Review
It offers ample space for luggage, it has a comfortable ride and, as it's a diesel, can also rack up many miles on one tank of fuel.
But there's also another reason.
The Corolla's high seating means our two-year-old daughter Mia can see out of the rear window. While this may be unimportant to some readers, believe me when I say that entertaining a child on a journey lasting several hours is a mammoth task and I welcome anything that can help alleviate the boredom.
One thing I will have to get sorted though before embarking on any kind of lengthy journey is the annoying squeak that emanates from the dashboard. Something is obviously working its way loose and hopefully a quick trip to the local dealer will do the trick.
Another bugbear of mine is the fact that the stereo on/off switch and volume control seem so far away and I have to stretch to reach it. Now, I'm not suggesting drivers need Mr Tickle arms to enjoy the full benefits of the stereo system but I'm of average height and it's a little frustrating.
One thing you'll notice upon entering the Verso for the first time is the amount of storage spaces it has - great for the fleet driver who spends a vast amount of time in the car and wants easy access to pens and the like.
There was an observation in a recent road test of the Verso that the diesel engine was noisy, even at speeds of 70mph. I have to disagree. On cold starts it's noisy but at motorway cruising speeds it's fine.
It's certainly not a stunning vehicle but I think it's quite good looking. And, as has been noted in previous reports, it's certainly a well-built vehicle.
Standard features include driver and passenger front and side airbags, ABS with electronic brake distribution, trip computer, power steering, electric front windows, electric mirrors, CD player and removable rear seats, which also recline. Our vehicle is also fitted with Toyota's Electronic Traffic Avoidance (ETA) system.
Figures suggest that I have only achieved a fuel test consumption of 37.6 mpg during my term with the Verso and I don't know why the figure is so low when colleagues have achieved much better results.
A recent hour spent crawling in a traffic jam may provide the answer but I'll keep my eye on it.
With a CO2 figure of 164g/km, the Verso falls into the 18% tax band under the new CO2-based company car tax regime, including the 3% diesel penalty, equivalent to a tax bill of £613 for the basic T3 Verso.
In my opinion, it's not a bad fleet choice at all.
