Toyota Corolla hatch gets styling updates and improved dynamics

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Toyota has unveiled a substantially upgraded Corolla hatch that promises to offer improvements in the key areas of design, interior trim and dynamics.

Revealed at the Geneva motor show and due in Australia later this year, the 2015 Corolla hatch features an updated exterior for a visually broader stance.

The hatch version of Australia’s best-selling car boasts a more prominent Toyota badge at the front, flanked by chrome “wings” that run along the front lip of the bonnet and across the full width of the car.

Lower wings sweep down into the upper surface of the front bumper, framing the inside edge of new headlight clusters.

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Below a more prominent front bumper, the lower grille now runs the full width of the car, giving Corolla hatch a broader, more purposeful stance.

From the side, longer overhangs improve the overall balance of the design, aided by a sweeping line from the headlights to the tail-lamp cluster.

The width of a deeper, more muscular bumper design is emphasised by the placement of horizontal reflector lamps at the extremities, and underscored by a thin chrome trim line.

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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.

More details of the facelifted 2015 Toyota Corolla hatch will be available closer to local launch.

 

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