Toyota Corolla Sportivo

What we liked
>> Low price and high equipment levels
>> Never-say-die engine
>> Practical Corolla carrying ability

Not so much
>> Lack of torque at low revs
>> Slightly tacky looking centre console
>> Wheelspin in tight corners

OVERVIEW
Toyota Australia is making a valiant attempt to throw off its at times bland image by introducing more interesting variants of its mainstream models and adding the Sportivo badge. To date we've had the somewhat lukewarm Camry Sportivo, and earlier there was the Echo. Now it's the Corolla's turn to have the Sportivo wand waved its way.

Hot Corollas are nothing new, of course. Various twin-cam models won the tiddler class at Bathurst for years with the first road-going version introduced to Australian roads in 1986. It was later named the GTi and the linage died-out in the early 1990s, only to be revived briefly in 2001 with the limited edition, turbocharged Corolla Sportivo.

This new one is a different proposition. It's a full-time member of the Corolla line-up, is manufactured in South Africa and powered by a peppy 141kW 1.8-litre engine taken virtually unchanged from the larger Celica. Unlike some hot-hatch rivals it has five-doors, but the most striking aspect is its price: at $29,990 it comes with a full list of standard features and undercuts some competitors by at least $7000.

FEATURES
The Sportivo looks very similar to the less powerful Corolla Levin and carries virtually the same body kit comprising a modified front air dam, side skirts and rear wings. It also has 16-inch alloy wheels, a honeycomb pattern grille surround and chrome exhaust extension. Apart from the new engine, mechanical features include revised suspension and a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox with no automatic option offered.

Equipment levels are comprehensive for the price. Inside there are leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel with a chrome gear knob. Climate control air conditioning, an in-dash six-stacker CD player, power windows and remote central locking are all included as standard.

COMFORT
The latest Corolla is a reasonably big car and has a surprising amount of space inside. The rear seat will easily accommodate two adults or three children at a pinch, and in five-door (or "Seca") form has a decent amount of luggage space extendable via a 60/40 split to the rear seat.

The driver is also well looked after thanks to the sporty steering wheel and leather trimmed seats, although the latter could offer a little more lateral support given this is a car designed to be driven enthusiastically. The steering column adjusts for height only but plenty of rearward seat travel means getting comfortable isn't a problem.

The centre console is painted a bright silvery hue, and contains simple stereo and climate controls plus some handy hidey holes for storage.

SAFETY
The Corolla Sportivo comes with an adequate, but hardly outstanding list of safety features. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, driver and passenger front airbags and force-limiting seat belts with pre-tensioners are all standard. No side-airbags, electronic traction or stability control, but about what you'd expect for the price.

COMPETITORS
The hot-hatch market exploded with activity in mid-2003. In the space of three weeks we saw the introduction of the Ford Focus ST170, the Holden Astra Turbo and now the Corolla Sportivo to add to existing small performance cars.

The Corolla makes a strong case against the Ford and Holden by being a full $7000 cheaper than either, and packs a more powerful engine than the ST170. It is also up against cars like the Peugeot 206 GTi and Renault Clio Sport both of which have serious credentials as driving cars but crucially, are smaller and more expensive than the Toyota.

Other rivals include the far more expensive (but much more powerful) Subaru Impreza WRX, and outside chances include the Proton Satria GTi at $27,990. Apart from the Subaru, all the Sportivo rivals mentioned have three doors, not five.

ON THE ROAD
The idea of a hot hatch is to offer near sports car performance and handling, but with the practicality of a three or five-door. Does the Corolla Sportivo deliver? The short answer is yes for all categories.

The 1.8-litre engine with variable valve timing and lift (VVTL-i in Toyota-speak) delivers plenty of power, with the peak arriving way up in the rev range at 7800rpm. Torque of 180Nm also arrives late, at 6800rpm and these figures give a good indication of how the engine performs.

In short, it loves to rev and there's a noticeable jump in power delivery when the VVTL-I seems to kick in at around 6000rpm and other engines are about to give up. It is exhilarating to drive this way, and there's plenty of frenetic but not unpleasant engine noise as accompaniment.

The downside is the engine feels a bit peaky without a lot of pulling power at lower revs, but the close-ratio gearbox does a good job of keeping everything on the boil. Toyota claims the Sportivo will hit 100km/h in 8.4 seconds and cover 400 metres from standstill in 16.1 sec.

The Sportivo's suspension has been revised for more involving handling, and together with the low-profile tyres does give sharper handling, more grip and slightly more lively steering than the standard Corolla. It isn't too stiff or sporty, however, meaning the ride remains surprisingly soft and supple, but the downside is in really tight corners a degree of body roll (and plenty of engine power) can get the inside front wheel spinning a little with no traction control to tame it.

Overall though, it's plenty of fun, highly reminiscent of earlier sporty Corollas with their mix of entertainment and practicality and very difficult to ignore given the low price.