Double-take for revised Toyota Corolla Hatch

The C-segment’s top selling Toyota Corolla Hatch has been given a refreshed for 2015. Set to arrive Down Under in just a few weeks, the new Toyota Corolla hatch will launch in two distinctive looks, derived from new designs unveiled at recent motor shows in Geneva and New York

The first is based on the refreshed European Toyota Auris (pictured below) and will form the basis of the popular Ascent and Ascent Sport grades in Australia. It displays a more prominent Toyota logo at the front, flanked by chrome ‘wings’, new headlight clusters, a more prominent front bumper and a lower grille that runs the full width of the car.

The second, more aggressive design, to be reserved locally for the sporty SX and ZR Corolla hatch variants, debuted on the iM hatch from Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand in the US. Its sharp features include a body aero kit along with a distinctive piano-black honeycomb mesh pattern for its upper grille, hexagonal lower grille and side bezels.

Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said both design themes for the new Corolla hatch produced a greater road presence with a visually broader stance.

“We are spicing up the Corolla hatch range with two distinct looks – the classic redesign seen in the European car and the added spark displayed by the sporty-looking US car,” Mr Cramb said.

“In Australia, we can draw on the global strength of Toyota to offer compelling designs for cars like Corolla that stand out in the market and offer maximum appeal to buyers who have different tastes,” said Mr Cramb.

The new Corolla hatch’s cabin has been significantly enhanced through a redesigned dashboard and improved surface and trim elements.

Toyota’s designers have reduced the visual mass of the dashboard, revised the instrument displays and crafted a more consistent shape and finish to grained surfaces and trim elements.

Detail elements such as the air vents, door handles and gear-lever surround have been redesigned for a crisper, higher quality appearance. New seat upholstery completes a more upmarket cabin environment.

The 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with maximum output of 103kW continues to power the Corolla hatch, albeit tweaked to further improve fuel efficiency.

Toyota has also revised the front and rear suspension to improve initial roll damping, minimised friction and enhanced straight-line ride comfort, while mapping of the electric power steering has been tuned to further build steering weight as vehicle speed increases.

Toyota Corolla is Australia’s best-selling car, selling more than 1.3 million units through 11 generations in its 48-year history in the country.