Toyota Corolla 2019 Touring Sports revealed

Toyota has released the first pictures of its new Corolla Touring Sports ahead of the car’s official unveiling at the Paris Motor Show.

Designed and developed in Europe, the Touring Sports essentially blends the surprisingly sexy new front-end of the Corolla hatchback revealed at the Geneva show with the roomy rear of a station wagon - albeit a fairly small one.

The new Touring Sports rides on a 2700mm (compared to the current hatchback’s 2600mm), and Toyota is promising best-in-class rear-seat legroom. But the ace card of any wagon is its ability to carry stuff, of course, and on that front the Touring Sports reports a 598-litre (VDA) boot space, though that will be with the rear seats in place.

And like the recently revealed hatchback, Toyota is promising all sorts of driving joy behind the wheel, with a new laser focus on dynamics and handling. The Sports Touring sits on Toyota’s new global architecture - the same that underpins the very good C-HR - and so we have high hopes that they’re telling the truth.

Under the bonnet of the entry level cars lives a 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol engine, but the Sports Touring also debuts what Toyota is calling its “dual-hybrid strategy”, with a pair of hybrid system available to choose from. The first is a 91kW 1.8-litre petrol engine/hybrid system, or you can opt for a punchier 2.0-litre system good for 134kW.

Under the skin you’ll find MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension, and Toyota has made adaptive suspension an option for the first time in the Corolla’s history.

The more expensive cars will be laden with tech, too, with a head-up display, JBL premium stereo and wireless phone charging all making an appearance.

Like its hatch sibling, the Touring Sports promises to be something of a looker, with Toyota talking up its “sweeping roofline and robust shooting brake appearance”.

Full specification will be revealed at the car’s Paris unveiling in October.

Is the all-new Corolla on your new-car wish list? Tell us in the comments below.