The world’s best-selling vehicle of any kind – about 45 million copies since its inception, at last count – the Toyota Corolla enters 2023 with a fully primed selection of models, including new SE and XLE premium variants and no less than five different editions of the Corolla Hybrid. The most fascinating entry from the standpoint of technology, at least from here in Daytona Beach, is a Corolla Hybrid with electronic on-demand all-wheel drive, helping to plug a gap in the world of traction and electron-assisted powertrains. The combination combines an Atkinson-cycle 1.8-liter engine with dual electric motors operating through a planetary-type, continuously variable automatic transmission. For 2023, hybrid output is boosted to 134 horsepower.
Equally newsworthy is the fact that for 2023, the Corolla Hybrid LE model gets a price reduction of $1,250, always a welcome happenstance. One of the other hybrid versions is the one shown here, the Corolla Hybrid SE, whose red exterior and interior accents proclaim it as the lineup’s sporting model. Fittingly, it’s known as the Infrared Edition.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 