Toyota Corolla Commercial Van Gets Hybrid Powertrain With 138 HP

The Toyota Corolla is a versatile product in the automaker’s lineup. In the UK, the automaker offers a commercial version designed to haul stuff. Toyota bases it on the Corolla Touring Sports wagon with the rear seats removed. The automaker has updated the Corolla Commercial for 2023 with its fifth-generation hybrid powertrain and improved safety features.

Toyota will install its 1.8-liter hybrid powertrain into the 2023 Corolla, giving the van 138 horsepower (102 kilowatts). The powertrain is available in the Corolla hatch and wagon. The new powertrain lowers the car’s sprint to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) to 9.4 seconds, an impressive 1.7-second reduction. Toyota was able to reduce the powertrain’s weight while increasing its output and efficiency.

The car features a new power control unit with new double-sided cooling, which helps reduce electrical losses in the system. It sits above a new transaxle that features a compact, high-output motor-generator with new internals that further reduce the motor’s size. It’s 15 percent lighter than before. Toyota even improved the battery, reducing its size and weight while increasing its output. It’s 14 percent lighter than before, with a 14 percent increase in power.

The Corolla Commercial comes with Toyota Safety Sense. The car benefits from a new front camera with a broader field of view ahead of the Corolla. The automaker also extended the front millimeter-wave radar to detect obstacles closer to the front of the car than before.

Toyota maintained the Corolla’s sizable cargo capacity, which features a rubber load space lining. It also separates the passenger compartment and cargo space with a mesh bulkhead. The car can swallow 1,326 liters of stuff (46.9 cubic feet) that weighs up to 425 kilograms (936 pounds), the Toyota’s maximum payload. It can tow up to 750 kg (1,653 lbs).

Toyota will produce the Corolla Commercial at its Burnaston facility in the UK. It builds the 1.8-liter engine at its Deeside plant in North Wales. The 2023 Corolla Commercial is on sale now for £24,503 (excluding VAT). That’s $29,413 at today’s exchange rates.