Toyota Corolla Commercial van review

In most instances, estate cars are brilliant load-luggers, so a car-based van that started out as an estate car can only build on this. And unsurprisingly, the Toyota Corolla Commercial does.

Behind the bulkhead, it's a very different animal to the passenger Corolla Touring Sports and that’s mostly because there’s a long, flat rubberised load bed in place of the rear seats. It stretches across the full length and width of the cargo area.

When it comes to loading your Corolla Commercial, you'll find the rear doors open wide and the boot opening is a square shape, with no lip to lift things over. Some automatic courtesy lighting would be helpful because the blacked out windows mean the cargo area is quite dark. There are some lights on the headlining but you have to switch them on manually.

You and your passenger (just the one, of course, as there are no back seats) get plenty of head and leg room. You'll also have storage areas for odds and ends around you. They include a large door bin on each door with a slot for a water bottle, two cup holders and a central armrest cubby. There’s also a small space between the bulkhead and seats for smaller items.

If you need to charge a device, there’s one USB port under the dash and a 12v power outlet in the armrest cubby.