Most hybrid buyers aren’t looking for sporting performance, however, their motivations being economy, lower emissions and less tax exposure. Toyota reckons that the hybrid option will see the Corolla depreciating less steeply than rivals, making it a usefully less expensive car to run over three years than a Ford Focus or VW Golf. That doesn’t mean that you sit aboard penny-pinching wheels, the Corolla’s appealingly sculpted soft-feel dashboard, tactile controls and more imaginative seat trim creating an ambience vastly more attractive than the Auris’. Points are lost, though, for a fiddly infotainment system, which will not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto until later this year.
The result is nevertheless a much better car than the Auris, a much better car than any previous Corolla and a Toyota that serves its hybrid drivetrains with some panache, especially from the 2.0-litre. For those who still prefer hatchbacks to SUVs, this car should be a contender.
Stat attack: Toyota Corolla 2.0-litre Hybrid Excel Hatchback
Price: £27,550 (Corolla range starts at £21,300)
Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder hybrid petrol
Transmission: CVT automatic, front-wheel-drive
Total system power: 178bhp @ 6,000rpm
Engine torque: 140lb ft @ 4,400-5,200
Electric motor power: 80kW
Electric motor torque: 149lb ft
0-62mph: 7.9 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Weight: 1,340-1,510kg