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Toyota Corolla Quest
3/5
The new Toyota Corolla Quest was launched a few weeks ago in tandem with Toyota SA Motors presenting their annual state of the motoring industry (SOMI) address.
It started off on a pretty depressing note, with worrying stats of a continued decline in new vehicle sales.
Over the last year, sales dropped by 2.5% but, compared with 2013, during which time the downward slide began, the market has dipped by 13%. The projected slide for 2020 is another 4%.
But thankfully the SOMI ended on a high note with the announcement of a R4 billion investment by Toyota into the local industry over the next two years, which will effectively see a new passenger vehicle manufactured at the Durban plant, creating thousands of jobs.
Then it was time to drive the 2020 Quest, a strategic offering to Corolla fans who might not be able to afford the new twelfth-generation Corolla when it is launched in the next few weeks.
Effectively the Quest we drove is the eleventh-generation Corolla which comes with tried-and-tested Toyota reliability and service.
The good news is that the chassis has been updated, which gives it a more stable feel.
The outgoing Quest’s 1.6 petrol engine has been replaced by a more impressive 1.8 litre and, although it’s more powerful – 103kW of power and 173Nm of torque – it’s also more fuel-efficient at around 7 litres per 100km.
Pricing from:
MT 1.8: R249 900
Exclusive CVT 1.8: R317 700
Hey, Uber drivers, are you reading this? There’s a six-speed manual or a CVT auto gearbox on offer.
Looks-wise, the grille has been updated, giving it a more modern appearance, and the inside materials are of impressive quality, now locally sourced to transfer the savings to the customer.
The 2020 Quest comes in three trim models: the basic Quest, the Prestige and the Exclusive.
The basic Quest has some good standard features that include electric windows, air-con and four speakers.
The Prestige model ups the game with an impressive multimedia system, a leather steering wheel, a mixture of cloth and leather on the seats and a set of sexy 16-inch alloys.
The top of the range Exclusive sets itself apart with a bag of goodies including full leather seats, LED headlamps, keyless entry and rain-sensing wipers.
Standard safety across the range includes stability control, hill-start assist, LED daytime running lights, and driver, passenger and driver knee airbags.
And now on to the savings. When comparing the outgoing Corolla with the 2020 Prestige and Exclusive Quests, which are, after all, rebadged eleventh-generation Corollas, on the Prestige models there’s R44 600 in saving, while the Exclusive Quest undercuts the top of the range outgoing Corolla by a massive R63 700.
Good news for a change!
