What’s New for the 2023 Toyota Corolla Lineup?
Toyota has revealed all the major upgrades to its Corolla lineup, including the sedan, hatchback, and hybrid models. New safety tech, more standard features, and the elimination of an entire trim level are on the menu.
Learn More: All the Toyota Safety Sense features>
Toyota Safety Sense 3.0
Every new Corolla now comes with standard Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the automaker’s most advanced suite of driver-assistance features. It has all of the same features as TSS 2.0, like automatic emergency braking and lane steering assist, but with upgraded detection capabilities. TSS 3.0 also gets a new feature called “Proactive Driving Assist,” which anticipates obstacles and deceleration events from further out, enabling the system to more progressively slow the car compared to braking at the last moment.
New 8-inch touch screen
Another upgrade across the board is a next-gen multimedia system. It’s compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Wi-Fi hotspot, over-the-air updates, cloud navigation, dual Bluetooth phone connectivity, and an intelligent voice assistant you can activate with phrases like “Hey Toyota.” Toyota unveiled this new system in 2021 and first launched it on the all-new Tundra pickup. It supports touch-screen displays up to 14 inches, but for every Corolla model, the standard size is 8 inches.
New exterior designs
The 2023 Toyota Corolla sedan, hatchback, and hybrid have all received exterior design tweaks. This is par for the course for any mid-generation update, and whenever it happens, automakers tend to refer to it as “sharpened styling.” They do it so much that they start to sound like chefs obsessing over their kitchen knives. But to the undiscerning observer, the cars look almost indistinguishable from the previous model year, save for a few new wheel designs, subtly different paint options, and slightly more sculpted bumpers.
Powertrain updates
The new Corolla Hybrid model makes a decent amount more power than before thanks to a revised hybrid system. The configuration is the same: a four-cylinder engine matched with two motors and a CVT. However, it now makes 134 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque, up from 121 and 146, respectively. Something to do with magnets.
The new Corolla Sedan is also getting a boost, in a sense. The LE trim, which Toyota says is the most popular, now comes standard with the more efficient and powerful 2.0-liter engine that was already standard at all other trim levels except for the L. But as the L is getting discontinued, the LE is now the new base model, and the 2.0-liter becomes the only option.
That about wraps up the major changes to the 2023 Toyota Corolla lineup, but there are lots more details you can read about on the automaker’s press site. The Corolla remains one of the bestselling cars there is, and can still be had, fully loaded, for under $30,000. As the average new car price now rapidly approaches $50,000, the Corolla’s appeal as a more affordable — yet very well equipped daily driver — continues to grow.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.