2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Review: The Shocking Truth… New Video

For Toyota buyers who seek maximum efficiency but don’t love the styling of the Prius, the Corolla Hybrid offers similarly excellent fuel economy numbers with a more conventional design. Toyota delivers a midcycle update for 2023 with an improved hybrid powertrain, revised visuals, new trim levels that bring additional feature content, and available AWD. The Corolla Hybrid competes with other compact hybrids including the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, the upcoming Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota’s own Corolla Cross Hybrid.

Freshened exterior styling, a modernized tech suite, and improved active safety gear move the Corolla forward, while the hybrid-powered sedan – the best of the bunch, feisty GR model excluded – comes with a more accessible starting price, improved fuel economy, and available all-wheel drive. As facelifts go, the Corolla remains as good as ever in the midst of its twelfth generation.

Speaking of acceleration, the new Corolla Hybrid offers more of it for 2023. Changes to the hybrid system result in 134 hp and 156 lb-ft peak combined output. That may not sound like much, but it’s 13 hp and 10 lb-ft more than before. If you come out of the pre-2023 Corolla Hybrid, you’ll likely feel the difference. If not, this change simply makes the revised Toyota more competitive with the 2023 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid and upcoming 2024 Honda Civic Hybrid.

In this video, we are talking about the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid.

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Performance.

The Corolla Hybrid combines an efficient 1.8-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder with a pair of electric motors, one of which has been updated for 2023. Toyota’s compact hybrid sedan also has a new lithium-ion battery for 2023. 

The Corolla Hybrid is relaxed over rough roads and stable around corners. However, reviewers are split on whether the regenerative brakes feel natural or grabby. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive – rare for the class – is newly available.

Every Corolla Hybrid pairs its powertrain with a CVT automatic, and although FWD has been the only drivetrain configuration in previous model years, 2023 brings the addition of available AWD.

The pre-refresh Corolla Hybrid wasn’t much of a performer, with only 121 hp and a 0 to 60 mph time of a lazy 10.3 seconds. Toyota is claiming a more powerful hybrid system for 2023, so performance may improve. Last year’s model achieved 53 and 52 mpg city and highway respectively; expect similar numbers from the 2023 model with Front-Wheel Drive and a slight penalty for buyers who choose All-Wheel Drive.

Interior.

The 2023 Corolla Hybrid has a well-crafted, quality cabin with a pleasing design. Its overall look doesn’t turn heads, but most folks will be satisfied with the Toyota’s interior. 

If you are the sort of person who longs for a truly luxurious experience when they hop into a brand-new car, this won’t be the car for you.

That isn’t to say that there aren’t some nice features of the cabin, though. The stitching on the cloth seats looks quite nice, and the media system sits high and proud, which does offer some kind of visual appeal. Plus the new digital instrument cluster is a nice touch as well.

But beyond that, a lot of the finishes and styling in this spec of Corolla are workmanlike.

There is a plastic steering wheel and gear shift selector, neither of which is overly pleasant to hang onto for long periods of time. At least the steering wheel button setup is easy to come to grips with.

Compared to its direct competitor, the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, the Corolla is on the smaller side. The Elantra has a tad more front legroom and more than 3-inches of rear legroom.

Infotainment Technology.

Like the 2022 Corolla Hybrid, every 2023 model features an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display.  That said, this year’s sedan includes Toyota’s next-gen infotainment system, with wireless support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, over-the-air updates, a “Hey Toyota” personal assistant feature, dual Bluetooth pairing, and Apple and Amazon music integration. Corolla Hybrid SE and XLE add nine-speaker JBL premium audio.

Storage.

The Corolla Hybrid has a 13.1-cubic-foot trunk, which is the same capacity as the gas-only Toyota Corolla, but it’s below the class average. You can fold down the seats to make room for larger items, but they don’t fold completely flat.

Toyota has made some mechanical changes that could increase the 2023 Corolla Hybrid’s trunk size versus previous years beyond the 13.1 cubic feet the pre-2023 car had.

Gas Mileage.

With the 2023 Corolla Hybrid’s added horsepower, its gas mileage takes a slight hit, though the estimates are still good for a hybrid car. The Corolla Hybrid gets an EPA-estimated 50 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive and 47 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway with all-wheel drive. 

Safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2023 Corolla Hybrid an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the frontal and side crash tests and four stars in the rollover test.

Standard driver-assistance features include Rearview camera, Forward collision warning, Forward automatic emergency braking, Pedestrian and cyclist detection, Lane-departure warning, Lane-keep assist, Traffic-sign recognition, Adaptive cruise control and Automatic high-beam headlights.

Pricing.

Its estimated price for base trim level starts at around $23,000.

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