Goal Unlocked: Toyota's Non-Prius Delivers the MPGs

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

It’s Mileage Monday, apparently. In unveiling the upcoming Corolla Hybrid late last year, Toyota predicted the normal-looking alternative to its long-running Prius would deliver a combined rating of 50 mpg, once the EPA got around to testing it.

Not the hardest bar to clear, given that the 2020 Corolla Hybrid uses the same 121-horsepower hybrid powertrain as its stigma-soaked hatch sibling. Toyota stuck the jump with room to spare. There’s also good MPG news for those who hate hybrids but loath the current generation’s tepid four-banger.

Late last week, fuel economy figures poured forth from the Environmental Protection Agency. It turns out the sedate green sedan will indeed top that magic marker, with the 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder/dual electric motor/CVT trio conspiring to earn the car a combined rating of 52 mpg. City fuel consumption comes in at 53 mpg; highway, 52 mpg.

This is the same combined economy as the stock Prius, though the mileage king Prius Eco tops both by 4 mpg on the combined cycle. Just for comparison, the all-wheel drive Prius (Prius AWD-e) — a new addition for 2019 — earns a 50 mpg combined rating.

No longer do image-conscious Toyota diehards have to sit on the fence, mulling the social repercussions of buying a green commuter from their preferred brand.

As the EPA dispensed info on the entire 2020 Corolla line, there’s more MPG news to share. The next-gen sedan, which borrows the TNGA architecture already in use by the 2019 Corolla hatch, returns 33 mpg combined in base 1.8-liter form, regardless of transmission choice (there’s still a six-speed manual in the lineup, plus the vastly more common CVT). The XSE version of this variant sees a combined figure of 32 mpg.

New to the sedan for 2020 is an engine that won’t leave owners nodding off at the stoplight. In this application, Toyota’s 2.0-liter Dynamic Force four-cylinder returns 34 mpg combined when equipped with the new CVT and 40 mpg on the highway. The tranny incorporates a physical launch gear and 10 ratios available via flappy paddles. Opt for the six-speed stick and combined economy falls to a perfectly acceptable 32 mpg.

Interestingly, a 2.0-liter XSE model outfitted with the CVT returns 34 mpg combined, compared to the 1.8-liter XSE’s 32 mpg. The choice here is clear.

[Images: Toyota]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Mcs Mcs on Feb 19, 2019

    Speaking of the Prius, I finally figured out what the rear of the car reminded me of. I finally figured it out. The Silver Hornet: youtu.be/0z-FtAMg6Vw

  • Spintack Spintack on Feb 20, 2019

    It's pretty obvious that Toyota will transition the Prius nameplate - which is worth a ton to non-enthusiasts - to their EV platform, whenever that comes online. I suspect the next Prius will be EV only.

  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
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