Toyota Corolla Touring Sports long-term test

The car Toyota Corolla Touring Sports GR Sport Run by Jonty Renk, Video Production Manager

Why it’s here To prove that you don't have to go German for the perfect estate car 

Needs to Offer impressive fuel economy, reliability and performance while offering all the carrying capacity I need

Mileage 608 List price £35,120 Target Price £32,295 Price as tested £35,120 Official economy 60.1mpg Test economy 44.5mpg Options fitted N/A

12th April 2025 – This is going to be ‘GR’eat

The first video I ever shot for the What Car? YouTube Channel was a Toyota Corolla review. In my naivety, I suggested to my new colleagues that “they should make an estate one of these”. Little did I know, they do. And now I'm in a very fortunate position to take ownership of one for the next few months.

From Uber drivers to police officers, people certainly seem confident in putting the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports to work in taxing scenarios. Its life isn’t getting any easier either, with the model’s next challenging role being that of the busy videographer’s workhorse. 

More specifically, the Corolla Touring Sports I'm going to be putting to the test is in GR Sport trim. I chose it because it's the sharpest, sportiest looking trim of the lot – I think it really stands out. Not only does it bring parts of the exterior trim painted in black, but it has 18in diamond-cut alloy wheels, too. On the inside, it gets sports seats and red stitching. If that wasn’t enough, you also get GR badging sprinkled all over the place.

Before we get too carried away, I should mention that GR Sport is purely a trim level, much like S Line is to Audi and M Sport to BMW. In other words, this is no big sibling to the Toyota GR Yaris hot hatch. 

With that decided, I turned to the engines available. There are just two to choose from, both being hybrids (HEVs) which, thankfully, I wouldn't have to plug in to get the best out of. One has a 1.8-litre petrol engine and 138bhp, the other a 2.0-litre petrol engine and 193bhp. A £1650 premium separates them.

In the end, I chose the 1.8-litre option. With its 0-62mph time of 9.4 seconds, I feel it’ll offer all the performance I could ever need – I’m after a workhorse, remember, not a sports car. It’s slightly more fuel efficient than the 2.0-litre as well (60.1mpg against 58.8mpg, officially). 

It then came time to choose a colour, and disappointingly there's not much creativity on offer. There are two whites, two greys, a silver, black, red and blue. I decided on Pure White, solely because it’s the only no-cost option. Scarlet Flare (the red) was a tempting choice, albeit not to the point where I was comfortable putting myself £950 out of pocket. 

In terms of configuring a Corolla, that's all the choice you get. It's a fairly simple process and refreshingly so, especially next to some of the German estate cars that present you with a seemingly endless list of complex extras. 

I've had the Corolla for a few weeks now and my first impressions are that it’s a very relaxing car to own, both in terms of peace of mind and physical comfort.

The fuel tank can take 43 litres and, in its first full tank, I managed to cover more than 450 miles. I've completed a mix of journeys behind the wheel – some town, some motorway and some country – and averaged 50.9mpg in the process.

I'm yet to see that official 60.1mpg average, but I'm still impressed with the fuel economy its returning, especially considering the boot is rarely empty. 

In town, it's proven smooth, quiet and nippy in its acceleration. The turning circle is quite tight, too, so navigating the urban jungle has been a pretty easy affair.

On the motorway, it's been a comfortable cruiser, aided by the sports seats which are snug and supportive. To be honest, it's been whipping up a little more road noise than I would've liked – perhaps I might come to regret those 18in wheels. 

I'm looking forward to getting friends and family members in the back seats to really make use of the interior space, as well as packing the boot to the brim. In fact, in a few weeks, I'm planning on taking it up to Scotland for a long weekend. I'll have four people in the car, as well as all of our luggage. We'll see how my Corolla (and its average fuel economy) copes with that.  

I also want to talk to other owners about their thoughts and feelings towards the car. Since taking delivery of mine, I've been noticing just how many Touring Sports are about. I'd like to pin point exactly what draws the Uber driver, for instance, to it, over any of the other hybrids on offer.  

I do know one thing for sure, though: during my time with it, I'll be pushing my Corolla to the limits of its capabilities. In other words, watch this space. 

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read our full Toyota Corolla Touring Sports review >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports?

If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. 

We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.