How do you make something that's really good even better? That's the question that Toyota had to explore when they put together the 2023 Corolla Hybrid. It has a 207 v lithium ion battery with a straight engine that makes it one of the more dynamic fibers on the market. Corolla's hybrid electric on demand all wheel drive provides all where the capability and confident on the road driving dynamics. That's one of the surprises in the drive that I really enjoyed, those driving dynamics that include grip and traction, cornering and handling.
The system uses a dedicated electric Drive motor to automatically supply power to the rear wheels for instant improvement in traction. There's some sports performance technology happening here but let's stay on the hybrid performance elements.
The Corolla hybrids engine has an increase in performance that you actually can feel when you drive it now it has 138 horsepower and that may sound like a lot or maybe not to you but the kick and the pap is there. It has an estimated EPA of 50 combined miles per gallon. I must mention the sport mode yes, there are different Drive modes that matter. If you engage the corolla's hybrid sport mode you can increase its throttle response for more exciting drive.
This is a nice element that adds to the experience with this vehicle. But that's not all. Yeah it has an exterior stance and posture that is impressive, but you also have a level of suspension that makes bumps, potholes and other road impediments a lot more manageable. It's important to go inside and talk about what you see. Of course Toyota is known for its high-tech advancements and it's innovation. The Corolla hybrid has an 8-in Toyota audio multimedia touch screen display that is pretty cool. This floating display has a modern feel that enables it to look like it's floating. There's navigational information available with an intuitive pinch and zoom control to move and adjust what you see better.
That multimedia touch screen also responds to voice activation and has active Wi-Fi connect with apple music integrating streaming features to stream over 100 million songs and 30,000 playlist had free. Yeah real talk.
Behind the driver's steering wheel is a large well-designed yet practical 7-in full digital cluster with lots of information available to the driver. That includes safety alert, vehicle information and status that you usually see on the infotainment screen but there it is right there on the driver cluster that's more in your line of sight when you drive. More Tech includes a smart key system which comes standard and allows you to unlock the doors and trunk plus start the engine with a touch of the button. More Tech on the second row includes for USB C ports up front and two and the rear for the passenger on the second seat so everyone gets to stay connected and plugged up.
The safety features a legendary. Here are just a few that impressed me. The pre-collision system with pedestrian detection is awesome. It's designed to detect a vehicle or a pedestrian or bicyclist or motorcyclist or a flock of ducks, whatever and it provides an audio/visual for collision warning under certain circumstances. Let's say you don't react or respond, the system is therefore designed to provide automatic emergency braking. Yep it breaks for you.
There's also full speed range dynamic cruise control which is an adaptive system designed to set at speeds above 20 mph and uses vehicle to vehicle distance control to maintain a preset distance from the vehicle in front of you. That's important because you never know when something stops me hoping and this is definitely an assistant to that process. I've always enjoyed laying departure alert with steering assist because those elements and technology are designed to issue an audio-visual Lane departure warning if an inadvertent Lane departure is detected. Yep you get a warning. It's like a virtual assistant co-pilot.
If the driver does not take corrective action the system is also designed to provide a gentle corrective steering action for Lane keeping assistance. That's just so much more in the tech area that I can't go over because I'll be here all night but just know that we like the lane tracing assist that keeps track of the lane so you can stay in your lane, automatic high beams, road sign assist which allows you to detect the signs better and then there's proactive driving assist that kind of anticipates some of the issues on the road that you may face and mitigates danger. The safety technology is just amazing and we're totally happy about that and are fully bought in to what Toyota brings to the table in the area of safety. One other element that I didn't mention, the blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert.
The blind spot issue is definitely one that you always have to pay attention to as a driver. It's important that you are able to see and sense what's around you and when you can't this blind spot technology helps. In the area of connectivity there's remote connect Wi-Fi connect safety connect Drive connect and service connect. All of these have everything to do with keeping you connected and linkedin to the information and people important to you.
It's an all-around beautifully designed vehicle with a heritage and tradition of safety, efficiency, great mileage and practicality.
At 53 miles per gallon in the city and 46 on the highway this vehicle is extraordinary and it's affordability. From 23,050 this baby is perfect on several levels and absolutely a great value. Of course there are other travel levels to choose from. As far as competition is concerned, the first place one may look as a Honda Civic. It too has gone in on hybrid technology and certainly challenging the Corolla in that area. There's also the Mazda 3, the Kia forte, the Hyundai elantra, the and the Nissan Sentra to name just a few.
Toyota's brand recognition gives it an instant level of credibility and appreciation and the Corolla hybrid brings a lot to the table of which we truly enjoyed. Be sure to check out more on this amazing vehicle on the Toyota website or get back with us with your questions thoughts and ideas about this unique and reliable car. We want to thank the people that drive shop, Toyota as well, one of our founding supporters more than 20 years ago, and look forward to giving you more quality content on great vehicles so you don't have to dig and do the research as much as we did.