THE Corolla, which 10 years ago was the world's bestselling car, has been given a golden handshake, so to speak. The time has come for a name change to keep the younger set sweet so Toyota's new family hatchback is ushered in as the Auris.

The name is taken from the word "aurum", meaning gold, and Toyota will be well pleased if it achieves anything near the 32 million sales the Corolla notched up in the past 40 years in three-, four- and five-door and estate versions. But the Japanese car is playing it safe. The most revolutionary aspect of the Auris is the name change - the styling is an evolution of the Corolla hatchback.

And to be sure that the old brigade is not offended the Corolla name will live on in Ireland and certain other markets in a dramatically changed but familiar four-door saloon design. In fact, this is the more dramatic of the two new designs from Toyota - the new Corolla is the best looker since the Corolla Plus finished production 10 years ago.

The Auris will be a gold-medal winner because the new design and the name change will attract the young buyer, who will be delighted with the build while released from the burden of telling friends they have a Corolla in the driveway. And those in their 40s and rural buyers will be pleased with the best-looking Corolla ever, which now has a sleek Camry look and buckets of cabin and boot space.

The Auris, even allowing for the tame outside lines, is stylish in a conservative way with the nose of a Yaris and a neat rear-end. The look is fashionable and it will not stick out in the crowd. The interior has been styled to make the best possible use of space for occupants. Rear-seat passengers should have no complaints with the amount of knee room and headroom is also generous. It has a five-star Euro NCAP occupant rating.

Two glove-compartments are good for storage but the 'bridge' console from the dash to the floor makes little sense - it takes up space and makes it difficult to use the tray underneath, pushing other storage areas between the seats too far back. The onboard computer button is awkwardly placed on the instrument panel behind the steering wheel.

The boot capacity is 354-777 litres - depending on the up or down formation of the rear seats.

The driving position is comfortable and the seat and steering wheel adjust well for reach and height. The instrument panel has clear dials with totally new configuration illuminated by a bright yellow background light.

The green shift-indicator light on the manual model is helpful - it uses engine computers to indicate when to change gears up or down to save fuel. The CD player is also MP3-compatible.

The Luna grade has air conditioning as standard, leather steering wheel, remote audio controls, all-round electric windows, 16-inch alloy wheels with wider tyres and front fog lights. A touchscreen navigation system is standard on the higher grade Sol model.

The Auris has good handling qualities and the engine is lively with 97bhp on tap. The gear change is smooth and the lever is mounted in the best possible place - only inches from the steering wheel. The suspension gives good cornering and all model grades have nine airbags, including a knee airbag.

There are four trim levels available - Terra, Strata, Luna and Sol - with a 1.6-litre 124bhp petrol engine in the line-up with the option of a clutchless multimode transmission. There are also two turbo-diesel engines - a 1.4-litre 90bhp and a 2-litre 126bhp - but almost all the models sold will have the 1.4-litre options as pricing is very sensitive at this level in the family car market.

Prices start at Euro19,900 for the three-door Terra model or Euro20,540 for the five-door. In the Luna range there is no three-door on offer and prices start at Euro22,777 for the petrol model and Euro25,440 for the 1.4-litre D-4D. The new Corolla four-door comes with a choice of the same petrol or diesel 1.4-litre engines. Prices here start at Euro20,700.

VITAL STATISTICS Toyota Auris Luna 5-dr 1.4L petrol 97 bhp 4,220 mm 1,760 mm 1,515 mm 2,600 mm 0-100k - 13 secs 170k/h 5-speed manual 6.9L/k (40.9 mph) Euro22,770 161g/k (combined)