Toyota Corolla Verso
Is it necessary to sacrifice style for a bit of sensible, useful practicality?Sometimes it is, although there are many handbag aficionados out there who would kneel at the feet of Paris Hilton in thanks for bringing into vogue the enormous kitchen-sink-and-all type handbag into which the style-conscious woman about town can now comfortably fit all her worldly goods.
With cars it’s a slightly different situation – or is it? Ferraris are stylish, some would argue, but they sure aren’t practical. Transit minibuses are practical, but they definitely aren’t stylish. There are many, many other in-between comparisons to be made, but in essence, there’s always some sort of trade-off between one and the other.
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Then comes the Verso. This face-lifted Corolla is unmistakably a Toyota, but it doesn’t look like the Corollas of old: Those all-conquering, invincible workhorses of the ancient, modern, undeveloped and developed worlds, seen on all continents, in all climates driven by all kinds in all places. The Corolla is a legend in itself. So what is the Verso? It doesn’t look like a traditional Corolla. It has a certain elegance about it which deceives. From the side it is almost coupé-like with side windows that taper down as they get closer to the back of the car. From the front it is tall, imposing and confident and on the road it conveys this elegance in an understated yet confident way. All in all, it is a very smart, good looking car.
Now comes the surprise… it’s a seven-seater! What surprised me most about it was its sheer versatility. With seats down, it is a sensible hatchback with a good sized load space handy and practical for the usual array of baby clobber, you know the sort of things, pram, highchair, travel cot, changing bag containing sufficient nappies to get you from Junction 7 to Junction 28, and all that jazz. With the rear seats in position, which incidentally is such a breeze – a 20 second job – it is a full-blown 7 seater. This does come with an inevitable loss of space though. Any baby clobber to be carried in addition to the designated complement of seven would almost certainly have to be carried on the roof or in a trailer, as apart from some space for a Paris Hilton bag or two, the options are limited.
What’s it like to drive? I have to say that it depends! If Place A is just off junction 7 and Place B is just off junction 28, then you’ll love it. It eats the miles with the greatest of ease and is smooth, quiet, economical and easy to drive, with its sixth gear and cruise control making things that little bit easier still. I did find parking it a little more difficult than I might have liked because of the somewhat limited visibility through the ‘quarter’ windows. The view straight out the back window is fine and the view to the side was OK, but if you are negotiating a narrowish reverse park in your local supermarket, allow extra time, or simply give up and head for the parent and child spaces where any less than perfect judgement will be a little more forgiven. Even as a veteran of car parks across all continents, I found the visibility a little more of a challenge than in many other similar design cars. The cabin is bright and relaxing yet with a modern and trendy look to it. The switchgear is all light greys and pale blues, breaking from the traditional dowdy greys one often associates with other vehicles of this genre. It is definitely far more Warhol than Constable.
With an array of gizmos to keep even the most ardent technophiles happy, it is an exceptionally comprehensive package for the price, delivering good, solid build quality with a modern and versatile theme that will appeal to many. It would be totally unfair to compare it to many other cars in the same price bracket, as it doesn’t claim to be like many other cars. It is a Corolla that has come of age, and that wants to cater for the driver who might one day want to carry 6 big bags of bark for the garden and the next day carry six sprogs to the swimming pool. It can happily and easily do both with the minimum of fuss, and will surely keep the renowned longevity of its older siblings. It is the sort of car that any one of three generations in a family might be happy with, from Grandad to Grandson and anywhere in between.
It is one of the very few cars I’ve driven that keeps that unusual balance between style and practicality, but does it in a way that doesn’t turn heads or produce gasps of surprise. It simply does the job, effortlessly, easily, pleasantly and without pretence. It is, at the end of the day, a continuation of the legend, and long may it continue!
Nigel Crawford
April 2008
Model Driven: Verso SR 2.2 D4D
£18,595 OTR
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