Toyota Corolla Touring Sports long-term test: report 2

The car Toyota Corolla Touring Sports GR Sport Run by Jonty Renk, Video Production Manager

Why it’s here To prove that you don't have to go German for the perfect estate car 

Needs to Offer impressive fuel economy, reliability and performance while offering all the carrying capacity I need

Mileage 1012 List price £35,120 Target Price £32,295 Price as tested £35,120 Official economy 60.1mpg Test economy 49.1mpg

30 April 2025 – Now that's handy

Like picking out what size of suit best fits you, perhaps the biggest decision Toyota Corolla buyers face is whether to stick with the regular hatchback or opt for the larger, estate car version (the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports). However, as a videographer, my choice was an easy one – lots of equipment means the estate makes the most sense. 

My Touring Sports has an impressive 235 litres of extra boot volume over its family car counterpart. The grand total is 596 litres and the space has proven large enough for my needs. I always manage to fit all of my camera gear inside, often with a little room to spare. I’ve not really been left longing for anything more spacious, like the Skoda Octavia Estate and its 640-litre boot, for instance.  

What’s more, the Touring Sports has plenty of practical features that I’ve made use of. There’s an additional space under the boot floor, as well as side compartments that are big enough for a small rucksack in each. There are also load hooks on the boot’s walls which are brilliant for preventing bags from sliding around.

The showstopper is perhaps the electric, kick-activated tailgate. I often find myself approaching the boot with my hands full, so I find it super handy that one wave of my foot beneath the rear bumper opens the tailgate. It just makes life that little bit easier, especially on rainy days when putting my bags down to fumble for the key or a boot release button would cause me to become both stressed and soggy.

Another thing I’m glad about is how well the load cover conceals my equipment. I previously had a Nissan X-Trail as my company car and, while the boot was positively enormous, the poor fitment of the load cover left my camera gear partially exposed to people looking in. Fortunately, with my Corolla, I have no such worry. The entirety of the boot is blocked from view. 

I do have one complaint, though, and that’s the number of times my Corolla makes loud bonging noises when the boot is opening or closing. Opening the boot… BONG. Boot finished opening… BONG. Press the close boot button... you get the idea. I realise I’ve sung the boot’s praises a lot in this report, but does the boot itself have to do the same – and so many times during its operation?

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more about our long-term Toyota Corolla Touring Sports >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports?

If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. 

We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.