2018 Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport review - Long-term owner

Multimedia and safety technology: 8/10

Brakes very responsive and several airbags in the event of a collison. I haven't yet mastered the music but would have prefered a CD Stacker to a single CD Player.

Practicality: 9/10

Drivers side is rather cramped compared to other small cars tested and the rear hatch/boot is rather small. The rear seat is handy for luggage/shopping but not much leg room for passengers.

Driving: 9/10

Great pick up and go for a 1.8L, even when reversing into a driveway fairly steep. The visibility though through the rear window I find disappointing, though, but better than some of the newer cars noticed.

Running costs: 10/10

Insurance: a bit pricey if you have the car under finance, but I did find a reputable insurer that was $40 per month cheaper than my previous one.

Servicing was very reasonable (not at a dealer) as I was advised it is a great car, and though purchased used, it had only 34,000km on the clock.

Fuel: This is the absolute icing on the cake compared to my old (though purchased new) Japanese-made sporty car. I get an insane amount of mileage from even a half tank of regular unleaded.

Though my mechanic strongly advised using Unleaded 95 premium as a safeguard against future costly repairs due to poor fuel.

Reliability: 10/10

Extremely reliable apart from some unpleasant odours from the exhaust, which indicated it was overdue for a service. Apart from that absolutely nothing whatsover amazingly !

I would highly recommend having it serviced every six months for regular driving and less frequently if few kilometres are driven!