Toyota Corolla RZ special edition launched

Australia’s best-selling car, Toyota Corolla, has struck an edgy new pose with a special-edition model dubbed the RZ.

Following the footsteps of the recently launched Camry RZ, the Corolla RZ adopts a range of black treatments for the wheels, grille, bumpers, mirrors and rear garnish.

Priced from $23,540, Toyota says the special-edition Corolla RZ offers $2,000 worth of added features for just $1,000 above the price of the Ascent Sport hatch on which it is based.

The RZ arrives with the Corolla nameplate having topped local sales charts in seven months this year, giving it an overall lead of just over 900 vehicles to the end of October. Corolla was Australia’s best-selling car in 2013.

Added equipment for the Corolla RZ starts with the convenience of satellite navigation with maps accessible on the audio system’s 6.1-inch touch-screen display, along with vision from the already-standard reversing camera.

The interior also gains “RZ” branded mats for the driver and front passenger, along with Corolla hatch regulars including six-speaker audio, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, air-conditioning and seatbelt warning alarm for all five seats.

Toyota has enhanced the sporty stance of the hatch with exclusive black detailing to reach out for younger buyers. Most evident are the racy 16-inch black gloss alloy wheels that are matched with black caps bearing the Toyota emblem.

The car’s revised front also displays a subtle mean streak with the black hero colour being used to surround the Toyota emblem in the upper grille. Black is also the colour of choice for the front bumper mouldings and the leading edge at the bottom of the trapezoidal lower grille.

The dark theme continues at the rear with black used for a new garnish below the hatch glass and for the rear bumper moulding.

The six available exterior colours are all optional paints included in the price. The Corolla RZ is further distinguished with decals at the front, rear and along the lower edge of the side doors. The black decals feature silver highlights on cars with Wildfire (red), Inferno (orange) and Tidal Blue exterior metallic paints while the highlights are orange for cars painted in Crystal Pearl, Silver Pearl and Positano Bronze.

The RZ, like every Corolla, comes with seven airbags, vehicle stability and traction control, anti-skid brakes and the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Corolla RZ’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine develops 103kW and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox or a MultiDrive S-CVT automatic transmission that also provides a sequential seven-speed Sport mode.