Will Hybrid Corolla make Prius Better?

Another way to look at this: Toyota should just bite the bullet and put spares in ALL Prius models (not all lack the spare). Assuming a "flattened" raising of the cargo floor of just under two cubic feet to fit the tire, the Prius would still have double the cargo volume of a Corolla.

 

Don't get me wrong....I love the Prius. However, I'm also glad that the Hybrid Synergy Drive is getting into a more 'mainstream' vehicle. It is just want Toyota needs at this juncture.

 

Prius mission has always been innovation ‘to go before’. And it has done an incredible job. Hybrid Synergy Drive and the TNGP is now an entire platform across many countries. My gen 4 is amazing I love it.

My guess is that at this point Toyota will continue use their advances in engineering and efficiency, but might park the ‘Prius’ badge until something really new comes along.

 

But let's not forget, symbolism and banner-carrying aside, it's still a darned good car. And now that the Corolla has shrunken down into the Echo/Yaris size range, pulling the plug on the Prius would leave a huge gap in the line between the now-big Camry and the Corolla. Who knows, maybe the Camry is next up for the shrink-beam treatment. . . Also -- and let's nobody say the dreaded "W-word" -- having a super-serviceable hatchback in the middle of the line is great too. That it happens to be a cutting edge hybrid -- well that's nice as well.

 

I’m all in favor of automotive manufacturers stamping out smaller, rather than larger vehicles. History of Japanese vehicles since the first Honda Civic seems to be refresh bigger, larger, more, heavier, super.. you get my point.

For the first time it looks like the trend in import cars is smaller, not bigger. Just my impinion

 

The problem is, the new Corolla is longer outside - but considerably smaller inside (hatch version here). It's driver focused, great layout, and those who bothered to drive it reckon it's a great drive. But anyone wanting to put children in would walk away after looking at the back seat and the boot.

Our premium print Motoring Magazine, Wheels commented "... deserves criticism. The failure to improve interior roominess, and that tiny boot, are impossible to ignore ...".

 

You're absolutely correct. If you look up the stats (fueleconomy.gov is an easy source), the just-retired Corolla (up to 2019 MY) is the size equivalent (pax and cargo) of the Camry of 20-25 years ago. Same relationship exists between the Civics and Accords. Obviously, this can't go on until they're building Silverado-sized Civics, so a "reset" seems inevitable and overdue. I guess we're getting it now. I wonder how much more resetting they'll do?

 

I didn't have much to do with the previous Prii, though had checked them out. I finally took the plunge with Samantha because she drove so well - I felt the previous ones were a compromise (compared with say a Ford Focus which I'd bought because it was more sporty etc). And at the time as I bought Samantha, I compared it with Corolla Hatch and found PRIUS a considerably better, though considerably more expensive car.

 

And that is probably the only thing going for the Prius, cargo utility. But you pay $6.5K more for that.

Checking out the Prius brochure, they took away the parking sensors on the FWD model and now you have to opt for the top trim AWD model and pay $2K more. Brilliant marketing.

On top of that, you get heated rear seats and rear vents which are not even an option on Prius (correct me if I'm wrong). So you are basically paying less for more. Unless again, you absolutely need the cargo utility.

Why Toyota, why?

Passenger room comparison:

 

That's a SEDAN in the video - but that's a ridiculously small boot (13 cu ft) particularly for a sedan. My last car, a size smaller, a FIESTA SEDAN, had a 15½ cu ft (430 litre) boot.

The reality is that the PRIUS has a lot more space in the back seat. There was a Corolla on display when my car was serviced - and I climbed into it - the back seat seemed so small, that I went over to the PRIUS and sat in the back seat - which I rarely do except when cleaning it. No comparison. Maybe for someone taller?

No, there are no vents, only floor vents, in PRIUS. No idea about heated seats - something we don't consider in the semi-tropics.

But what you're getting with PRIUS is appreciably better fuel economy. PRIUS 3.4 l/100km, COROLLA 4.2 l/100km. You're also getting a dedicated hybrid with considerably better aerodynamics, aluminium panels.

Also, don't forget that PRIUS Gen 4 is now over 3yrs into the model cycle. Mid-cycle updates only ever go so far. So it's only to be expected that Corolla will have caught up - it's just disappointing that TOYOTA seemed to have lost the plot with Corolla in so many key areas, primarily how it fits people and their stuff.

I had a '69 Corolla sedan - I reckon the latest hatch might have less luggage space - though I can't find figures.

 

For as long as Toyota believes in hybrids, the Prius will exist as the most uncompromised expression of them.

As far as Corolla pricing is concerned, in the UK the fully loaded hybrid Corolla wagon is an eye-watering £30K GBP (that's over £2K GBP more expensive than a fully loaded Prius, which is baffling).

 

That sounds very expensive.

Here Corolla HATCH (all we get) is $31870 top model Hybrid. With GOLF, a wagon is $2000 extra - so that translates to ~$31870 if we get the wagon and it's priced similar to GOLF.

PRIUS is $36440 for a well equipped base model - (the top model $43900 with Nav, 17" etc).

ALL PRICES plus On Road Costs - which add up to about $4000.

 

As for the "why Toyota, why?" part, OK, I'll be right with you on that. As for the rest, well, a couple thoughts. First, in the US, the price difference is roughly $2k between the Hybrid LE Corolla (only one we're offered right now) and a Prius LE. Admittedly, this figure may be somewhat distorted by the limited Corolla choices, but still, for us, level-to-level, the price difference isn't anywhere near $6.5k here in the US. Corolla Hybrid LE (again, only choice) is $22,950, whereas Prius LE is $24,980.

Also comparing the two models, cargo volume is distinctly not the only advantage the Prius holds over Corolla. The Prius offers almost five cubic feet more passenger volume than Corolla. The numbers alone, of course, don't tell the whole story -- the shape of the space is also important. That said, I see nothing in my new 2018 that seriously detracts from its back seat utility. It's not quite as good as the back seat of my old 04 (I actually "did time" as a passenger back there!), but it seems it would be comfortable enough for two for even a longer trip.

As for the other details, and this is my opinion, I consider those minor. Like Alan, I live in a hot climate (but grew up in northern New England). Rear seat heat and vents are nice features, to be sure, but I'd never consider their absence "show stoppers," and in my car, they'd get used well less than 1% of the time.

For me, I'd put much more weight on the things that Alan has well articulated so far (to be clear -- I have not yet set eyes upon an actual 2020 Corolla). To me, the small and awkwardly shaped interior spaces of the Corolla seem to be critical defects. Ironic that the "outwardly awkward" Prius is so much more practical inside. . . "Why Toyota, why" indeed!

 

I wonder if the hybrid Corolla will become a popular rental car? I’ve rented regular Corollas a few times. Found them to be very well built vehicles.

 

- Corolla sedan and Touring sport have longer wheelbase than hatch, same as Prius (2.7m). If you sat in the back of hatch, then yes a lot less space than Prius in sedan not much of difference.
- Per European (I think also Australian) specs Sedan has a 471 l boot space, still not very big, but more than your Fiesta.
- Sedan has WLTP fuel economy 3.4-3.8 l/100 km depending on a trim level, just a mere 3% more than Prius on the same test cycle.

 

We haven't had a Corolla SEDAN for quite a while - though there are still stocks of the old model in dealerships.

That's odd about bootspace - I wonder why the one in the video (USA) only has a 13 cu ft boot? In the video, it actually looked much smaller, particularly depth, than the FIESTA. Maybe the difference is in spare tyre configuration between UK and USA?

 

Old Australian Corolla was named Auris in Europe, the new Corolla is a completely different car on TNGA platform and with latest Prius drivetrain, so you are getting basically the same fuel economy in similar sized cabin (same wheelbase), but smaller and not so practical boot space. For bigger boot space European market gets Touring Sport, that is the estate version.

There are two main standards in measuring the boot space VDA (Europe) and SAE (US).

 

I just went and bought a Corolla Touring Sports (which is the wagon version here in Europe) after taking a few weeks flipping between that and the new post-refresh Prius. The two are so alike it's difficult to understand how both can really exist in the same showroom. I bought the 1.8L Style version which is currently just €400 cheaper than the top-spec Prius. Its features are directly comparable except that the Corolla doesn't have a HUD, a sunroof (which is new on the Prius in Belgium), leather seats, blind-spot monitors or the cross-traffic monitor. Some of these features are available in the more expensive Corolla.

After a few days of driving I can offer the following observations (I previously owned a top-spec 2016 version of the current Prius):

The Corrolla has a superior Lane Control Assist. It forcefully keeps you bang in the centre of the lane, which can become problematic if you're trying to shift over to let a motorbike filter through lanes of traffic.

The Corolla also has better Adaptive Cruise Control. This was something I missed when I got rid of the Prius and was glad to have it back, and Toyota's latest version is a big improvement.

The Corolla doesn't come with a spare tyre but there is space for one if you wish to add one. The provided repair kit is in a little bag rather than a moulded tray like in the Prius, which leaves a lot of space in the void under the boot floor for extra storage. The boot itself is more accessible thanks to a wider opening.

There's no HUD but the Hybrid assist offers more feedback, indicating when the electric and petrol engine are likely to kick in. An example, a curve builds as you press the accelerator, indicating how much longer you can expect to remain in electric-only power if you continue at that rate of acceleration.

The Corolla feels very low to the ground. You pass other family cars where the driver seems to be sat noticeably higher than you, even a couple of feet higher. I don't recall feeling this way in the Prius. At the same time, the Corolla has better ground clearance at the front than the Prius, which helps with a couple of particularly annoying speed bumps near home.

It was difficult to decide but the price difference (however small) and personal style preference is what swung it. I don't know if the post-refresh Prius also has the updated LCA and ACC but I expect the next version of the Prius to offer considerably more than the Corolla (wagon) otherwise I don't see why Toyota is offering both.