Oct 03, 2022 at 3:51am ET
Notice anything different about these Corollas? No, we're not talking about the discreetly modified headlights and grille introduced today in Japan. The compact car eschews Toyota's front badge to make room for a big "C." The JDM model has had it for quite a while and the 2023MY sticks to the model-reserved badge. The tailgate retains the corporate logo, with both front and rear ones featuring blue accents denoting the electrified powertrain.
The twelfth generation has been around since 2018 and Toyota is giving it a nip and tuck in its domestic market. Without going into specifics, we’re being told the 1.8-liter hybrid powertrain has an improved electric motor while the 1.5- and 2.0-liter gasoline models have revised engines delivering improved fuel economy. In addition, there are new body colors to choose from while some of the exterior details have been updated.
2023 Toyota Corolla JDM
Customers in Japan can upgrade from the eight-inch touchscreen to the new 10.5-inch infotainment featuring wireless Apple CarPlay. At an additional cost, Wi-Fi connectivity is available while some of the trim levels get standard front and rear parking sensors. An extended array of safety kit is offered with the model year change, adding Proactive Driving Assist that helps the driver avoid getting too close to pedestrians, bicycles, and parked vehicles by automatically steering and applying the brakes.
The 2023 Corolla in the Land of the Rising Sun features support for over-the-air updates meant to improve safety features even after purchasing the vehicle. Speaking of which, the pre-crash safety system can now detect oncoming vehicles when turning right at an intersection and pedestrians crossing the road when turning right or left.
The Hottest Corolla Of Them All:
Pricing for the Corolla sedan kicks off at 1,990,000 yen and rises to 2,998,000 yen [$13,700 to $20,700]. The wagon known as the Touring retails from 2,070,000 yen to 3,048,000 yen [$14,200 to $21,000] while the hatchback sold as the Sport can be had from 2,200,000 yen to 2,890,000 yen [$15,100 to $20,000] depending on specification.
Source: Toyota
On the tech front, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid benefits from an updated 8-inch infotainment system that brings over-the-air software update capability and natural voice recognition. The sedan will continue to come with an 8-inch touchscreen, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, six audio speakers, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and two USB ports.
All 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrids come with an updated powertrain. The sedan continues to come with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors. The drive motors and lithium-ion battery pack have been updated with the latter being moved to underneath the rear seats. Toyota claims the changes should result in more power, but hasn’t provided an official figure yet. The current model is rated at 121 horsepower. New for 2023 is the availability of AWD, which brings an additional electric motor. A continuously variable automatic transmission [CVT] will be standard.
While the current Corolla Hybrid comes with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, the 2023 Corolla Hybrid will come with the automaker’s Safety Sense 3.0 suite. The suite includes forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beam assist. We expect blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert to be optional.