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The What Van? Road Test: Toyota Corolla Commercial (2022)
Date: Friday, November 18, 2022
Interior and equipment
As we said earlier, the specification is high, with air conditioning, heated seats and a rear view camera (but strangely no reversing sensors, which are optional) all included in the deal. The driver and passenger can set the temperatures they require individually, electric windows and heated and electrically-adjustable exterior mirrors are fitted, and the electronic parking brake can be applied or released manually or automatically.
A handy USB socket sits next to the gear shift.
Controlling the multimedia system, including the DAB radio, the 8in touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard looks a bit cheap and nasty and appears as though it has been stuck on as an afterthought.
On the positive side, the heating and ventilation system is controlled by proper switches. This means that there is no needed to fiddle about with a touchscreen in order to discover how you increase the in-cab temperature, or put the booster fan on.
Smartphone integration is provided with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with Bluetooth compatibility.
In-cab stowage facilities include a roomy, lidded, but not lockable, glove box, a lidded bin between the seats which plays host to a 12V power socket and is accompanied by a couple of cup holders and a bin in each door. The driver’s seat and the steering wheel are height-adjustable, which should make it easy to achieve a comfortable driving position, especially given that the seat boasts an electrically-adjustable lumbar support.
Packaged under the Toyota Safety Sense banner, safety features include Pre-Collision System.
It warns the driver if the van is at risk of colliding with the vehicle ahead, primes the brakes to deliver maximum stopping power the minute the pedal is touched, and applies the brakes automatically if the driver fails to respond. It also reacts to wayward pedestrians and cyclists.
Drivers can always deploy Adaptive Cruise Control to help them maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Lane Departure Alert triggers a warning if you start drifting out of your lane on, say, a busy motorway. It also delivers steering input to help bring the van back onto the right path.
Installed too is Lane Trace Assist, which helps keep the vehicle centred in its traffic lane with light steering inputs. If both of these lane management systems are active then it seems unlikely that the vehicle will ever stray.
Vehicle Sway Warning will set off an alert if it thinks whoever is behind the wheel is nodding off, and advise them to stop and take a break.
Automatic High Beam switches automatically between high and low beam to prevent the Toyota’s LED headlights dazzling other drivers, while Road Sign Assist detects warnings and commands and highlights them. It also issues a caution if the prevailing speed limit is being broken.
All the usual safety systems are fitted including ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control. No less than seven driver, passenger, and side airbags are installed, including a driver’s knee airbag, just in case everything goes pear-shaped despite all the aforementioned devices.
Disc brakes are fitted all round. Electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion steering delivers a 5.5m turning circle between walls shrinking to a 5.2m circle between kerbs.
Turning to the suspension, MacPherson struts are fitted at the front while a multilink set-up helps support the rear. Anti-roll bars are installed front and back.
Our demonstrator sat on 15in steel wheels decorated with plastic trims. They are shod with Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 195/65 R15 tyres watched over by a pressure monitoring system.
The van’s front and rear bumpers, door handles and rear-view mirror casings are all colour-keyed to match the rest of the body. Shame that there are no side rubbing strips to help prevent the (optional) metallic silver paintwork from getting scratched.
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