The BEST Affordable Car? 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid AWD Review

Jul 29, 2023

The BEST Affordable Car? 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid AWD Review

In my 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid AWD review, I’ll show you why this is the best first car you can buy. The Toyota Corolla 2023 model year adds additional trims to the lineup but the most important is the availability of AWD. It’s powered by a 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4 + 3 AC motors making 138 horsepower. Now it’s not the most powerful car but it is one of the most comfortable and fuel-efficient compact sedans you can buy. In fact, I think the 2023 Toyota Corolla itself is one of the best first cars one can purchase. Let’s take a closer look!

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0:00 - Intro
1:27 - Toyota Corolla Hybrid AWD Specs
2:13 - Driving Impressions / Toyota Corolla POV Drive
5:37 - Exterior
6:42 - 2023 Toyota Corolla Interior
9:20 - Rear Legroom / Cargo Space
9:43 - Daily Ownership Highlights
10:39 - 2023 Toyota Corolla Price
13:23 - Final Thoughts

#Toyota #ToyotaCorolla #Corolla

Content

0.45 -> - I'm pretty sure that we would all love to have

2.19 -> a fancy luxury car to drive around,

4.23 -> but sometimes you just want a simple car

6.24 -> to get you from point A to point B

8.55 -> in the most fuel-efficient way possible.

10.77 -> And while you no longer have to be ashamed

12.51 -> to drive around in a Toyota Prius,

14.16 -> because it looks pretty good,

15.75 -> sometimes you just want a normal-looking sedan.

18.87 -> My name is Omar, and this is the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid.

24.71 -> ( music)

45.24 -> All right, the Toyota Corolla.

46.47 -> This is one of the best selling cars of all time,

49.29 -> and it's still one of the best options that you have

51.57 -> if you want something that's practical, reliable,

54.15 -> and affordable.

55.32 -> And a few years ago when Toyota started offering

57.45 -> a hybrid version of the Corolla,

58.83 -> this became a very compelling option.

61.56 -> However, prior to now the Corolla Hybrid

63.66 -> was only offered as the base LE front wheel drive model

66.54 -> and it wasn't that exciting.

68.4 -> The LE now gains some new siblings.

70.23 -> You have an SE trim, a sportier version,

72.9 -> and the more premium focused XLE.

75.48 -> Also, this time around you can get the LE

77.7 -> and the SE with all-wheel drive.

80.28 -> It's still not fast, this is not a GR Corolla,

82.44 -> it's a simple car to drive around.

83.97 -> So let's talk about what you're working with

85.38 -> under that hood.

86.61 -> You've got a 1.8 liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine

89.73 -> with three electric motors making a total of 138 horsepower.

94.53 -> Now, this isn't a traditional all-wheel drive vehicle.

97.23 -> Instead of having transferred gears in a drive shaft

99.45 -> to move the rear wheels,

100.65 -> this has an electronic on-demand all-wheel drive

102.99 -> which employs a rear mounted electric motor

105.93 -> to power the rear wheels when needed.

107.94 -> So under really hard acceleration,

109.5 -> or when it notices the front wheels slipping,

112.05 -> the rear motor will kick in to move the rear wheels

114.57 -> to make it all-wheel drive.

116.22 -> Now you as a driver won't notice any of that happen.

118.74 -> It just happens all in the background.

120.36 -> For you, this is just gonna be

122.04 -> a very simple driving experience.

124.74 -> And that's kind of what I like about the Corolla,

126.24 -> there are no frills or excitement.

127.86 -> It's just a simple car to get you from point A to point B,

130.8 -> and it's always gonna be reliable.

133.14 -> The ride quality is surprisingly comfortable.

135.36 -> I did not expect the Corolla to be this smooth.

137.85 -> It handles bumps and imperfections on the road

139.86 -> with a lot of ease.

141.57 -> Not to mention, this cabin is actually pretty quiet

144.18 -> and really well insulated.

145.2 -> You don't have like a dual paned glass

147.21 -> or any crazy insulation,

148.74 -> but it is actually pretty quiet in here.

150.99 -> I was actually surprised by how quiet this cabin is.

153.39 -> I mean, you will notice trucks pass you by on the highway,

156.21 -> but it's not like you're driving down

157.83 -> with the windows open and it's super loud.

159.36 -> They really did a good job

160.74 -> of keeping this cabin comfortable and quiet.

163.53 -> But yeah, there wasn't a single day

164.94 -> over the week that I was driving this

166.2 -> where I found the ride quality to be offensive at all.

168.81 -> It was a simple and comfortable car to drive

170.79 -> every single day.

172.2 -> The only two things you might find a little bit odd

174.24 -> is when this switches between EV and hybrid mode.

176.43 -> It isn't drastically like a big bump

178.38 -> when it switches in between those two modes.

179.82 -> It's actually pretty smooth,

181.11 -> but you just notice a difference.

182.73 -> You know, you hear the engine,

183.63 -> and then all of a sudden it's super quiet.

185.25 -> The second thing is the revs of that CVT transmission.

189 -> Those hang on for a very long time.

190.98 -> So under hard acceleration,

192.63 -> you will hear

193.77 -> some of that engine noise coming into the cabin.

195.69 -> But yeah, other than that, it's a smooth

197.7 -> and very surprisingly smooth car to drive around

201.12 -> as your daily driver.

202.68 -> The best part is that you won't feel like

204.03 -> you went for a budget entry level economy sedan.

207.27 -> Now, is it fast?

208.35 -> You would think those additional three electric motors

210.72 -> add a bunch of extra horsepower, but they don't.

212.94 -> This still makes 138 horsepower,

215.04 -> but let's do an acceleration test and just hit it.

218.716 -> (engine rumbling)

221.07 -> Sounds like a lot's going on, but not really.

223.11 -> Pedal to the metal right now.

225.33 -> I'm about to hit 60, and yeah, it's slow.

228.09 -> 60 will still take you nine seconds

230.76 -> in the Corolla Hybrid all-wheel drive.

232.86 -> Although driving this around on a daily basis,

234.63 -> I did notice that the steering feel was pretty solid.

237.03 -> I drove another 23 Corolla

238.44 -> and the steering didn't feel as nice as this one.

241.65 -> This actually felt kind of heavy.

243.24 -> And then I did some digging,

244.23 -> and found out that the SE grades,

245.7 -> the two trims that are the sportier version

247.68 -> of the Corolla hybrid,

248.76 -> get the firmer feel electronic power steering

250.95 -> from the Corolla Apex performance model.

252.9 -> So this feels a little bit better.

255.18 -> So if you go for the SE,

256.29 -> you'll get a better steering feel over the LE and the XLE.

261.27 -> But yeah, overall, terrific daily driver,

263.52 -> a terrific commuter car.

265.17 -> It's reliable, it's small, it's fuel efficient.

267.6 -> It's actually surprisingly comfortable,

269.7 -> and it excels in that mission for sure.

272.22 -> You can literally drive this around for 10 years

274.14 -> without any issues

274.973 -> and then even pass it down to your teenage driver

276.99 -> as their first car.

278.46 -> If my parents gave this to me as my first car,

280.95 -> I probably wouldn't get rid of it anytime soon.

283.17 -> I would hang onto it because I would be just so obsessed

285.33 -> with it being a very simple car

287.76 -> to drive around on a daily basis.

289.71 -> Of course, that's not to say that I don't like performance,

291.78 -> but this isn't about performance.

293.31 -> This is about a price tag, miles per gallon,

295.95 -> and reliability.

297.27 -> And those three things, like it or not,

298.59 -> are very important to many buyers, especially young buyers.

301.68 -> And even if I got really bored and got myself a GR Corolla

304.71 -> for the performance enthusiast side of me,

306.96 -> I still wouldn't get rid of this.

308.16 -> I would keep this as my second vehicle,

309.9 -> and drive it around when I need to go on a long journey.

312.63 -> Surprisingly enough,

313.47 -> I don't think I even told you the fuel economy numbers.

315.69 -> The SE all-wheel drive that I'm driving here

317.73 -> gets 44 miles per gallon combined.

319.89 -> Now if you go for the base LE all-wheel drive,

322.35 -> that gets 48 miles per gallon combined,

324.12 -> and if you don't need all-wheel drive at all,

325.83 -> you can just get the regular Corolla Hybrid,

327.57 -> and that can get up to 50 miles per gallon combined,

330.33 -> which is insane.

331.5 -> That said, let's get into the updates that Toyota has made

333.78 -> to the 2023 model year Corolla, and there aren't a ton.

337.5 -> In terms of exterior design,

338.73 -> this looks just like a regular sedan.

340.59 -> If you looked up "car" in a dictionary,

343.32 -> you would see a picture of a Corolla.

344.49 -> It's not that exciting.

346.14 -> It isn't offensive in any way.

347.97 -> It's not over styled.

349.29 -> It just looks like a simple car.

351 -> Now the changes for 2023 outside are very, very minimal.

353.91 -> You might not notice them at all.

355.35 -> On the front end, Toyota just redesigned

357.09 -> a little bit of the headlamps,

358.32 -> a little bit of the grill, not much going on there.

360.51 -> It looks pretty nice.

361.41 -> I think the Corolla has aged quite well

363.72 -> over the last few years.

365.31 -> It hasn't gotten too outdated.

367.83 -> That said, if you go for the sporty SE or XSE trim,

370.89 -> you get an all new rear sport diffuser

372.75 -> that actually looks really aggressive,

374.76 -> and kind of gives us a lot of character.

377.28 -> And then on top of that, you get new 18 inch

379.38 -> gloss graphite colored alloy wheels that look pretty nice.

382.77 -> I like these wheels quite a bit.

384.42 -> But yeah, you're not going to be turning any heads

386.28 -> as you drive down the road.

387.63 -> If you don't like attention

389.61 -> and you don't want anybody looking at you,

391.02 -> drive a Corolla.

392.25 -> The only thing I would say is that I wish that

394.5 -> Toyota offered all this hybrid goodness

397.02 -> and all-wheel drive goodness in the Corolla hatchback.

399.66 -> I personally like the hatchback a little bit better

401.82 -> than the sedan.

402.99 -> Alright, so let's talk about the inside.

404.43 -> Once you get inside, you'll notice that

405.84 -> not much has changed at all.

407.01 -> It's actually a very basic and simple interior.

409.83 -> The SE trim that I'm driving here gets cloth seats.

412.11 -> And these seats are actually very, very comfortable.

414.6 -> They're not hard, they don't feel uncomfortable at all.

418.29 -> They are manually adjustable,

419.67 -> but you do have a great driving position

421.71 -> once you find your setting.

423.42 -> Now, if you're somebody that wants power adjustable seats

426.06 -> and heated seats,

426.893 -> you can only get that on the higher trims,

428.73 -> and you don't get a heated steering wheel,

430.38 -> you don't get heated rear seats, and I didn't expect it to.

432.75 -> And you also don't get a dual zone climate control.

435.51 -> Quality-wise, it's everything that you would expect

437.34 -> from Toyota.

438.173 -> It is really well built.

439.11 -> You do have a surprising amount

440.52 -> of soft touch materials throughout this cabin.

442.56 -> There are some hard plastic areas

444.78 -> where you wouldn't interact with that much,

446.58 -> but there are more soft touch materials

449.28 -> than there are hard plastic.

450.84 -> Now let's talk tech.

451.77 -> All Corollas, no matter which one you go for,

453.42 -> get an eight inch touchscreen display,

455.22 -> which gives you Toyota's new audio multimedia

457.38 -> infotainment system.

458.58 -> You get wireless Apple CarPlay

459.81 -> and wireless Android Auto S standard,

461.79 -> although you will have to pay extra for navigation,

463.89 -> it's a subscription service.

465.39 -> I don't know why anybody would pay monthly for navigation

468.42 -> when you have Apple CarPlay

470.07 -> and Android Auto as standard,

471.42 -> just use Google Maps or Waze.

473.79 -> I don't know what the take rate

475.32 -> for that subscription is gonna be,

477.21 -> but I don't expect it to be a lot.

479.61 -> But yeah, overall, the infotainment system

481.32 -> is very easy to use, easy to get around.

483 -> The only thing I don't like

484.08 -> is that you don't have a home screen

485.31 -> where you can have a bunch of widgets

486.78 -> and things that you wanna look at quickly.

488.76 -> You have to be in either navigation, music, phone,

491.1 -> you can't have a single home screen

492.87 -> where you can see everything.

494.43 -> As for the gauge cluster, standard on the Corolla

496.56 -> XSE and XLE, you have a redesigned seven inch

499.14 -> digital gauge cluster display.

500.64 -> It looks pretty nice.

501.84 -> My SE test model doesn't get that.

503.55 -> It gets a tiny 4.2 inch screen in the middle.

506.1 -> It has a lot of information on it.

507.243 -> It's actually pretty useful.

509.7 -> But other than that, it's all analog.

511.71 -> But my favorite thing about the Corolla

513.12 -> and most Toyotas is that they come standard

515.07 -> with a bunch of driver assist tech.

516.99 -> As a part of Toyota's Safety Sense 3.0,

519 -> you get a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection,

521.91 -> you get lane departure alert with steering assist,

524.13 -> you get adaptive cruise control with lane tracing assist,

526.89 -> you get road sign recognition,

528.36 -> automatic high beam, and all of that is standard.

531.3 -> You don't have to pay extra at all.

533.4 -> Which you can't say for a lot of cars out there.

535.32 -> Even some luxury brands will charge you about $3,000

538.05 -> or more for a driver assist package

540.12 -> to get some of those driver assist technologies.

542.46 -> But again, the best part is all of that is standard.

544.8 -> Even if you go for the base, base Corolla,

546.45 -> the gasoline, no hybrid, no all wheel drive,

548.79 -> you will get that as standard.

550.71 -> Alright, so before we get into the pricing details

552.84 -> and whether or not if you should buy one,

554.55 -> let's hop out and check out the practicality

556.8 -> that you have in the rear seats and the cargo area.

559.23 -> Alright, so hop in the back of the Corolla,

561.12 -> and you're working with 34.8 inches of legroom back here,

564.42 -> which is actually more than the Corolla Cross Hybrid.

567.12 -> I'm about six foot tall, that's my seating position.

569.28 -> As you can see, I have a good amount of room.

571.53 -> Let's check out the cargo capacity.

572.88 -> You can pop open the trunk

573.99 -> by using a button located right here

575.43 -> underneath the Toyota logo,

576.48 -> and that opens it up to 13.1 cubic feet.

579.06 -> That's all my mess in there,

580.14 -> but yeah, it's not bad actually, it's quite spacious.

583.02 -> Alright, before we get into the pricing details

584.73 -> and whether or not if you should buy

585.84 -> a Corolla Cross Hybrid all-wheel drive,

587.85 -> let me put in a few important daily ownership highlights

590.04 -> that I'd love to show all of you.

591.24 -> You have a total of four cup holders,

592.86 -> two in the front right there,

594.36 -> and then you have two in the back right here

596.46 -> in the center armrest.

598.11 -> Here are the keys to the Corolla Cross Hybrid,

600.27 -> same old Toyota key.

601.62 -> Door closed sound from the outside,

604.05 -> and from the inside,

605.88 -> solid.

607.05 -> Charging game wise,

607.883 -> my test model doesn't have a wireless charger,

609.57 -> but it does have a USB-C port right there,

611.22 -> and one in the center armrest.

612.84 -> And if you're riding in the back,

613.83 -> you have two USB-C ports right there.

615.78 -> And of course we have to do an indicator

617.37 -> and horn sound test, indicator first.

619.749 -> (light ticks)

621.66 -> Nice.

622.493 -> Now for the horn sound.

623.919 -> (horn beeps)

624.9 -> Oh yeah. Not solid.

627.87 -> Alright, so should you get yourself a Corolla Hybrid,

630.06 -> and should you get it with all-wheel drive?

631.71 -> I think yes, you should get a Corolla Hybrid for sure,

634.17 -> if you're looking for something that's fuel efficient

636.24 -> and comfortable that you can drive around on a daily basis.

638.91 -> It really is the perfect commuter car.

641.28 -> Now pricing wise, the Corolla Hybrid front wheel drive

643.47 -> starts at around $23,000.

645.66 -> But going for all-wheel drive

646.92 -> will only cost you $1000 extra.

649.86 -> Although keep in mind that if you go for the all-wheel drive

652.23 -> over the front wheel drive,

653.22 -> the all-wheel drive gets between 44 to 48

655.77 -> miles per gallon combined,

656.91 -> while the front wheel drive will give you

658.14 -> up to 50 miles per gallon combined.

660.21 -> To be honest,

661.043 -> the only reason that I would go all-wheel drive

662.64 -> for the Corolla Hybrid

663.51 -> is if I live in a cold weather state

665.19 -> where it's, you know,

666.9 -> cold and icy most of the year.

669.48 -> Otherwise, I would go front wheel drive

671.04 -> and look to maximize my fuel economy.

673.29 -> You know, the crazy thing is that

674.64 -> when I first got this about six days ago,

677.13 -> I've kept this in sport mode nonstop every single day,

680.28 -> and it hangs onto the mode that you're in,

681.96 -> even after you turn it off and turn it back on,

683.97 -> it stays in that mode, which I like a lot.

686.46 -> But yeah, I've kept that in sport mode,

688.02 -> and I'm still averaging 39 miles per gallon, 38.9,

691.8 -> but let's just round up, 39 miles per gallon.

694.05 -> That's amazing.

695.28 -> In sport mode, driving it around

696.99 -> for a whole six days, constantly.

699.84 -> And I've taken long trips, this gets a total range

702.45 -> of over 450 miles,

704.4 -> and I still have more than half a tank of gas left,

707.22 -> and I've been driving this around all over for six days.

710.16 -> So if you're somebody that's looking

711.33 -> for a fuel efficient car

712.41 -> and is thinking about an EV and is worried about range,

715.41 -> try a hybrid.

716.46 -> Try a Corolla Hybrid because the range

718.527 -> and the miles per gallon that you'll get in here

720.18 -> are very impressive.

722.01 -> I took this up to the New York Auto Show

723.51 -> which is about a 40 mile trip

724.74 -> from where I live in New Jersey.

725.76 -> And I had a friend come with me who was like,

727.837 -> "Oh man, we're going in a Corolla, why not something fancy?"

730.44 -> 'Cause he's seen me drive around

731.49 -> in really fancy or high performance cars.

733.77 -> But I had the Corolla, and I bought it,

735.63 -> and he was like "Why are we going in a Corolla?"

737.49 -> And I was like, "Dude, stop being spoiled as my friend.

740.64 -> Let's just get in and go."

741.99 -> And after a while of driving this around, he was like,

743.947 -> "Wow, this is actually pretty comfortable

745.59 -> and very impressive,

746.7 -> and it's not what I expected from a Corolla at all."

748.65 -> He was blown away by the standard driver assist tech,

750.99 -> he was blown away by the comfortable ride quality,

753.21 -> and just how quiet it is inside.

755.37 -> But yeah, if you're looking for a first car

757.32 -> or a commuter car,

758.31 -> the Corolla Hybrid, all-wheel drive or not,

760.41 -> is a very solid option.

761.88 -> Either way, thanks for watching,

763.56 -> make sure you hit like, make sure you hit subscribe.

765.69 -> Make sure you follow me on Instagram and on TikTok.

767.85 -> My handle is @omardrives.

769.8 -> I'll catch you guys in the next one.

771.12 -> Take care.

772.35 -> Peace.

773.19 -> By the way,

774.023 -> you also have the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid,

775.35 -> which I mentioned earlier in this review,

776.88 -> that will get 48 miles per gallon combined,

779.19 -> which is also pretty good.

780.36 -> So if you need an SUV, you can get the Corolla Cross Hybrid.

783.18 -> But keep in mind, the Corolla Cross Hybrid

785.43 -> has less rear leg room than the regular Corolla.

788.22 -> So if rear legroom is something that you're concerned with,

790.53 -> get this.

791.363 -> And if you need a lot of cargo space

793.14 -> and you're always carrying something,

794.49 -> get the Corolla Cross Hybrid.

797.364 -> (music)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--CcCV7Mne0