyota. Alternatives include the Ford Focus Estate, Volkswagen Golf Estate, Peugeot 308 SW, and Renault Megane Sports Tourer, while the Skoda Octavia Estate is one of the larger options you’ll find in this class.
If your priorities in a practical estate car include class-leading economy and long-term reliability, then the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports should probably be on your shortlist. It’s arguably the sharpest-looking and best-driving hybrid estate from Toyota yet, but it’s lost none of the qualities you’d expect from a Toyota hybrid either.
1.8-litre and 2.0-litre hybrid engines won’t draw in many driving enthusiasts but they’re smooth and refined provided you don’t work them too hard (the 2.0-litre needs less stoking to make good progress), and in town the engines seem to spend a huge amount of time off entirely, as the electric portion of the hybrid setup takes over.
Wherever you are they’re economical too - gone are the days when hybrids weren’t really suited to motorway use. Toyota has prioritised comfort over handling, so while the Corolla handles decently enough, its real benefit is its ability to isolate you where other cars may start to let through rumbles and bumps.
Boot space is about average for the class, but the cabin isn’t quite as spacious as some competitors, so if you’ve got taller kids or are likely to be transporting adults in the back seats, try before you buy. The rest of the cabin should be easy to live with though - and everything should work long into the future.
Your choice of hybrid estate alternatives is fairly slim - there are plug-in versions of the Peugeot 308 SW and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer pairing, and also the Cupra Leon Estate and Skoda Octavia Estate duo, but all are more performance-focused than the Toyota. More conventional estate rivals include the Ford Focus Estate and Volkswagen Golf Estate.
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There’s more choice of trim levels than powertrains with the Corolla Touring Sports. We can happily recommend either the 1.8 or 2.0-litre models - the latter is naturally a fair bit quicker and only a little less economical, but for those wanting maximum economy for minimum outlay, the 1.8 is unlikely to disappoint - and both should prove incredibly reliable, judging by Toyota’s track record on hybrids.
You’d be forgiven for not bothering to look beyond the basic Icon trim level either, as it’s very well equipped indeed for a car of this size. You could step up to Icon Tech too, but bear in mind that beyond this, the car’s economy begins dropping off with both engines, thanks to the extra rolling resistance of the larger wheel and tyres that come with higher trim levels.
All Corolla Touring Sports are loaded with an impressive amount of equipment. There can’t be many cars in this class that get heated front and rear seats from the very bottom of the range, nor adaptive cruise control, but the Corolla has them. LED headlights are also standard throughout, while GR Sport and off-road-style Trek models throw in some visual differentiation too, even if both are powered by the same engines as every other Touring Sports.
The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports’s dimensions are:
The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports’s boot size is:
As full hybrid models, the Corolla Touring Sports estates get a small VED discount of £10 per year, for an annual bill of £170.
Insuring a Corolla Touring Sports shouldn’t add too much to your meagre fuel bills. In 1.8-litre form the range starts in group 15 (out of 50), while that only rises to group 21 for the 2-litre car. That’s similar to the group 14-20 spread of a Volkswagen Golf Estate.
Read our full Toyota Corolla Touring Sports review
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