Toyota Corolla Trek 2.0 Touring Sports 2020 UK review

Soft-roader version of the Corolla estate is well equipped, frugal and more enjoyable to drive than you might think The Corolla Trek is Toyota’s way of making its family estate a little bit more appealing to those ‘active lifestyle’ types - the kind who want their cars to conquer the occasional dirt trail as well as the school run.It’s a market all but sewn up by SUVs, but a helping hand from US bike giant Trek has given the Corolla Touring Sports a semi-rugged makeover.The front and rear bumpers have been given protective skid plates, and the lower sides are covered with plastic cladding, but it’s all rather more soft road than off road. Don’t look too closely and you might not spot the exterior changes at all.The ride height has been raised by 20mm over the standard car's, making the Trek a bit more suited to divot-filled farm tracks and the like, but the petrol-electric engine still sends its power to the front axle only. Toyota’s hybrid powertrain offers economy gains you wouldn't find in the all-wheel-drive VW Golf Alltrack and Skoda Octavia Scout while they were available, though.The Trek also has a comprehensive kit list that beats the front-driven Ford Focus Active on price, once you factor in the Ford’s options list, with a power tailgate, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control all coming as standard.