Don’t Like the Toyota Corolla? One of Its Variants Could Smash Your Expectations
The Toyota Corolla is one of the most instantly recognizable names in sensible transportation. However, the standard sedan might not be for everyone. Don’t fret if you’re a Toyota fan; the model is available in many flavors for 2023, including a hatchback, a high-riding Corolla Cross, and a vicious, track-ready GR hot hatch.
The 2023 Toyota Corolla is available offers a hybrid, hatchback, or high-riding SUV if you can’t stand the standard sedan
The budget-friendly compact sedan ticks nearly every box for fans of the popular Toyota sedan. However, Toyota decided that the Corolla namesake should expand beyond the sensible, albeit plain compact car to these options:
- Corolla Hybrid
- Corolla Hatchback
- GR Corolla
- Corolla Cross
Like Ford sharing the sacred Mustang name and badge with a four-door EV, Toyota broke with the practice of keeping a namesake specific to one type of vehicle. While the hatchback and Hybrid are similar to the standard, gas-powered sedan, the Cross hikes the Toyota model’s ride height up to a compact SUV level. More impressively, Toyota brought the tenured namesake into the GAZOO RACING fold with a track-ready GR Corolla hatchback.
How far can a Toyota Corolla hybrid go on electric only?
Toyota says the 2023 Corolla Hybrid can cover around 25 miles of electric-only driving. Moreover, the Toyota model’s hybrid trims can return as much as 53 mpg city and 46 mpg highway, a metric that a comparable Honda Civic can’t match.
Moreover, competitors like the Civic and Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue go without all-wheel drive, a feature the Toyota model offers with its hybrid trims. Still, the Elantra Hybrid promises more highway mileage for a lower starting price.
The hatchback adds liftback practicality, but its cramped rear seats might be a deal-breaker
If a liftback rear-end and more cargo volume is on your shortlist, the Corolla Hatchback might be the ticket. Still, while the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback packs 18.3 cubic feet of storage capacity, it’s nearly 7.0 cubic feet shy of a comparable Honda Civic Hatchback. Moreover, the hatchback’s Faustian deal seems to be for rear seat space, of which the Subaru Impreza has more.
The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla is less of a loyal tracking dog and more of a wolverine
The wild child of the namesake’s lineup, the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla is an AWD hot hatchback with a standard six-speed manual transmission and a 300-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Shockingly, the GR hot hatch produces 185.4 horsepower per liter, according to Car and Driver.
As a result, the rabid little racer summons 89.4 ponies per liter more than a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and 85.4 more than the upcoming Dark Horse.
Is the Corolla Cross taller than the Corolla?
The 2023 Corolla Cross is taller than the sedan by around 8.3 inches. Better yet, the Cross is more spacious than the hatchback variant and offers hybrid trims with AWD, like the shorter, more cramped sedan.
