All-new Toyota Corolla - Variants explained

Not too long ago, rumour mills were churning in full force, and almost everyone was talking about the upcoming Toyota Corolla. So earlier in September, UMW Toyota Motor finally opened its books and began accepting orders from customers in the country. The Toyota Corolla has been one of the best cars in the C-segment sedan genre for a long time, and now there is this one - the all-new Toyota Corolla.

The latest avatar of the famous Corolla is now officially on sale in Malaysia, and it comes shipped directly from Thailand as a CBU. This twelfth generation model of the Corolla is built on top of the Japanese carmaker’s latest Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform.

While the latest iteration is just referred to as the Toyota Corolla here in Malaysia, the sedan still wears the ‘Altis’ tag since that is what it’s called in its export market of Thailand. In our market, the all-new Toyota Corolla will go up against the likes of the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and the Mazda 3 sedan.

So, for those of you who are getting ready to go into the showrooms to check out the all-new Toyota Corolla, you would likely want to know what you will be getting into. So let’s get down to explaining the different variants of the Corolla and what they offer for the dough. In all, there are two variants of the new Corolla in Malaysia -- available in colors such as Attitude Black, Celestite Grey Metallic, Red Mica Metallic, Silver Metallic, and White Pearl Crystal Shine. The price breakdown for the two variants is as follows…

All-new Toyota Corolla prices:

All-new Toyota Corolla variants	Price
1.8E (in standard colors)	RM 128,888
1.8E (in White Pearl Crystal Shine)	RM 129,688
1.8G (in standard colors)	RM 136,888
1.8G (in White Pearl Crystal Shine)	RM 137,688

UMW Toyota Motor is offering its customers the all-new Corolla with a comprehensive 5-year/unlimited mileage manufacturer’s warranty.

All-new Toyota Corolla variants detailed:

1. Toyota Corolla 1.8E 

With a starting price of RM 128,888 (RM 800 extra if you want the White Pearl Crystal Shine color option), the 1.8E represents the new Toyota Corolla’s entry-level trim in the two-variant lineup. While this new iteration of the Corolla costs significantly more than some of its rivals in the segment, you don’t really have to be worried about being short-changed in terms of standard equipment or features.

For starters, even this base variant of the Corolla comes with safety features such as the following:

• Seven airbags (front, front side, curtain & driver’s knee)
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA)
• Traction Control (TRC)
• Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
• Hill-start Assist Control (HAC)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)
• ISOFIX anchors with top tether
• Front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and force limiters
• Front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera
• Speed-sensing auto door lock

As for its standard comfort and convenience features, some of the exterior features of the 1.8E variant of the all-new Corolla are as follows:

• Automatic Bi-halogen headlamps with LED daytime-running lights (DRLs)
• LED tail lamps with LED running lights
• Front & rear fog lamps
• Acoustic front windshield
• Power-adjustable wing mirrors with auto-fold function & integrated LED turn indicators
• 16-inch alloy wheels with 205-section tyres

Now for the other features and equipment which includes the following:

• Smart entry with push-button engine ignition
• Leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel with tilt & telescopic adjustment
• Single-zone automatic climate control with rear vents
• Drive Mode selector with Sport Mode and ECO Mode
• 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with power lumbar support
• 6.8-inch touchscreen head unit with USB mirroring, Bluetooth, AUX & USB inputs and DVD playback
• 6-speaker sound system

Apart from these, the Corolla 1.8E also offers fabric seat upholstery, leather-clad gear lever, split-folding rear seats, USB charging ports, manually-adjustable front passenger’s seat, a 4.2-inch color multi-information display for the driver, and Toyota Premium Security & Solar Film.

2. Corolla 1.8G

The range-topping 1.8G variant of the all-new Toyota Corolla price tag reads RM 136,888 -- again, the White Pearl Crystal Shine color will cost you an extra RM 800. Now that makes this top-tier trim of the Corolla more expensive than the top variant of the Honda Civic, but then again, this is a newer car and comes loaded with some cool goodies to justify its heftier asking price.

For example, the Corolla 1.8G variant comes equipped with the following:

• Automatic Bi-LED projector headlamps with LED daytime-running lights (DRLs) & turn indicators
• Automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers
• 17-inch alloy wheels with 225-section tyres
• Auto-tilting wing mirror (when in reverse)

On the inside, the Corolla 1.8G brings other niceties including the following:

• Toyota Optitron instrument cluster with a 7-inch primary display
• Paddle shifters
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Leather upholstery with exclusive double stitching on the seats
• Wireless phone charging pad
• Electro-chromatic rearview mirror
• Rear sunshades
• Electronic parking brake with auto-hold feature

Meanwhile, the primary safety kit of the all-new Corolla now gets complemented with Toyota Safety Sense which brings along the following features:

• Pre-Collision System (PCS)
• Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist & Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)
• Automatic High Beam (AHB)
• Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC)

The all-new Toyota Corolla specs (1.8G variant) also comes with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) and two Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), one for the front and the other that’s mounted at the rear.

On top of the items mentioned above, customers have the option of adding a Vehicle Telematics System (VTS) at the dealership for an additional RM 1,950 on any of the two variants. This safety feature will allow owners to keep a close eye on their new purchase by using a smartphone app and comes with a free 3-year subscription.

Finally, let’s take a look at what’s under the bonnet of this C-segment family sedan.

All-new Toyota Corolla engine and transmission:

All-new Toyota Corolla	Details
Engine	1.8-litre, four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated engine with DOHC and Dual VVT-i
Transmission	Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Power	138 hp at 6,400 rpm
Torque	172 Nm at 4,000 rpm
Estimated Fuel Economy	14.5 kmpl (combined)

The 2ZR-FE four-cylinder engine in the all-new Toyota Corolla isn’t the most potent motor in its class, as the Civic’s 1.5-litre turbo-four provides more punch, being rated at 171 hp. However, Toyota claims that they have worked on this engine and its CVT gearbox (with its simulated 7-speeds) and that it is now better than ever before.

Also Read: 2019 Toyota Corolla: First impression