Toyota finally brought the Corolla Hybrid to the U.S. for the 2020 model year, and reviewer Jennifer Geiger found it to be a broadly appealing, efficient sedan. What the Corolla Hybrid really lacks are frills — but who needs ’em? Well, you can decide that for yourself if you’re on the fence as to whether to go with the conventional Corolla or the hybrid by reading Geiger’s review, which debuts in fifth place among our most popular car critiques — a respectable start, but unable to challenge the dominance of our top review, the 2020 Subaru Outback.
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The Corolla Hybrid is offered in one trim level, the LE, and it’s obviously just a tiny step up from the base model. While nothing feels chintzy or looks cheap, the cabin uses very basic materials and has a bland design, lacking the pops of pizazz that are (surprisingly) found in higher trims of the non-hybrid model as well as the more upscale vibe of the Insight.
The controls are a highlight. Toyota’s Entune 3.0 multimedia system with an 8-inch touchscreen is standard. It sits high on the dash for great visibility, with handy volume and tuning knobs, as well as shortcut buttons for easy usability. Apple CarPlay integration is standard, as is Amazon Alexa, but Android Auto users like myself are out of luck. Toyota says we can display navigation on the dash screen via a Scout GPS Link app (but count me out for downloading another app).
A 7-inch configurable instrument screen is standard. It sits between a few analog gauges and displays speedometer, battery charge status and other efficiency-related things, including an Eco Score that lets you know how efficiently you’re driving.
The 2020 Hyundai Palisade and 2020 Lincoln Aviator remain popular for those who prefer moving images and sound over words, coming in at first and second, respectively, this week among our most-watched videos. Two newcomers this week are the redesigned 2020 Ford Escape and 2019 BMW M850i, which bring up the rear. Hanging around in the top five for yet another week is that time we took a Dodge SRT Challenger Hellcat Redeye Widebody down a drag strip.
Check out the top five reviews and videos of the week below:
Top 5 Reviews
1. 2020 Subaru Outback Review: Punching Above Its Weight Class
2. 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Review: More Efficient, Less Useful
3. 2020 Toyota Corolla Review: Hatchback-Nice With a Trunk and Real Backseat
4. 2019 Ford Edge Review: Solid, But the Shine Is Wearing Off
5. 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Review: All the Economy, Few of the Frills
Top 5 Videos
1. 2020 Hyundai Palisade: First Drive
2. 2020 Lincoln Aviator: Review
3. 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye: Drag-Strip Tested
4. 2020 Ford Escape Review
5. 2019 BMW M850i: Review
