Long -term Test Report


COROLLA COMMERCIAL TOYOTA


Toyota Corolla Commercial


Mileage


Official combined fuel economy (WLTP)


Our average consumption Price (ex VAT) Warranty


Service intervals Load length


2,590


55.6mpg 57mpg


£23,553


10yrs/100,000mls 1yr/10,000mls 1558mm


Load width (min/max) 952mm/1430mm Load bay height Load volume Gross payload


682mm 1.3m3


425kg


Engine size/power CO2


1798cc, 120hp 115g/km


Report card Fuel economy


Gets better and better


ress a little button next to the gear shift and you’ve just switched the self-charging hybrid Corolla Commercial to battery power only; but don’t think you’ll be able to travel from Lands End to John O’ Groats by doing so. Run solely on battery power and you will just about manage two or three miles if you are gentle with the throttle before the juice runs out and the petrol engine kicks in; and does so smoothly, incidentally. Makes you wonder why Toyota has bothered fitting a button that offers drivers a choice that, on the face of it, seems like no real choice at all.


P As it happens, it makes sound 4/5


sense. Vans sometimes have to enter warehouses, exhibition halls and other enclosed spaces where running a diesel or petrol engine is a big no-no because of the exhaust emissions. Select zero- emission battery power only for the 100 yards – if that – you’ll be travelling once you’re through the doors, and you’ll be complying with the rules. Go battery-only and you will be running quietly too; something that can only be applauded if you are pulling into premises surrounded by houses and their slumbering residents late at night. Likewise, if you are delivering


items to a hospital or a clinic out -of-hours.


Remember to drive that bit more carefully if you switch to battery power though. Pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users rely on their ears (often blocked with earbuds, alas) as much as their eyes (often directed towards a smartphone screen, unfortunately) and may be oblivious to your presence.


Just as well then that Corolla Commercial has more built-in safety devices than you can shake a stick at. The line-up includes Toyato’s Pre- Collision System, which brakes the van automatically if the driver ignores a warning that they are about to hit something.


What it does not include are reversing sensors, as I’ve pointed out before. Sorry to harp on about this Toyota, but you really need to make them standard. Their absence is a major gap in the van’s safety armoury. Putting this gripe to one side, after more than 2,500 miles, our long-term demonstrator is performing remarkably well. I’ve not found its limited payload capacity to be a particular problem, the load area has swallowed everything I’ve asked it to and the ability


to get at it from three sides has proved to be a boon when parked in narrow side streets in Welsh towns.


No matter whether you take it down a motorway or along a twisting rural B-road, it performs well. While the steering can feel a little dead at times, the handling isn’t compromised and the van rides comfortably.


It is also proving to be increasingly fuel efficient.


I’m now averaging around 57mpg, a little bit ahead of the WLTP combined consumption figure, possibly because I’m making full use of the Eco setting. Switching to Sport is a temptation given the major jump in acceleration it delivers, but one that I’m for the most part managing to resist. The Toyota is proving to be reliable, and nothing has broken or fallen off. It’s also proving to be a bit of a surprise to casual passers-by who can’t believe that it’s a van; until you point out the opaque rear side windows and show them the load area. For many prospective users who do not want something that is clearly a commercial vehicle parked on their drive, that might be its biggest plus- point. Yes, it’s a van – but at least it has the common decency to be discreet about it.


Less is more when it comes to selecting pure electric mode on the Corolla Commercial, reports Steve Banner


30


WhatVan?July 2023


www.whatvan.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53