Toyota Corolla Touring Sports Excel Hybrid 2.0 VVT-i auto 5d Owner Review

I bought my Corolla Excel Touring Sports 2 litre 9 months ago to replace, of all things, a 320D touring. The rationale was simple- I needed an estate with similar power output to the BMW, I prefer automatic, and I was curious about hybrid technology. Aside from picking a pearl red paint, the Corolla came in standard Excel trim. Nine months and over nine thousand miles later, some initial impressions: I find power delivery smooth and quiet. I have learned the technique of easing off the throttle on downhill stretches of motorway to allow the EV mode to kick in, and I’m enjoying being able to ease my way through town traffic on mainly battery power. I Iive around 4 miles from the nearest town- I find that from a cold start the Corolla will average over 40mpg on the way in, and 54-60mpg on the way home when the engine has warmed through. Town and city driving easily returns over 60 mpg and often a lot more. My overall average since new is 50.6mpg which is very satisfactory for a 2 litre petrol engine hybrid, though it dived a bit in the colder weather.. This is my first experience of a CVT- it took a bit of getting used to initially, but now I hardly notice the engine revs rising unless overtaking. Comfort wise, the Corolla’s suspension is very well damped and comfortable on all types of road, though tyre noise is noticeable on some of the more abrasive road surfaces we have in this part of the world (Northern Ireland). I’m grateful that this version of the Corolla makes do with 17 inch alloys as opposed to the 18 inch versions - I’m only too familiar with the discomfort caused by firm M Sport suspension and larger alloys on BMWs I have driven in the past. A note about the front sports seats- I find the range of adjustment and method of adjustment a bit awkward, and I have had to experiment to find a seating position that suits me. I also find the seat squabs to be a little short, but long distance comfort has been fine so far. Like everyone else I have read about, I find the infotainment system a bit of a let down- it does the job ok, but the navigation system is awkward to program and use, and has thrown up some dubious information on occasions- (Marks and Spencers 2666146 miles away, for example!). I have contacted Toyota about the possibility of a software update sometime in the future, and apparently it will be available in may for £50 if done with a service or £120 if done on its own. The Toyota suite of safety features seems like a mixed bag- the adaptive cruise control works very well.and the Lane Assist does the job ok too. I’m a bit wary of the Collision Avoidance systems, though it is a comfort to know that they are there. ( I was involved in a serious accident 2 years ago) The headlights are absolutely excellent, although the automatic high beam/dipped beam feature is infuriatingly slow to react at times and I have resorted to switching it off on more than one occasion. The reversing camera is a welcome feature, as is the Parking Assist feature- although I have noticed that it has left the car perilously close to the kerb (and the alloys!) more than once. Visibility is generally fine all round. Like many others, I have been keen to try out pure EV motoring, but as yet the charging infrastructure here is poor, and given my annual mileage and a certain amount of range anxiety, I’m happy with my choice of the Toyota. I get an easy 400 mile range ( I wish the fuel tank was a bit bigger) but I’m already seeing a 2p per mile reduction in running costs compared to my last BMW, so I am very content.