Damn, the New Toyota Corolla Wagon Looks Good
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely to come to the U.S.
Toyota’s attractive new Corolla hatchback has injected the Corolla nameplate with a shot of energy, with enticing styling and a significantly better driving experience. In Europe, the Corolla renaissance is going a step further with a new wagon version called the Corolla Touring Sports—and we love the way it looks.
Granted, Toyota has been selling small wagons on the Continent for years now, but this is the first time one of them has worn the Corolla name; previously, Toyota sold its range of compacts across the pond under the Auris moniker, but that has been scrapped with this latest generation. Plus, the Auris wagon never looked as good as the Corolla Touring Sports does, with its aggressive but not overwrought front end, chunky side profile, and nice detailing.
Although it probably goes without saying, the wagon features a different roofline than the Corolla hatch, and its wheelbase is a few inches longer, too. More space is on offer inside, with a larger cargo area and fold-flat rear seats that maximize the practicality of this body style.
Unlike in the United States, Toyota is emphasizing hybrid powertrains for the Euro Corolla lineup, and the wagon comes with either a turbocharged 1.2-liter four-cylinder or a choice of two gasoline-electric drivetrains, one with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder and another with a 2.0-liter four. A diesel engine has been dropped from the lineup, as with the hatchback, as Toyota moves away from this engine type across its European lineup.
We reached out to Toyota to see whether the wagon version of the Corolla has any chance of making its way to the U.S. market, but we aren’t holding our breath. Toyota hasn’t sold a Corolla wagon here—or a wagon of any kind, for that matter—since the 1990s, and the market for compact long roofs in America is so small that it probably wouldn’t make business sense. Even so, we’ll be able to see more of the Corolla Touring Sports when it makes its official debut at the Paris auto show in a few weeks, and we think it would make a pretty great basis for a revived Corolla All-Trac to do battle with the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack.