From the turn of the switch, there seems to be an urge about the car which I've not noticed before. Precise' is also the word for how you can place this car as you go, because the superb response from the steering is a joy to play with either in careful threading through housing estates or spinning up a mountain road. The backup from the new engine is a large part of the overall experience, and quite often, because of the wide power band with the VVT-i technology, I forgot I had a mere 1.4 pulling me. The car's ride has improved too, partly because of the stiffened bodyshell. I did find the review saloon a little choppy at lowish speeds on good roads, but at higher speeds or when pushed in manoeuvre, it displayed a super suppleness.
ABS is standard.
Upcoming is a brand new 16-valve diesel, sometime around the autumn. But in the meantime there's the rather modest 68bhp 1.9-litre oilburner which was developed in conjunction with Peugeot. It's a thrifty unit, but the new one towards the end of the year is likely to be considerably more efficient. Having missed the initial launch run of the latest Corolla, I approached it for my full review assessment with something less than anticipatory enthusiasm. But as I got to know it, I got to like it very much.