TOYOTA reckons its new Corolla hatchback will appeal to hearts as well as heads, with sleeker styling and improved dynamics aimed at luring a more youthful buyer.

New model launches rarely come bigger than a new Corolla. Toyota has sold about 1.2 million in Australia alone, making it the best-selling model in the history of Australia’s top-selling brand.

Underneath the new Euro styling sits the same platform and an upgraded (though still anaemic) version of the old model’s 1.8-litre engine, matched up to the existing manual gearbox or a brand new CVT with a seven-speed sequential mode.

The changes are far from wholesale, but those changes that have been made are mostly positive, and its sharper pricing will surely see the new model provide even stiffer competition for the current sales king – Mazda’s 3.

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