Toyota has used the 2018 Paris motor show to reveal the latest generation of Corolla wagon. The 2019 Toyota Corolla Touring Sports – its official name – goes on sale in European markets in early 2019 – though unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be sold in Australia thanks to its European build and our hunger for SUVs.
Offered with the same drivetrains as the Corolla hatchback in Europe, the Corolla Touring Sports offers a 2,700mm-long wheelbase (100mm longer than the hatchback), adaptive suspension for the first time in a Corolla and a huge 598-litre boot.
According to Toyota, the “all-new Corolla features a dynamic design which differentiates between the sporting, compact and dynamic hatchback and the sleek, refined and versatile Touring Sports”.
“Created and developed in Europe, the Touring Sports’ body type makes it a key model for people looking for practicality and style without compromise.” said the brand.
Stylistically, we think that the 2019 Toyota Corolla Touring Sports is even more successful than the hatchback variant. Featuring the same aggressive front end as the hatchback, the wagon’s body appears to suit the larger face better than the hatchback. The side uses a strong shoulder line that carries through to the rear, which uses similar tailights to the hatchback, albeit with the rear licence plate mounted on the tailgate and not the bumper. Like the hatchback in Europe, the Touring Sports will be available with a black-coloured roof – we wish that option were offered here like the C-HR small SUV.
The interior of the Corolla Touring Sports is largely identical to the hatchback, though the rear seat and boot are much larger. The European-specification car previewed in the press pictures released by the company show a light-coloured interior trim, which tastefully carries onto the door panels.
Using the same TNGA-C platform as the Corolla hatchback, the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports features a 100mm-longer wheelbase at 2,700mm, and its overall length is 4,563mm – just 6mm shorter than the Skoda Octavia wagon. Thanks to its longer wheelbase, Toyota claims that the Touring Sports offers ‘best in class’ legroom, and its bootspace is claimed to be 598-litres with the seats upright, though no figure was given when folded.
Available drivetrains in Europe include the same 85kW 1.2-litre turbo petrol, 90kW 1.8-litre hybrid and 134kW 2.0-litre hybrid as Europe. Six-speed manual and CVT automatic transmissions will be on offer on the base petrol, while the hybrids get a CVT as standard. Like the Corolla hatchback, the Touring Sports sits on MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, and offers a wide range of technology including Toyota’s full active safety suite, as well as a colour heads-up display, a panoramic sunroof, ‘world first’ 3D digital dials and a JBL sound system.
Officially, the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports remains off the table for Toyota Australia, which cites European production and SUVs as the reason for not wanting to import the car locally. We hope that changes, as it’s a very handsome car that would sell well down under.
Stay tuned to Chasing Cars for Toyota news and reviews.
