So, there's apparently a new Corolla hybrid for the US...

"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr) 11/28/2018 at 08:51 • Filed to: smug alert, toyota, corolla, prius, hybrid

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...and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which puts it in very direct competition with the Prius. Same powertrain, same chassis, similar size, and newer infotainment.

Simultaneously, they’ve announced a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that tones down the cybaroque elements of the front and rear fascias, and the rumors of the AWD system coming to the US are true (if it’s the same as what the Japanese model has, it’s about 7 hp on the rear wheels - very much a “help get you unstuck” system, not a “4x4 hoon Prius” system).

But, with the Corolla getting very similar fuel efficiency to a Prius, I wonder how many people will ask what the point of the Prius is now , and just buy a Corolla instead if they want a Toyota hybrid, especially if they’re just buying a FWD non-plug-in model.

The Prius has the advantage of a liftback, an AWD option, a plug-in option, and of being typically positioned as a somewhat more upmarket car, but the Corolla’s more conventional styling and more up-to-date infotainment may well help it, and if the hybrids are built in the US, that may sway some buyers as well . And, the Prius’s advantage of being conspicuously green is basically gone, with EVs having beaten it in that respect.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 08:57

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If anything they should keep the offbeat styling of the Prius. If you can get a normal looking Prius, in the form of a corolla, then the only reason to buy a Prius is to be SEEN in a Prius 

random001 > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 08:58

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What if they do that to the new Corolla hatch?  Zoidberg might cease to exist in our realm, as he has vibrated into a new dimension....

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 08:58

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Well they need something to take on the Honda Insight and the hyundai Ionic.

bhtooefr > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 11/28/2018 at 09:01

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Well, there’s still the better cargo versatility of the liftback, and the AWD and PHEV options that aren’t available on the Corolla, but I think most people that wanted to be seen in a Prius now want to be seen in a Model 3...

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 09:02

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I get a 6 speed Carolla  in a couple weeks so it won’t be a hybrid but my Prius review was scathing because of everything that was not the drivetrain. We’ll see if the Carolla can fix it.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 09:07

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Thats a fair point, since the second gen the Prius has been surprisingly spacious for its size, the upshot if the jelly bean shape. Altho is you really want a spacious Prius get a V.

wagonboi

bhtooefr > random001 11/28/2018 at 09:09

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In Europe, they did two generations of Auris that was essentially that - both generations of the Auris were based on an independent rear suspension, short wheelbase version of the platform that the Gen 3 Prius used. (Interestingly, we actually got an extremely close relative of the Auris Hybrid in the US, as the Lexus CT 200h.)

The new Corolla Hatch in Europe gets three engines - a 114 hp 1.2T as the base model, the 121 hp 1.8 liter Gen 4 Prius powertrain, and the 178 hp 2.0 liter Lexus UX 250h FWD powertrain.

However, given the shorter wheelbase, and shorter body, I wouldn’t be surprised if efficiency is worse...

bhtooefr > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 11/28/2018 at 09:11

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Yeah, but we never got the 7-seater, and the new RAV4 Hybrid gets almost the same claimed efficiency with AWD and a hell of a lot more power, and I suspect market preferences (CROSSOVER ALL THE THINGS) have skewed things in favor of just using the RAV4 Hybrid as the Prius v replacement.

fintail > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 09:20

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The Prius will sell because it tells everyone you drive a hybrid. For many, that’s the point.

punkgoose17 > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 09:43

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I think this is a hedge. Since the current Prius is so ugly, I have not seen many new ones. I think this is, so if someone thinks the Prius is still to ugly they can sell them a Corolla instead.

Cé hé sin > bhtooefr 11/28/2018 at 09:55

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Interestingly, the Americans seem to get a different front end to the rest of us but the remainder of the car seems to be the same.

Why Toyota would go the expense of two variations I’ve no idea.

bhtooefr > Cé hé sin 11/28/2018 at 10:23

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Toyota likes to have a “prestige” and a “standard” model of the Corolla and Camry, or in this case, they’re calling it “prestige” and “sporty” IIRC.

Sometimes both appear in the same model ( in the US, see LE/XLE vs. SE/XSE trims ), sometimes they appear under different model names (in China, see Corolla vs. Levin), and sometimes some markets get one or the other.

wafflesnfalafel > Cé hé sin 11/28/2018 at 10:35

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interesting - totally different, even the hood lines.  (And neither are what I would consider “good” looking in front.. though better than the current Prius.)