Page 10 - Motoring Spring 2021

SPECIAL PRE-LAUNCH TEST TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID

TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID

With every motor manufacturer in the world looking for new mobility and power solutions, Toyota,

in South Africa at least, has firmly embarked on a programme of adopting hybrid powertrains.

ed by the Prius over a number of years, with the Lexus division taking the mantle of having The interior is again familiar territory
hybrid versions of every model in their range, Toyota then went further by offering the IS with a few different dashboard displays
Lmodel in hybrid versions only. being the only apparent difference. It’s
Andrew Kirby of Toyota stated recently that, with the lack of infrastructure for full electric spacious, comfortable and offering all the
vehicles, they will be concentrating on hybrid power for the African continent for the foreseeable luxury spec that you would expect from a
future. An exciting development is the upcoming launch of the Corolla Cross that will be locally range topping model.
built and offered with a hybrid option. The differences start when you prod the
With all of this activity, Toyota is quietly adding hybrid versions to some other models as well. Start button and you are greeted with total
Both Corolla and Rav4 Hybrids are about to be launched (or will have just been announced when silence and a light that says ‘Ready’. You
you read this). coast away in eerie silence in pure electric
Taking the publishing lead times into account, we were privileged to be given a test unit of the mode with noise from the tyres being the
Corolla Hybrid ahead of the local launch. only sound you hear.
Having previously tested the latest 12 generation Corolla in both manual and CVT automatic The Toyota Hybrid system is one of those
th
derivatives, I have stated that I think this car is worthy of a Lexus badge. Comfort, luxury, that uses regenerative power for charging,
smoothness and overall build quality are absolutely top-notch. This is even more apparent in the so there is no plug-in necessary. The electric
Hybrid version. motor supplements the 1.8l petrol engine
From the outside, the only clues to the different powertrain are the blue accents on the to provide motive force and, for this reason,
Toyota badge on the grille and ‘Hybrid’ badges on the front fenders and boot lid. I did notice a few electric only driving provides a very limited
people doing double takes when seeing these badges close up in traffic or at our local mall. range. The concept is for the petrol engine to

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