Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid 2024 Review

The 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid five-door hatchback is priced at $35,260 plus on-road costs. That’s a bump of almost $7000 since it went on sale in 2018.

There is one cheaper Corolla hybrid, the Ascent Sport (from $32,100), and one more expensive, the ZR (from $39,100). Mixed in between are the 2.0-litre petrol Corolla hatch models as well as hybrid and orthodox Corolla sedans.

Its closest rival is the just-launched Hyundai i30 Hybrid, which is sedan-only but competitively priced at $35,990 drive-away.

If you want to go fully electric then the BYD Dolphin, GWM Ora and MG4 – carsales’ Car of the Year for 2023 – are all in this size and pricing region.

While it’s been on sale since 2018, the Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid did receive an update in 2022 that included a remodelled version of the beaky grille for all models and redesigned alloy wheels for the SX Hybrid (and Ascent Sport).

Key equipment for the 2024 Corolla SX Hybrid includes keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control, cloth seat trim, an electric park brake, rain-sensing wipers and rear and rear-side privacy glass.

Not even the driver gets power seat adjustment let alone lumbar adjust, heating or ventilation.

The spare tyre is a space-saver. There are eight colour options, of which only Glacier White isn’t a $545 added cost.

The Corolla comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, 15,000km/12-month service intervals and capped-price services that cost only $245 each for your first five scheduled visits to the dealership. After that the prices go up.

The 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid comes with a five-star ANCAP rating based on superseded 2018 protocols.

But Toyota has evolved the Corolla’s safety equipment through the years to keep it up to date.

A big addition in 2022 was Toyota Connected Services, which automatically notifies an emergency call centre if the airbags are deployed or a collision is detected. The occupant can also trigger an emergency response via an SOS button in the roof.

Forward high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) was also upgraded with the addition of motorcycle detection (in addition to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists), intersection collision avoidance and left/right turn monitoring, emergency steering assist and acceleration suppression.

Also added are blind spot monitoring with safe exit assist, the ability to bring the vehicle to a gradual stop if it’s judged the driver is no longer providing inputs, and an updated adaptive cruise control system that includes four distance settings, the ability to detect other vehicles sooner and to decelerate during lane changes.

That’s in addition to various forms of lane keeping assistance, rear cross traffic alert, traffic sign monitoring, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

There are seven airbags to cushion blows and outboard ISOFIX anchors and three top tethers to secure kiddies in the rear seat. Headlights are LED with auto-dipping and the interior rear-view mirror is electrochromatic.

The 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid includes an 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen and a 7.0-inch digital info display in the centre of the instrument cluster.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto compatibility are included, as is embedded satellite navigation, AM/FM and digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity and a voice assistant. Sounds are amplified by a six-speaker no-name audio system.

Your smartphone can be charged wirelessly and a USB-C port has also been added below the touch-screen.

Toyota Connected Services includes the myToyota Connect smartphone app with services such as remote car starting, locking, location and activating the horn and hazard lights. It can also send messages to the owner advising of potential issues with the car.

The 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid powers its front wheels via a 2022 evolution of the familiar 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain.

The key elements of the system are the 72kW/142Nm four-cylinder DOHC 16-valve petrol engine, a 70kW/185Nm permanent magnet synchronous e-motor fed by a small lithium-ion battery, a second e-motor that acts as a starter and joins the engine in recharging the battery, an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a power control unit that runs the whole complex show.

The combined output of the system is 103kW. It is Toyota policy not to offer a combined torque output.

The system can run on petrol and electricity combined and on petrol or electricity alone. However, its pure EV capabilities are very limited, which we will get to.

Economy is the big selling point of the 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid, which officially claims 4.0L/100km on the ADR combined test cycle.

It achieves this because the electric motor takes load off the petrol engine, most advantageously in stop-start city and suburban traffic.

That’s where petrol engines are at their thirstiest and e-motors do their best work. Out on the open road where petrol engine speeds are lower, the e-motors are less influential.

The driver has limited direct influence over the system. Brake mode can be selected with the gear lever to increase energy regeneration and EV mode can be nominated to run the car only on electricity. But as stated, that’s pretty limited.

In our week with the Corolla SX Hybrid we traversed a wide variety of city, suburban and country roads and the fuel consumption average came out at just 5.0L/100km.

That’s not as good as the claim but better than what an orthodox small car with an unassisted petrol engine would record. The orthodox Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid with its 2.0-litre engine claims 6.0L/100km. In the real world, the 2.0-litre Mazda3 hatch we tested in 2022 struggled to undercut 8.0L/100km.

Making it even more appealing, the Corolla SX Hybrid runs on the cheapest 91 RON fuel. While its fuel tank is only 43 litres, its parsimonious thirst means it has a range beyond 700km.

The 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid offers just a taste of what an electric car is like. Get in and hit the start button and there’s a beep and nothing more. The Corolla is ready to run on electricity alone.

This is a bit of a trick for new players. Not only does the SX Hybrid start quietly, it will often kill the engine and run on the e-motor alone when you pull up.

A friend left a Corolla hybrid rental parked in a suburban street and was surprised to come back hours later to find the engine running. That was because he’d never switched the system off when he left and the petrol engine had fired back up at some point to replenish the high-voltage battery.

In reality, there’s not that much pure EV running in the Corolla SX Hybrid. Press the button and you might accelerate to 25-30km/h before the petrol engine kicks in. A hill will trigger the engine as well.

As already noted, the system does have a valid impact on fuel economy. The other good news is it helps with acceleration as well, because the e-motor fills in the torque hole the petrol engine has at low revs. It makes the SX Hybrid a nippy and responsive car to pilot around the suburbs.

The powertrain can be rotated through Eco, Normal and Power modes without significant effect. But the brake mode deserves more workout. I was engaging it downhill in case it helped claw back a little more range.

The powertrain peppiness is reinforced by the car’s small size (compared to utes and SUVs anyway), low centre of gravity and relatively light weight (1400kg). Combine that with its lauded TNGA platform, well-tuned independent suspension and light electric-assist steering and it feels perfectly made for the cut and thrust of urban driving.

At higher speeds and on the open road it’s not quite as convincing. There is a monotonous drone from the engine induced by the CVT – artificial gear steps would help here – as it charges the battery, and the Bridgestone Ecopia tyres produce too much noise on coarse-chip surfaces.

But the tyres have their upside too. Toyota’s gone with a sensible 205/55R16 sizing and that means there’s some sidewall to absorb crags and corrugations and ensure the ride stays comfy in almost all conditions.

If you switch on the adaptive cruise control and lane centring on the open road you’ll find it doesn’t quite centre itself as well as the best systems, but it’s not rubbish like some others either. It’s easily switchable if you tire of the steering wheel impulses it generates.

Here is where the 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid falls short. Literally.

In prioritising the driver’s environment and seeking a better exterior style for the 12th-gen Corolla, Toyota made the rear seat space tight and the boot just too small. It measures a mere 217 litres, which is less than the Toyota Yaris mini and dwarfed by the Kia Cerato’s 428 litres.

You can fold down the rear seat to increase space but Toyota doesn’t say what it expands to. It’s very difficult to fit a mountain bike in there, even with the front wheel removed.

The rear seat is accessed by small doors and is tight for legroom if you’re sitting a 180cm-tall passenger behind a 180cm driver. Headroom is better, although tall passengers will be getting a good look at the headliner.

Rear-seat passengers miss out when it comes to amenities. There is one seat-back pocket and no air-con vents or USB points. The one thing you’ll have plenty of are cup holders – one in each door and two in a fold-down arm rest.

Front-row passengers are treated better with some soft-touch surfaces and trim bits, including piano black and faux metal, and more storage options like door bins, a lidded bin and a glove box.

But it’s still pretty basic up here. No power seat adjustment might have been alright when this car launched below $30K, but it’s now threatening $40K with on-road costs added.

There is at least plenty of adjustment, the front seats are large and supportive, and the driver can find a good seating position with the help of the manually adjustable – both reach and rake – steering wheel.

Controls are basic but straight forward. There’s no tacho in the cluster, replaced instead by a power meter. You can get your eco driving ability rated and there’s also a ‘noodle nation’ graphic in the touch-screen showing what bit of the powertrain is driving what and when. It’s fascinating to see how complex and flexible the whole system is.

Otherwise, the cabin controls are all very orthodox. In fact, it’s downright traditional with push buttons and dials retained for climate and audio systems. Excellent.

The 2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid hatch is an interesting mix-and-match effort. It’s a zippy and fun drive and also impressively economical thanks to Toyota’s ingenious hybrid system.

But the small cabin that contributes to its positives also impact on its ability to carry a full load of taller people and a decent amount of luggage.

It’s not as generous in those terms as some of its rivals. So that means there are better choices for the family buyer.

But if it’s for a single person or a couple, this car makes plenty of sense. It’s proof there’s still life beyond SUVs and utes.

2024 Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid hatch at a glance:
Price: $35,260 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 72kW/142Nm (electric motor: 70kW/185Nm)
Combined output: 103kW
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 4.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 93g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)