By Staff Reporter

The new generation of the evergreen Toyota Corolla will be launched later this month and in the meanwhile, Toyota has announced pricing. The new Corolla will be offered in two grades – top of the range XR and the entry level XS.

Choice

The top-of-the-range XR is powered by a new TNGA 2.0-litre petrol engine that comes with a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or “10-speed” continuously variable transmission (CVT), while the entry level XS is equipped with the 104 kW 1.8-litre engine which is exclusively mated to the CVT transmission.

Toyota says, the new 2.0-litre petrol engine delivers a substantial 22 kW and 27 Nm increase in power and torque compared with its predecessor, with maximum outputs of 125 kW and 200 Nm. Fuel consumption is also said to be improved returning combined cycle figures of 6.0l/100km for the CVT versions and 6.5l/100km for the manual variant. Toyota says it’s not only power and effeciency that has been improved but ride and handling has been improved thanks to sthe new double-wishbone, rear suspension set-up which is now standard across the Corolla sedan range.

Standard features

Although the Corolla 1.8 XS CVT is your entry into the range, it packs features such as LED headlights, push-start, cruise control, auto climate control, reverse camera with state-of-the-art Toyota Display Audio, Multi-information Display, steering switches with Voice Command as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. On the safety front this model is equipped with seven airbags (including a driver’s kneebag), an electronic parking brake, Hill Assist Control and VSC as standard.

The 2.0-litre XR grades builds on the standard specification with features such as Smart Entry, Bi-LED headlights with Auto High-Beam, decadent laser-cut two-tone 18-inch alloys, electrochromatic rear-view mirror, combination leather upholstery, steering wheel with paddle shifters (CVT), as well as Toyota’s Safety System which includes Pre-Crash activation, Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive All-Speed Cruise Control and Lane Departure Alert.

Pricing

The Toyota Corolla sedan range is priced as follows:

Corolla 1.8 XS CVT                –                       R372,700

Corolla 2.0 XR manual           –                       R412,300

Corolla 2.0 XR CVT                –                       R425,200