Nothing beats a stylish fuel efficient silent killer. We got to test the revised Toyota Corolla Xr Hybrid and it was such a pleasure to drive.
I must say the design looks a lot like a luxury “Uber black” with a quiet, efficient Hybrid engine. The revised Toyota Corolla Xr Hybrid comes with stylish redesigned bi-LED headlamps that incorporate the indicator signal and daytime running into one which looks pretty eye catchy. Designs that also got attention include the new front grille with horizontal slats, black garnish on the rear bumper, red outer lenses for tail lights and hybrid Xr badges which remind you of the "entry spec" model. The Sedan Xr we tested comes in 16inch alloy wheels which definitely look small in the overall design.
The Interior is driver focused with an 8inch infotainment display that comes with wireless apple car play and android auto and a 12.3inch instrument cluster. The Full LED interior lighting was welcomed at night when exiting or entering the cabin and the wireless charging saves one from multi cables in the car. As is now the norm, there are only Type C USB ports (this is where I appreciate wireless charging cause I’m not the Type C market).The red seat inserts make the car look more sporty. The sound system is one of my favourites on this models as it belies the entry level status of the XR with a sound that was absolutely awesome.
The Xr Hybrid does surprise when it comes to safety with a long list of active and passive safety system one would expect in higher spec models. Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (better camera and radio technologies), cruise control, lane departure, blind spot monitoring with safe exit assist, pre crash system, rear cross - traffic alert (oncoming traffic alert) and much more comes standard.
The Toyota Corolla Xr Hybrid is a 1.8l 4-cylinder petrol motor linked to an electric motor driving the front wheels via a CVT automatic. Typical CVT, when pushed, the engine does sound like a slipping clutch but then it returns a completely amazing 4.6l/ 100km (Joys of a hybrid). The Hybrid propulsion gives 126KW and 203Nm combined. Driving in EV mode did get people talking with silent drive proving a key factor around parking.
Overall the vehicle was really a pleasure to have on test, love the silence of the engine and the smoothness of the Drive, what got me the most excited is definitely the fuel efficiency in such a luxury sedan (although I dislike the uber vibes it gives, but certainly made the look work) i am super excited to see how Mzansi receives this one.
Price :
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.8 XR Hybrid R521 800