Toyota just pulled covers off the new Corolla Touring Sports, an estate version of its hatchback which was launched earlier this year.
The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports is a blast from the past. Rumors were rife that the upcoming estate would be named the Auris, but Toyota chose to bring back an old, famous nameplate back to life through the Corolla Touring Sports. Toyota claims its TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) has enabled more variation from the hatchback, making the estate "a distinct, separate model in its own right." The platform is dubbed as GA-C and is flexible enough that many of the key dimensions of the estate are different from the five-door.
The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports gets a longer rear deck with the company claiming a boot space of 598 litres. there is no word on the maximum boot space with the rear seats folded. The 2700mm long wheelbase enables the estate to claim class-leading legroom. The wagon was designed in Toyota's Belgium studio. There are four dual-tone paint schemes on offer with the roof, B- and C-pillars, and lower grille surrounds finished in contrasting gloss black.
There are three different powertrains on offer under the Corolla estate's hood. You can choose between one conventional engine and two hybrids. The regular 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol makes 114hp. The hybrids offer a choice between a 1.8-litre petrol good for 120hp and a bigger, 2.0-litre petrol that puts down 178hp. The batteries of the hybrids are stored under the seats to lower the overall centre of gravity. The hybrids are not plug-in versions with Toyota claiming them to be 'self-charging' models.
Suspension is by conventional MacPherson struts up front and a newly developed multi-link at the rear. In a first for the Corolla, the estate gets adaptive variable dampers at the rear. Other features include full-LED taillamp clusters, head-up display, wireless phone charging convenience. There is also an interesting feature that Toyota calls the "world's first 3D driver's meter". We have yet to figure out what it actually implies, but it sounds like a marketing gimmick.
The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports will go on sale in mid-2019. Toyota will unveil the wagon on 2 October at the Paris Motor Show.
