Upcoming 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan Snags Hatch Looks, Leaves Power trains
2020 Toyota Corolla
Manufacturer
images
Competes with: Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic,
Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra, Volkswagen Jetta
Looks like: A so, so, so trunkdafied
take on the new-for-2019 Corolla Hatchback
Drivetrain: 139-horsepower, 1.8-liter
four-cylinder with a continuously variable automatic transmission or 169-hp,
2.0-liter four-cylinder with a six-speed manual or CVT automatic
Hits dealerships: Spring 2019
SUV dominance notwithstanding, compact non-luxury sedans and
their hatchback or coupe offshoots still account for 1 in 10 new cars sold in
America, by Automotive News’ tally. The class splinters into more than a dozen
nameplates, but just two — the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla — account for
more than a third of that group. Honda redesigned the Civic three years back,
and now it’s Toyota’s turn: Witness the 2020 Corolla, a car brimming with new
technology.
Related: 2020 Toyota Corolla to
Debut Thursday; 6 Things It Needs from the 2019 Corolla Hatch
Of course, anyone who follows Toyota saw this coming a mile
away. The Corolla Hatchback introduced just eight months ago to
replace the Scion-turned-Toyota Corolla iM, ushered in a new platform for the
brand’s U.S. compact cars. The redesigned Corolla sedan adopts the same
underpinnings, not to mention a great deal of styling and interior
similarities. That’s just fine — given how impressed we are with
the Corolla hatchback, the sedan should have no trouble improving on its
predecessor’s middling appeal.
The redesign hits dealerships in the spring of 2019 with five available trim
levels: L, LE, SE, XLE and XSE.
Exterior
Press photos indicate the new Corolla sedan is just as heavy
on the mesh apertures and thin, menacing headlights as its post-refresh predecessor,
but those headlights — which feature six upward-arcing LED pipes on SE and XSE
trim levels — are a clear link to the Corolla Hatchback. The bumper cladding
fans out more than on the hatchback, with horizontal lighting elements in its
outboard sections.
The rear adopts unique styling, obviously, with thinner
taillights and more bumper cladding than on the outgoing Corolla sedan. Exposed
tailpipes sit to one side, rather than the Corolla Hatchback’s split-wide faux
openings. Overall height is down nearly an inch, while wheelbase, at 106.3
inches remains the same. SE and XSE models have 18-inch alloy wheels; L, LE
and XLE grades have smaller rims.
Interior
Cabin appointments
carry over from those of the Corolla Hatchback, with a broad, shelflike
dashboard and a 7- or 8-inch touchscreen atop the middle. L models get the
7-inch screen; all other variants have the 8-inch unit. Apple CarPlay integration is standard, while HD
radio, JBL premium audio and a navigation system are optional. Android Auto remains unavailable, however.
A 4.2-inch gauge display is standard, with a 7-inch
reconfigurable screen optional. Seating choices are cloth or SofTex vinyl; SE
and XSE grades have sportier front seats. The Corolla Hatchback’s
interior impressed us for
its materials quality and fresh, straightforward design. We’ll have to see the
sedan in person to confirm the similarities, but the photos suggest a big step
in the right direction versus the outgoing Corolla’s hodgepodge interior.
Under the Hood
Big news comes under the hood, where the Corolla sedan
offers the same 2.0-litre, direct-injection four-cylinder as the hatchback.
Here, it’s good for 169 horsepower and 151 pounds-feet of torque, and it pairs
with a six-speed manual or continuously variable automatic transmission. Both
have some tricks up their sleeves: The manual gets automatic downshift
rev-matching — much like in some sports cars — while the CVT has a fixed-ratio
1st gear for smoother acceleration from a stop. Both transmissions have impressed
us in the Corolla Hatchback, and there’s little reason to doubt similar fun in
the sedan.
Alas, a great many Corolla buyers won’t experience that. The
2.0-litre engine and trick transmissions come only on the SE and XSE trims; the
L, LE and XLE have a carryover 1.8-litre four-cylinder with 139 hp and a
traditional CVT without the fixed-ratio gear. No manual is offered with the
1.8-litre. Toyota promises improved fuel efficiency versus the outgoing
Corolla, which had EPA combined mileage in
the low 30s for most configurations.
It’s not all bad for those shoppers. All Corolla trims now to get an independent, multilink rear suspension. That’s rare among affordable
compact sedans, most of which — like the previous Corolla sedan — employ
cheaper, semi-independent rear suspensions. The SE and XSE grades have a
sport-tuned setup.
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