COROLLA COMMERCIAL TOYOTA
The Corolla Commercial points Steve Banner in the right direction and gives him somewhere to hide his valuables too
s somebody who views most manufacturers built-in SatNav systems with a jaundiced eye – they always want to send me to Warsaw when I want to go to Walsall – I must admit to being impressed by the one installed in Corolla Commercial. It’s simple to use, gives clear directions and, while the dashboard touchscreen is comparatively small compared with the huge screens now being fitted to some light commercials, the map is easy to follow. In fact, the system is so good it has prompted me to abandon my trusty old Garmin; that’s right, the one you stick to the windscreen using a sucker that leaves a tell-tale round mark. Aside from any other consideration, the 12V power socket I would need to trail its cable to is inside a lidded compartment between the seats – goodness knows why Toyota has put it there – rather than on the fascia. Idly tapping the touchscreen allows you to access a variety of useful pieces of data as well as create your own in-cab Wi-Fi hotspot. Worth a look is a neat schematic that tells you how much energy is being pumped into and out of the van’s battery. Average fuel consumption is now 59.4mpg according to the on-board computer but rose to a very creditable 60.1mpg on my last journey, which involved a run down the M4 in appalling wet weather and a trundle around central London in typically heavy traffic. At least I had the Toyota’s exemplary DAB radio for company and was able to use the gear lever’s B setting – designed to increase the level of regeneration – as a retarder to (hopefully) help prevent me from breaching the capital’s near-ubiquitous 20mph speed limit.
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The touchscreen can also tell you how much range you have left before you need to visit a petrol station; so there is no need to panic and resort to filling up on the motorway at rip-
@whatvan
Toyota Corolla Commercial
Mileage
Official combined fuel economy (WLTP)
Our average consumption Price (ex VAT) Warranty
Service intervals Load length
2,996
55.6mpg 59.4mpg £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
Long-term Test
Report card Load area
4/5
Easy to access with a handy hidden compartment
off prices because you’re frightened you will run dry. The same useful bit of information is duplicated on the instrument panel.
When you want to refuel Corolla Commercial incidentally, don’t forget to tug the lever near the bottom of the driver’s seat that pops open the fuel flap. I keep forgetting – usually in the pouring rain – and have to walk back round to do the necessary. Sensibly, Toyota does not expect drivers to use the touchscreen to operate everything. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system are controlled by a row of buttons and knobs just under the screen, so all you need to do is press or twist the appropriate one if you want to boost the fan speed or increase the temperature.
The package allows you and your fellow passenger to set separate temperatures according to your personal preferences and it works
effectively. Just as well given that my usual travelling companion likes it baking hot while I’m only really happy if icicles start to form above the windscreen.
I’ve previously made reference to the space left under the load bed where the spare wheel would usually be, and its usefulness as a repository for items you would prefer not to have stolen. It can swallow any number of smartphones, tablets and laptops, not to mention power tools, and I crammed it full of kit on a recent trip. That said, I’d still rather have a spare wheel than be obliged to rely on one of those pesky inflator/sealers in an emergency. Yes, I know it adds weight, but I also know that Britain’s roads are in an atrocious state and are getting worse; and the sort of punctures some potholes can inflict would defeat most inflator/sealers and leave a hapless van driver stranded.
August 2023 WhatVan? 31
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