Words by: Adam Allen
The Toyota Corolla is one of those cars that everyone is familiar with. No, really- literally every single person you know has encountered this model at some point in their lives- maybe they’ve owned one, ridden in one or have simply laid eyes on one at some point or another. That’s not exactly a rare feat since Toyota has made over 50 million of ‘em and there’s no reason to think that they can’t double that number in the coming years. And it’s not like they’re cranking them out to replace older versions- the nameplate is so incredibly durable and reliable that it is not out of the question to see a Corolla doing its thing on Canadian roads that is a decade or more old and still going strong. Toyota will (reliably) continue cranking these things out since demand for these humble steeds shows no signs of cooling off.
Even as the current 12th (!) generation prepares to ride off into the sunset, we felt it necessary to give it a fitting send off. Let us first talk about the styling, because we have gone on record in this space previously asserting that this is the most handsome Corolla vintage in history. Yes, some of you are no doubt partial to the earlier rear drive versions like the legendary AE86 of the early 1980’s for its boxy simplicity, but in the modern era of Toyota design language, which has spawned such atrocities as the (shudder) Mirai and older Prius models the Corolla looks downright handsome in comparison. Its proportions are good, there are no wild creases and gaping vents and it looks particularly fetching in SE trim the features subtle nods to sportiness with a cute rear diffuser and dual exhaust outlets (real ones!) all of it riding on sharp looking 18” wheels. Before he retired last year, then Vice President of Toyota Canda Stephen Beatty was quoted as saying “there’s a golden opportunity here for us to change the perceptions of this generation” from its Biege meme routes and there’s been a palpable effort put forth in realizing that mandate. Inside it’s no showstopper, but doggone if it isn’t perfectly laid out so that drivers of all stripes might never need to consult their owner’s manual. We like to describe the Corolla as remarkably unremarkable. And sure, that’s not a headline grabber, but which is more important to real life motorists on a budget- 0-100 km/h times or switchgear that will never break? Handling g’s or expertly fitted together panels and overall excellent build quality? You can see where we’re going with this.
Our tester was turned out in Hybrid SE trim which means it resides near the apex of the Corolla lineup. Sure it’s fancier than some of the humbler trim lines but no less capable. It’s naturally aspirated 1.8 litre engine works in conjunction with a rear mounted electric motor to provide 138 total horsepower for motivational duties. It’s not a huge amount of grunt, but for commuters and urban dwellers it’ll be peppy enough. The rear motor offers a nice hit of torque from a stop which helps keep the Corolla from feeling lethargic and there’s a side benefit at work- it gives the Corolla AWD traction which is a huge help in setting off on snow or rain slicked streets. The CVT transmission does its best not to call attention to itself and mostly succeeds when cruising around. Call for more power and it causes the engine to mewl in protest in the upper regions of the tachometer. You’re not buying a Corolla to blitz the Stoplight Grand Prix anyhow, and if you are, you should know that there’s a deeply charismatic GR version with a turbocharged 3-clylinder engine and trick adjustable AWD, not to mention some delectably swollen body work. That one’s more fun for sure, but it can’t match the supple ride quality and day-to-day usability that our SE tester offered.
The SE has many of the bells and whistles you would expect at the price point, but we especially appreciated the heated seats and steering wheel which come up to temperature quickly, a boon on chilly mornings. Overall fit and finish are first rate but if you look hard enough you can see whiffs of cheapness. Taller rear seat passengers might have wished you bought, say, a Hyundai Elantra with its more commodious dimensions, but they just aren’t as robust and well built as the faithful Corolla. There’s lots of safety kit on board courtesy of Toyota’s venerable Safety Sense suite of driver assistance aids but we found it to be too intrusive for our tastes and promptly turned everything off.
By now we’ve firmly established that the current generation, while wonderfully unremarkably remarkable, is not long for this world. There’s a new Corolla generation waiting in the wings and while details remain scant at this point, there is one thing that is not in doubt- Toyota better not screw this one up. And they won’t, since many of their other new model revamps over the years of their big sellers have been home runs- the Camry, 4Runner and Prius are all hugely better than their predecessors without straying too far from the formula that made them so endearing to shoppers in the first place. We don’t have to go very far out on a limb in predicting the Corolla will go hybrid only, following a similar template of the Camry and the new (and bestselling) RAV4 have adhered to. Thanks to some tidbits we learned at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Show, it will feature next generation engines and electric motors which will no doubt make for even better efficiency. We can also surmise that, based on the concepts they’ve hinted could be the future Corolla, that it will be quite the handsome conveyance. Yes, it will have all the safety tech on board, and yes, it will remain as durable as the Candain Shield- but we’ll just have to wait until Toyota is ready to be more forthcoming with details to see what’s what.
If you find yourself at the car purchasing intersections of affordability and proven reliability, the Corolla must be on your shopping list. When the new generation does finally drop, it’ll mean the dealerships with remaining inventory of the current one will want them gone to make way for the new ones- and that will make an already attractively priced car even more compelling. Before we say goodbye to the darling of commuters, Uber drivers and novice drivers everywhere, we’d say it had a good run. We’re looking forward to driving its successor, whenever that happens to be. Stay tuned.
2025 Toyota Corolla Hybrid SE AWD - Specifications
- Price as tested: $33,436
- Body Type: 4-door, 5-passenger sedan
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/All-wheel drive
- Engine: 1.8-litre inline-4, DOHC, 16 valves
- Horsepower: 138 @ 6,600 rpm
- Torque (lb-ft) Not Disclosed on Toyota Hybrid models
- Transmission: eCVT (continuously variable transmission)
- Curb weight: 1,495 kg (3,296 lbs)
- Observed combined fuel economy: 5.1L/100 km (46 mpg)