Toyota Corolla 2003 Review

Hot hatches are back with a bang in 2003. Ford, Holden and Toyota have added spice to the scene with cars that have a twist in their tail.

The Focus ST170, Astra SRi Turbo and Corolla Sportivo all have more muscle, and they've been built to satisfy people with $30,000 or more to spend on a snazzy new set of wheels.

They don't have the raw edge of the '80s and '90s hot hatches – cars such as the original VW Golf GTi, Peugeot 205 GTi, Suzuki Swift GTi and even Holden's Barina GSi – or the fun factor of those baby blasters.

These days hot hatches are slightly bigger, more refined and more costly.

And they come with prestige-style appeal that can include Alfa, Audi, Peugeot or Renault badges.

But it's still the Ford, Holden and Toyota teams that are making the really big splashes.

Toyota's latest, the Corolla Sportivo, is built in South Africa and is fitted with a power-up pack taken straight from the Celica.

The body kit bits don't look that much different, but the cost-effective Sportivo package – the only sub-$30,000 car in the latest contest – brings a cabin upgrade.

This includes leather seats, leather steering wheel and leather gearknob, a punchy CD sound system and chrome-plated highlights on the doors and the central console.

It also has bigger wheels, better brakes, Bridgestone tyres with more grip, and automatic airconditioning.

We were a bit underwhelmed when we first saw and drove the Corolla Sportivo at a press preview in Tasmania in March.

This was partly because we'd had so much hype before its arrival and partly because it didn't look that much different.

The latest Corolla is boxlike and the Sportivo certainly doesn't look a wild sports model, even though it has 141kW on tap.

It is also tough at times to tame those rampaging kiloWatts.

They arrive only when the tachometer needle is swinging past 6000 revs and twisting on towards a red-line cutout at 8200.

Also, we drove the Corolla at about the same time as the Astra Turbo, which is a more relaxed car and just as quick, and the impressive Focus ST170.

But after a test drive it's hard to deny the appeal of the Sportivo.

Toyota has done a smart job on switching the 1.8-litre 2ZZ-GE engine from the Celica, complete with its six-speed close-ratio gearbox.

The engine comes with variable valve timing and picks up an extra kiloWatt in the Corolla, thanks to a smoother passage for the exhaust gases.

The figures show all the go is at the top end of the power range, with maximum kiloWatts at 7800 revs and even the torque peak of 180Nm not hitting until 6800 revs.

That makes it, on paper at least, the peakiest little four-banger we've sampled since we tested the Honda Integra Type-R.

To give some comparison, the Astra turbo has 147kW and 250Nm of torque and the Focus ST has 127 and 196.

The basic Alfa 147 manages 110 and 181 – the chilli-hot 147 GTA hits Australia this week.

And the turbo-charged Audi S3 has 165 and 280.

On the road

We like driving the quick little Corolla on suburban roads.

It is a surprising combination of light-and-easy and wild-and-crazy.

And then there's the practical hatchback body.

The wicked little four-pot screamer actually gives you a choice of three driving modes: all right, eager and downright crazy.

It's all decided by the position of the tachometer needle, which reflects a sluggish take-up until 4000 revs, then a bright spot to 6000, and a totally feral blast from there to the red.

You could drive the Sportivo below 4000 revs and never know about the beast that's lurking in the engine bay.

The motor spins sweetly, the fuel economy is impressive, and you can easily swap cogs through the six-speed gearbox without straining the car or yourself.

If you still want more, then dip into the 4000-6000 sweet spot and the car gets along quite nicely.

It will keep pace with others when the traffic lights change, cruise comfortably, and satisfy most people for most of the time.

But if you really want to go, and you're prepared to give the gear lever some action and keep your right foot down hard, the Sportivo really sings past 6000 revs.

That's how it claims a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.4 seconds and how it will keep up with most things short of a Subaru WRX.

The high-revving motor means there's a fair bit of noise and it's not always pleasant. We didn't like cruising at 100km/h with 3200 revs, though things were surprisingly smoother and quieter at 110km/h.

And European testers report the Sportivo is really sweet at 170km/h.

The test car's gearbox had clearly been abused, which made it a bit hit-and-miss on the shifts.

But we were more concerned about cabin noises and exhaust booms. There were too many tizzles and sizzles – car company speak for squeaks and rattles – to make us happy in the cabin.

We wonder if it's South African quality, engine vibrations, a hard life or all three.

The Sportivo does ride well – surprisingly smoothly for a sport-tuned suspension set-up – and the brakes are great.

It also follows the wheel easily around most corners, provided you're above second gear and not in the feral-rev zone.

If you hook it into a suburban right-angle corner it will buck and jump and the inside-front wheel can snatch and spin.

But if you take a smoother line and use some finesse, it will respond with more pace and less drama.

We found the Sportivo well equipped, with a good boot. It's also comfy, with room for three adults in the back.

It's easy to park, apart from a blind spot at the rear corners, and there are good headlamps.

A week at home with the Sportivo has given us a clearer picture of the car and allowed us to enjoy it more.

It proved it can be a sensible suburban runabout as well as a truly hot hatch.

It's also well-priced and good value, though we're not convinced it could take on the Astra Turbo.