Toyota’s Corolla ZR hybrid hatch demonstrates just how far Australia’s top-selling small car has come over more than 50 years
What is the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch all about?
The very first Toyota Corolla was a handy, zippy two-door small sedan that looked a bit like a scaled-down 105-series Alfa Romeo coupe.
In many ways it helped pave the way for Toyota’s now jealously-guarded reputation for solidity, reliability and retained value.
Although the Corolla has copped plenty of plaudits and plenty of flack over 55 years and 12 generations, its all-round trustworthiness has been a constant.
Another constant is that, through years of questionable Corollas and pretty-good Corollas, no brilliant Corollas spring to mind. It has been defined more by its stolidity than its technical innovations or its character.
But, as with other mainstream Toyota passenger cars (in particularly the Camry), there’s always been a lurking hope that, one day, conservatism would give way to something more adventurous, something with a little more ‘heart’.
That epithet may not exactly fit today’s version, but the world’s biggest car-maker has been fiddling with the Corolla’s DNA and will bring us the long-awaited GR model later this year.
With this in mind, and without getting too carried away, it would not be an exaggeration to say that today’s Toyota Corolla fits most of the pragmatic requirements of a mainstream small car – and does it with a commendable flourish.
The semi-sporty ZR hybrid variant reviewed here is an example.
How much does the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch cost?
Although it’s priced $2000 above the regular-powertrain ZR-spec hatch, the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid – priced from $34,695 plus on-road costs – still undercuts high-grade auto-equipped models from its major competitors, such as the Mazda3 G25 Astina, Kia Cerato GT and Hyundai i30 N Line.
It also slots in underneath excellent mainstream Euro contenders such as the new Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Scala.
The ZR Hybrid’s powertrain is the same as that used in other petrol-electric Corolla models. The reciprocating engine is a nearly-square, Toyota Prius-derived Atkinson-cycle 1.8-litre – non-hybrid versions use a new-generation long-stroke 2.0-litre – that produces 72kW/142Nm and works in with a planetary-gearset CVT to mete out the power flow between it, the battery and the 53kW/163Nm electric drive motor to produce a combined 90kW.
Continuing to fly in the face of developing battery technology, the Corolla hybrid uses a nickel-metal hydride battery pack rather than a now more common lithium-ion system.
Though the overall outputs make the hybrid Corolla ZR look theoretically less punchy than the regular 2.0-litre ZR – more on that later – revised ratios in the rack and pinion steering and bigger 18-inch wheels make a difference in the way it drives.
The Corolla ZR, hybrid or not, comes with solid safety and plenty of creature comforts, though in both cases they are surprisingly attenuated.
For example, the front seats are heated but only the driver gets power adjustment, and the safety tech list includes high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and adaptive cruise control but there’s no driver attention detection and no parking sensors, front or rear.
Why should/shouldn’t I buy the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch?
Part of what makes the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR hybrid appealing is its dynamics. For its accuracy of steering and its ultimate road grip it rates among the best in its class, and with the enhanced torque provided by its electric motor it feels quite frisky.
The power/weight figures, if measured against the total 90kW developed, don’t look impressive. But with the extra torque that shoulders its way in via the electric motor’s added 163Nm, there’s a nice urgency that befits the ZR’s sporty moniker.
The regular ZR’s 125kW/200Nm outputs look better on paper, but in the real world the hybrid’s electrically-enhanced low-speed response makes for a generally livelier feel.
Toyota has always done hybrid tech very well, and although this proved still to be so in the petrol-electric ZR Corolla, we didn’t really get anywhere near the official fuel consumption claim of 4.2L/100km.
Instead, we recorded 6.3L/100km over a week, racking up 500km of combined urban/freeway driving. Regular 2.0-litre ZR Corollas driven in the past, with consumption figures not far above 7.0L/100km, haven’t been that far in arrears.
The Corolla ZR hybrid’s bigger 225/40R18 tyres and revised steering help it feel generally sharper and more responsive than regular Corollas. The new platform that came with the 12th-generation version, along with a newly-adopted multi-link rear suspension, makes it more of a driver’s car that any Corolla in memory has ever been.
If there are any negatives, it’s that the ZR’s ride is noisier and a little less absorbent and the spare wheel seen in lesser models disappears to make way for a repair kit.
The latter may be deemed acceptable in a dedicated high-performance Euro sports sedan or hot hatch, but in a mass-market front-drive small car it’s only marginally so.
Who will the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch appeal to?
It’s hard to figure why Toyota improved and refined so many things about its top-selling small car while dramatically compromising others.
Any new-generation model from any car-maker invariably increases in overall size to keep pace with the growing needs of welded-on traditional buyers.
Here, the Corolla actually shifts into reverse.
The cabin in the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch remains tight for any more than four passengers and the boot has shrunk considerably, to 330 litres, even though it lacks a spare wheel.
While it’s all very well that the cabin is 25mm wider than the previous Corolla, the paucity of rear seat headroom and legroom (and space for the feet under the front seats) makes for real disadvantages against the bulk of its rivals.
Certainly, the Toyota Corolla is more of a driver’s car than it’s ever been, but surely passengers also have some rights. With the shortage of boot space, even small families are not well served.
On the positive side, the Corolla ZR hybrid’s intuitive cabin ergonomics are generally beyond criticism and there are niceties such as inbuilt sat-nav, a capacious oddments bin between the front seats, air vents for the rear passengers and a central fold-down arm rest.
The changing image of the Corolla hatch is sure to find some appeal among younger buyers attuned to the way a car is balanced in terms of its handling.
With its innate liveliness, it’s certainly not going to disappoint there.
So, what do we think of the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch?
If you’ve previously steered away from the Toyota Corolla because of its bland looks and safe but mediocre on-road dynamics, then maybe it’s time to think again.
Even if the expected fuel economy rewards are hard to find, there’s a bit of genuine driving enjoyment to be experienced in the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR hybrid hatch, both in its satisfyingly responsive drivetrain and the lively, reassuring handling and roadholding.
And it looks pretty good too.
If you’re a family though, even a small one, perhaps some sort of SUV would suit better. It just so happens that Toyota may be able to help there too…
How much does the 2022 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch cost?Price: $34,695 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric hybridOutput: 72kW/142Nm engine (90kW combined)Transmission: Continuously variable automaticFuel: 4.2L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 97g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)
Keyword: Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid 2022 Review