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22/11/2008 05:07. Toyota has been selling diesel commercial vehicles here for years, but has only recently introduced diesel power to its passenger-car range. David Thomson marks this landmark by trying the new Corolla 2.0 D-4D for size.

After years of driving successive iterations of the Corolla, all of them petrol-powered, spending several days behind the wheel of a diesel version was a fascinating but sometimes strange experience: fascinating because Toyota's recent decision to add diesel options to its Kiwi

passenger-car range sets a precedent that other Japanese companies are sure to follow; strange because Toyota resisted pressure to bring diesel passenger cars here for so long that the reality of such a vehicle takes a little getting used to.

This might explain why, at odd moments behind the... // Drivesouth