The arrangement of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports’ dashboard is entirely logical and highly intuitive as a result. The various switches and buttons are placed in just the right spots and most of them operate with a pleasingly solid tactility. The exceptions are the old-fashioned rocker switches for the front heated seats, which are mounted a long way forward underneath the overhanging centre stack of the dashboard, making them a bit hidden away. The infotainment system isn’t the most user-friendly you’ll encounter, either, and you don’t even get
Apple CarPlay or Android Auto capability to get around this, which is almost unforgiveable in today’s market. However, the cabin still manages to feel like a hit overall thanks to the 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster (on higher-spec models), the appealingly clean design and the generally high standard of both the materials and the assembly. One final, slight drawback, though: the Touring Sports’ rakish exterior styling hampers rear visibility, due to a small rear window flanked by thick pillars, and the limited glass area also means limited natural light in the back of the car.
Toyota has stretched the wheelbase of the Touring Sports (and the saloon model) by 60mm compared with the hatchback, which is good for rear-seat legroom; this is a slightly more accommodating car for taller passengers than its sibling. The boot is also an excellent size on the Touring Sports, with 598 litres available on the 1.2 Turbo and 1.8 Hybrid models, and 581 litres for the 2.0 Hybrid. This rises to a maximum of 1,606 litres with just a single pull of handles in the boot area, but perhaps more impressive is the flat, wide loading floor that is presented with the Corolla’s seats down. Indeed, Toyota deliberately made it able to take a bicycle with a 29-inch frame, as it expects Corolla buyers to be young families with outdoorsy-type hobbies. Further practical touches include an underfloor storage area in the boot - which is large enough to hide suitcases that class as carry-on baggage - and a reversible boot floor that features carpet on one side and a rubberised surface on the other, for those times you’re carrying wet and/or sandy items. That’s a useful touch.
The Touring Sports is an impressively comfortable machine to travel in, its slightly longer wheelbase affording it – if anything – a smoother, more cosseting ride than the hatchback, already a very comfy car. This easy-going nature is helped by the fact that both wind- and tyre noise are really well suppressed. What’s more, the car handles reasonably capably. There’s plenty of grip to inspire confidence in the corners, and although there is some pronounced body lean to be felt, it's not severe enough to make the car feel unstable or unsettled. The Toyota also has good steering, which is both light and accurate, and which makes it easy to place the car on the road.