Toyota Corolla

Toyota has admitted that its diesel offerings haven't been as strong as they could be in the past few years. The new 2.2-litre D-4D rectifies that, instantly pushing the Verso into contention in the compact MPV class. With strong refinement and a smart finish, too, this Corolla carrier really is virtually a Lexus in all but name...

The T180, which costs £20,900, has a 2.2-litre engine offering a staggering 175bhp, and is currently the most powerful diesel compact MPV money can buy. And its advanced four-cylinder motor is a Lexus unit in all but name.

Set to debut in the luxury marque's IS in March, the new engine is a sup-reme performer, with a massive 400Nm of torque providing surging waves of acceleration from low in the rev range. Put simply, it's one of the most refined and capable oil-burners we have tried.

But raw performance is not the only strength of this unit. As it's equipped with Toyota's new D-CAT technology, it emits only 178g/km of CO2. Economy is impressive, too, with the Verso capable of returning 42mpg.

Happily, the Lexus influence doesn't end with the engine. The body is neatly styled and beautifully constructed, while inside, the Corolla's familiar, smartly finished cockpit could be compared with those of the very best offerings from Mercedes and Audi.

The six-speed manual transmission is also new, and it's a delight to operate. It delivers a snappy and accurate shift, while Toyota engineers have made great efforts to ensure the clutch is as light and smooth as possible.

As we have come to expect from the range, the car is practical, with seven fold-flat seats and a versatile cabin that can be arranged to carry heavy loads or big families. Access to the rear is good, and there's bags of headroom.

However, there's still some scope for improvement in the Corolla Verso, as the chassis can't deliver the driver appeal of class competitors such as the Vaux-hall Zafira and Volkswagen's Touran. Although the ride is smooth and body control is good, the steering doesn't provide the feedback or the tyres the level of grip needed to propel the Toy-ota to the top of the class.

Understandably, company bosses are keen to point out that the Corolla Verso isn't intended to be a sports car, explain-ing that high performance is not a real priority in this class.

How-ever, with racy compact MPVs such as the Zafira VXR (and previous-generation GSi) selling strongly on both new and second-hand forecourts, we can't help feeling that with this much performance on offer from the new oil-burner, Toyota could have worked a bit harder on the styling and suspension to create a machine that would really stand out from the rest of the line-up.

Even so, the Corolla Verso is very impressive, and proves a worthy alternative to a family car. With its luxurious new 2.2-litre diesel, perhaps it should get a Lexus badge after all.