Well maybe not new but certainly refreshed. To inject some joie de vivre back into their best-selling sedan Toyota has given their eleventh-generation Corolla a mild facelift. Now while you and I might fail to spot the differences, our country's Uber Black drivers certainly won't. Indeed, these hard working cabmen will delight in the new front and rear bumpers, raised bonnet and – on the 1.8 models only – fancy new LED taillight clusters. Nissan Almera? Pfft, please!
Inside they'll surely appreciate the sporty new circular air vents as well as the revised instrument panel: a feature that will help them more than ever to keep well below the stipulated legal speed limit. Drivers whose budgets allow them to afford a middle-of-the-range Prestige model will be able to impress their clients with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Nice!
While the engine lineup remains unchanged – 1.3, 1.6, 1.8-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel – Toyota did fettle the Corolla's chassis with larger diameter shock absorbers and increased suspension rigidity. This supposedly results in keener handling – something that no Uber driver worth his or her salt is ever likely to exploit.
On the upside, however, Toyota has improved overall interior comfort with better NVH insulating. Both wind and road noise levels are now lower than were before, which should do nothing but recement the Corolla as South Africa's ultimate piece of Uber Black machinery. – Thomas Falkiner
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