2014 Toyota Corolla Sedan

26 June, 2014   By: Alex Forrest

Corollas are deservedly known for being reliable, conservative and for having excellent resale value and it’s why they remain the default new car choice for thousands of Australians. 

Now we have the new Corolla sedan, which was introduced in February this year, about 16 months after the new Corolla hatch was launched.

The new one is bigger inside and out, including the massive boot, which is now 470 litres in volume, up by 20 litres.

Thanks to a 100mm increase in the length between the front and rear wheels, there’s more room in the cabin too, especially with regards rear seat leg room.

The sedan’s suspension set up isn’t as stiff as the current hatch’s, but it does handle better than the old Corolla sedan. This is thanks in part to a more rigid body, the longer wheelbase and the wheels having been pushed closer to the corners of the car.

     

The fit and finish of the interior is a big leap forward from its predecessor, but the actual design is conventional, with a centrally mounted touchscreen and a clear and simple layout of the main dials.

Externally, Toyota have worked on the styling to keep it modern but not so avant-garde as to drive away its loyal client base. The result is a styling language Toyota awkwardly calls “keen look”, which made us wonder whether the car could wink.

     

The one real standout feature on the new Corolla sedan is the new gearbox. It cleverly utilises the benefits of a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but mostly eliminates the downsides of CVTs by operating in concert with a more conventional torque converter.

Without getting too technical, it means the high-revving, slipping feeling typically associated with CVTs is virtually gone. Instead, it has the stepped gear changes of a conventional torque converter, because it has one of these too. Frankly, it’s the best CVT we’ve driven.

Pricing for the Corolla sedan starts at $23,750 drive away for the base model Ascent, though if you want any colour other than white, it’ll be another $450 for metallic paint. The mid-spec SX is $26,075 drive away, while the range-topping ZR is $34,580.