Toyota Corolla Touring Sports interior & comfort

Toyota has long lagged behind the likes of Volkswagen when it comes to making classy interiors, but as in most other areas, the Corolla Touring Sports improves significantly on its predecessor in this regard.

Toyota Corolla Touring Sports dashboard

From the driver's seat, those familiar with the old Auris will notice a slimmer instrument panel, as well as a wider and higher centre console. You feel more 'cocooned' in the cockpit of the Corolla compared to its predecessor, and material quality has been improved, too. All versions get Toyota's eight-inch Touch 2 multimedia infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard, while there's also a seven-inch screen in front of the driver (4.2 inches in the entry-level Icon model).

Equipment, options & accessories

There are four trim levels available for the Corolla Touring Sports. The range starts with Icon and moves up through Icon Tech, Design, GR Sport and Excel. You'll need to go for one of the last three if you want the 2.0-litre hybrid engine, while the 1.8-litre is offered throughout the range.

On Icon cars, you get LED headlights, LED foglights, 16-inch alloys, Toyota Touch 2 infotainment, DAB radio, a reversing camera, dual-zone air-conditioning, heated front seats and an eight-inch dashboard screen. We think it's worth upgrading to Icon Tech at least, to get voice control, sat nav, parking assistance and parking sensors.

The next step up is Design, which boasts rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rear privacy glass, 17-inch alloys, power-adjustable heated door mirrors and an optional opening panoramic roof. GR Sport meanwhile, gives the Corolla sportier looks, including standard 18-inch alloys, but nothing in the way of extra power or sharper handling.

The most lavish and most expensive Corolla Touring Sports is the Excel. In addition to everything on the lower trims, it increases wheel size to 18 inches, adds bi-LED headlights, leather upholstery and sports seats. An eight-speaker premium stereo and bi-tone paint are available as options.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

For the 2022 model year, Toyota introduced new infotainment software for the Corolla. This 'Toyota Smart Connect+' system is either standard or optional on all versions of the Corolla except the entry-level Icon. It promises to operate 2.4 times faster than the old system and gives access to a series of smart connected services, including cloud-based navigation with always-on traffic information, 3D city mapping, highway signage and fixed traffic camera locations.

You can also use natural, conversational phrases to operate the multimedia and navigation systems hands-free. In addition, all Corollas come with a reversing camera as standard (particularly useful on the large Touring Sports), along with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, DAB and FM radio receivers, an auxiliary socket and six-speaker stereo, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone linking.