Toyota Corolla Verso

Toyota Corolla Verso 2.0 D-4D

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Dawn Tennant

March 2002

Our newest member of the long term fleet, the Verso D-4D has packed a lifetime's action into only two months. A family-friendly version of the Corolla, it represents the firm's first foray into one of the toughest sectors of the market. I just hope its first two months with us aren't a sign of things to come...
The Verso is a five-seater which, for me, is ample. I often carry three in the back, and the trade-off in terms of luggage space is fine. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, while both outer chairs have an integrated booster cushion. The kids love them for the great view, while I can keep a better eye on what they're up to. The chairs also slide back and forth and have a useful fold/tumble feature. I find it a bit odd, though, that's there's no steering-reach adjustment on the column. I don't mind the fixed position, but tall drivers have complained that they can't get the wheel away from their knees.
This is the first diesel I've used daily and, although the mile counter is barely into double figures, I'm already a convert. Compared with the Tino, the Toyota's 89bhp engine is much livelier: it offers loads more low-rev flexibility and has nothing in the way of flatspots. Indeed the only slight quibble I have in this area concerns the ride quality, which can be a little rough on bad roads.
Just look at it. Only one day after our first photoshoot with the car, it was T-boned by a BMW 5-Series Touring at a busy road junction. As you can see from the picture below, the damage was pretty substantial: the impact heavily creased both of the right-hand-side doors and the sill. Although it looks a mess, this pales into insignificance compared with what happened to the BMW. It had to be recovered from the scene with most of its front end missing. By contrast, the Verso was (and still is) perfectly driveable.
As if further proof was needed, the legendary Toyota build quality is very much in evidence elsewhere, too. The seats and all the surfaces feel hard-wearing - something which bodes well for the future.
There are no ownership costs yet - but that's all about to change. At the time of writing, the whole bodywork matter is rumbling its way through the insurance process. Our first repair quote of just over ΂£2,000 seems remarkably low given the amount of damage involved but, as with all matters to do with insurance, we're some way off getting everything sorted.