Toyota's 'image' booster

We reported on Holden's smart-looking Astra Turbo recently here at Wombat Motoring, stating how important the idea of 'flagship' performance models were to GM Holden boss Peter Hanenberger.

Is Toyota Australia thinking along those same lines? It could well be, for the marque's Sportivo range now totals three, with the recent arrival of the Corolla Sportivo hatch.

In addition to the Echo and Camry Sportivo variants, the new Corolla is perhaps the most divergent Sportivo from its base model, offering a completely new drive-train, comprising of new engine and gearbox.

While Toyota had been open with its plans to offer a 'hot-hatch' in the months leading up to the Corolla's launch, the biggest surprise for us was the price, which undercuts Holden's aforementioned Astra Turbo by a whopping $7000.

At the same time, the Astra has just 6kW more power than the Toyota, but with oodles more torque, the turbocharged nature of the Holden hatch is the deciding factor when it comes to standing starts.

On sale today (May 26th, 2003), the new Corolla Sportivo is a solid showing from Toyota, which is known for offering reliable, well-made, highly practical, yet pedestrian models, often bereft of any performance potential.

Of the few performance vehicles already in its line-up, the Celica went a long way to improving Toyota's street cred with the younger demographic, those who would typically be in the market for a hot hatch like the Corolla Sportivo.

It comes as no surprise then, that the new go-fast Corolla from Toyota makes use of the Celica's 141kW 1.8-litre engine, which was designed by Yamaha.

Interestingly, the inline four-cylinder engine exhibits almost motorcycle-like behaviour (in reference to Yamaha's two-wheeled origins) in the way it develops power and torque, with both attained high in the rev range.

The 1796cc engine, codenamed 2ZZ-GE, was the first naturally aspirated Toyota volume production engine to break the 100 horsepower per litre barrier. Corolla Sportivo is also the first Corolla in Australia in a decade to be fitted with a Toyota G-type engine - or rather, one with a wide included valve angle.

The fiery litte 1.8-litre mill delivers 141kW of power @ 7800rpm, and 180Nm of torque at 6800rpm, which leaves a fairly short powerband of 1000rpm.

The engine is quite a piece of work though, offering infinitely variable inlet timing across the revolution range and providing high-lift for both camshafts when engine revolutions exceed 6000rpm. It's also fitted with a fully balanced crankshaft and thin, lightweight, high-strength connecting rods to reduce reciprocating weight and friction.

Flat-topped pistons with valve clearance cut-outs help towards achieving an 11.5:1 compression ratio, but this also means owners will have to fill up with high-octane fuel, or at least add an octane booster to ULP in order to avoid knock.

Complete with double-cone synchromesh on the first-second change, a six-speed FWD manual transmission makes the most of the revvy 1.8-litre powerplant: Combined with the car's kerb weight of 1224kg, the Corolla will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.4 seconds and cover the standing 400 metres in 16.1 seconds.

While not quite as fast as the Astra Turbo, the new Sportivo hatch is also much cheaper, weighing in at $29,990, which represents a $7000 saving over Holden's hot hatch, which sells for $36,990.

But equally as important as straight line speed is the way in which a hot hatch drives, and the Corolla Sportivo is more than just a five-door 'Rolla with a peaky engine...

The Toyota Corolla Sportivo has a unique suspension calibration for sharper, more sporty handling, designed to improve steering response, cornering power and body control while maintaining ride quality.

Sportivo calibration includes significantly higher damper rates at medium to high damper velocities, including an approximately 40 per cent increase in high-speed rebound damping.

Up front, the new 'Yota also gets fancy linear control valve dampers, which debuted in Australia on the Celica sports car, and ensure that changes to damping force are constant at low damper velocities, which in turn reduces body roll and smoothes vehicle response to steering input.

Furthermore, the compression damping force reduces at medium and high damper velocities, to reduce vehicle vibration on rough road surfaces.

Rear suspension consists of a trailing torsion beam axle - a compact system that saves on weight and intrusion into the body. Benefits of the torsion beam system include a built-in stabiliser bar and minimal camber change during cornering. The Sportivo hatch sits on 16-inch alloy wheels with French-manufactured 195/55 R16 Bridgestone Turanza tyres.

In addition to the extra power and improved handling qualities, the spirited Toyota has a brake package unique within the Corolla range: It includes larger diameter front and rear disc rotors, new calipers and a revised pad compound - all of which contribute to improved braking performance.

275mm ventilated discs sit inside the front wheels, up 20mm on the stock models, while rear solid discs with a 279mm diametre are up 21mm on other Corolla models. Four-channel/four-sensor ABS, electronic brake force distribution and Brake Assist also make the cut, all of which should combine to deliver outstanding stopping power.

Potential buyers will be pleased to hear that the Corolla Sportivo gets the full leather treatment inside, including a leather-bound steering wheel, a leather and chrome sports gear lever and 'Optitron' red sports instrumentation/dials.

The unique silver faced audio unit is very Audi TT in appearance, with four by 35 Watt maximum power output and six speakers, including tweeters mounted in the exterior rear view mirror bezels. The audio head unit has an AM/FM electronic touch-tune radio, full-logic tape deck and in-dash 6-CD multi-changer, while standard equipment also includes climate control air conditioning.

There are often two major aspects that younger buyers (generally) look for in a hot hatch - one is performance; does it go fast around corners? - and the other is looks. If it does't have an edgy style that screams 'look at me' you may as well pack up your things and leave early.

The new Corolla Sportivo cuts the mustard in terms of clothing, what with its deeper front and rear aprons (bumpers), itegrated fog lights and tasty side skirts, replete with mini brake-cooling ducts. There's a rear roof spoiler too, and while the 16-inch alloy wheels look okay, they are arguably the car's weakest visual item, overshadowed by the Ford Focus ST170 and Holden Astra Turbo's 17-inch wheels and low-profile rubber.

But what the car lacks in footwear, it certainly makes up for in price, and the $7000 you save over picking up an Astra Turbo or Focus ST170 would pay for some very pretty racing rims, or perhaps a mild tune-up for the engine too.

There you have it - the hot hatch war is well and truly on, with three of the four local manufacturers (Ford, Holden & Toyota) joining what was once a European-only battle field, and Mitsubishi may join the fray with a performance version of its upcoming Colt (the Colt .45?) later in 2004.

While the Peugeot 206 GTi, Renault Clio Sport and VW Golf GTi continue to attract buyers who like their cars small and sharply tuned, the new wave of performance hatches add more choice to the genre, and the new Toyota in particular is one of the more cost effective models, but one which still retains a high level of luxe.

With an aggressive new look, a six-speed 'box and a real screamer of a four cylinder engine, the new hot hatch will do Toyota's reputation a world of good. "The addition of a performance flagship will further enhance Corolla's sports-image," said Toyota Australia's head honcho, John Conomos.

"The launch of Corolla Sportivo advances the feeling of excitement. Corolla Sportivo will introduce many new people to the brand," concluded Conomos. All in all, the new 'hero car' in the Corolla range is a good start for Toyota Australia, and much more impressive than we had anticipated.