The Toyota Corolla Hybrid Is All the Car You’ll Ever Need

Enthusiasts are quick to turn their noses up at cars like the Toyota Corolla Hybrid. It’s a car for normies, after all, people who don’t care about driving as an experience and just need something to get to work as efficiently and cheaply as possible. But after driving this one, it’s tough to ignore.

There’s a reason Toyota moves over 20,000 Corollas every month. While it might not be an exciting thing, nothing else on the road combines such high levels of efficiency and affordability into a pleasant, inoffensive package. For most people, the Corolla Hybrid is the most car they’ll ever need.

The Corolla Hybrid is a car free of fat. It’s small, lean, and simple. It has everything you’d require for a leisurely commute to work or weekend trip. Nothing more. Inside, you’re greeted by a straightforward interior with comfy cloth seats, a mostly analog gauge cluster, and a screen slapped onto the dash for infotainment. 

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, eradicating any complaints about navigation or entertainment. The buttons on the steering wheel are real, actual buttons, not touch-capacitive nonsense. The same goes for the single-zone climate control, which uses two knobs to control temperature and fan speed. So refreshingly straightforward.

As far as materials go, don’t expect plush hand-stitched leather and wood trim. There are lots of hard plastics here, but that doesn’t really bother me considering an as-tested price under $30,000.  

The lack of lumbar support is the only real thing I missed in the Corolla Hybrid’s cabin. If I were spending more than an hour at a time in the car, I’d want that. Also, the wireless charger in the center console only worked about 60 percent of the time. But that’s standard across the industry. 

Things are similarly uncomplicated with the Corolla on the road. Pop the analog gear selector into drive, hit the throttle, and the hybrid system comes to life with a satisfying smack of instant torque. Thrust comes from three electric motors—two located at the front connected to the 1.8-liter inline-four engine, and a third at the back feeding the rear wheels. 

That forward momentum dies off as speed increases, obviously. The ‘Rolla Hybrid has just 134 hp to work with, enough for what feels like a 0-60 time of under 10 seconds. That sounds achingly slow when compared to modern performance cars, but it’s perfectly acceptable in real-life situations like stop lights and on-ramps. Just don’t be afraid to use the whole throttle pedal, and you’ll be fine. 

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The hybrid setup in the Corolla is a fascinating piece of kit; It doesn’t require any external charging and routinely switches between full electric propulsion and ICE assistance to move the car down the road, without any input or mode selection from the driver. In stop-and-go traffic at city speeds, the switch feels nearly seamless, with the only difference being the sound of the engine revving up as you press the accelerator. When it drops back to full EV mode, a little green light illuminates in the gauge cluster. 

The transition is more noticeable at highway speeds, when the car will sometimes send a light shudder into the body as it drops into full EV mode. At times the powertrain can seem unsure of itself, switching back and forth between hybrid and EV modes, trying to gauge your need for power depending on inputs. That’s a small price to pay for 47 miles per gallon highway. Even driving like a dimwit through mostly stop-and-go city streets, I managed to get 43 mpg over 300 miles of driving, according to the onboard computer. That’s mighty impressive.

The rest of the Corolla Hybrid is a pleasantly forgettable experience. The steering lacks feel, but it’s light and dainty, making it easy enough for your great-grandmother to operate. Same goes for the brakes, which require an equally light touch. Toyota says the Corolla Hybrid is equipped with a “sport suspension,” though I’m not sure what that means, as the ride is about as plush and comfortable as some luxury SUVs I’ve driven. It floats over small bumps with ease and only reveals its primitiveness over big imperfections in the road. Even then, it’s never jarring. 

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Let’s review: The Corolla Hybrid is cheap to buy, easy to live with, fuel-efficient as hell, and bulletproof as any Toyota. The catch is, of course, that it is not exciting. You will not derive any driving pleasure from a Corolla Hybrid, at least not directly. No one will give you a second look or be impressed by it. You will see dozens of identical Corollas on the road every time you get behind the wheel. 

The flip side, though, is the satisfaction you get knowing you can flat-foot your way anywhere and push this car to its (very low) limits. Absolutely no one on the road will notice or care, and you can do it worry-free because Corollas last forever. Meanwhile, you’ll still be getting over 40 mpg. 

After driving so many cars, this Corolla is a refreshing reminder that most people really don’t need anything more than a vehicle like this one. Aside from some very minor gripes, it checks all the boxes it possibly needs to as a reliable, pleasant, cheap-to-run commuter. So the next time you consider stepping into that luxury dealer looking for a flashy marque, just remember the Corolla exists. You might lose some style points, sure, but the money saved will be worth it.

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