Petrol price choking you? Toyota Corolla Hybrid to the rescue

If you are struggling to foot fuel bills in the midst of the petrol price escalation we’ve seen in 2022, you are left with two options.

If the first – walking – is not your thing, then finding a car with a lower fuel consumption is your only resort.

A car that fits this bill is the new Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid. Toyota’s popular hatchback, which was previously sold locally under the Conquest, RunX and Auris badges, was in 2019 rebranded to the Corolla Hatch to align itself with the world’s best-selling nameplate.

Toyota Corolla Hatch goes hybrid

In a recent model range revision, the Corolla Hatch adopted dual power source technology for the first time in the form of Toyota’s fifth-generation 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. The total system output of the hybrid combination is 103 kW and 305 Nm of torque which is sent to the front wheels via CVT.

For the tree-huggers out there the low CO2 emissions of 81 g/km will make for the Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid’s most attractive attribute. But for the rest, the claimed fuel consumption of 3.5 litres per 100 km will be the real deal breaker.

The Citizen Motoring will admit straight off the bat admit that we only managed to achieve a number of 5.1 L/100 km over 500 km during out recent test.

But we must admit that we made no attempt at driving the car economically. In fact, we did the complete opposite as the Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid is quite punchy off the mark and its handling an absolute pleasure.

While 3.5 L/100 km is probably a long shot in the real world, numbers as low as 4.0 was recorded by other motoring reporters blessed with more restrained right feet.

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Budget beater

But even fuel consumption of five litres per 100 km is a very good number for a generously sized hatchback that will seat four adults in comfort.

At the current petrol price working on the assumption that you travel 1 000km every month, it will save you R234 per month compared to a similar car with fuel economy of 6 L/100 km and R468 per month compared to a car with fuel economy of 7 L/100km.

Compared to its Toyota Corolla Cross and Corolla Sedan siblings, the Corolla Hatch offers the least interior room with boot space of 305 litres paling in comparison to the others.

But there is no doubt that the Hatch is the sexiest in this family. If the Sedan is too boring and the Cross too mommy wagon you, the Hatch is definitely the way to go.

In addition to its curvy exterior, Corolla Hatch Xr models are fitted with 18-inch turbine-styled alloy wheels and are offered in Bi-tone configuration. Our test car featured this combination, with the black roof which extends to the gloss black rear spoiler the perfect companion for the Satin Silver paintwork.

Inside, our Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid featured a digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch digital display which stretched the full width of the panel.

Sporty interior

The black trim finish was complemented by sport seats clad in a leather and suede combo, giving the Corolla Hatch a sporty feel to match its daring attitude.

Safety comes in the form of Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 which includes a comprehensive set of safety features.

At R538 800 the Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid Xr bi-tone is just about R10 000 more expensive than its petrol-driven 2.0-litre sibling. But depending on how many kilometers you rack up per month, you’ll pay off the difference in no time from the money you saved at the petrol pump.