2008 Corolla - Have the petals wilted?

I thought I'd take a 9th generation Corolla out for one last spin before its complete redesign: an all-new model is due to hit the streets this month. With the Corolla's successor just on the horizon and with most of its competition, i.e. the Honda Civic and Ford Focus having been recently redesigned, can the aging design of the 2008 Corolla still hold its own against its fresh competitors?

Performance “S” 5-speed

The 2008 Corolla is available in 3 trim levels this year: CE, S, and LE (the performance oriented XRS trim level has been dropped for '08). I drove the S model. Although the letter "S” meaning “Sport” usually signifies some sort of performance advantage over its lesser trim levels, i.e. added engine power or better handling, in the Corolla's case it's simply an aesthetic term. The S trim level gets outfitted with ground effects, fog lights, and a more stylish interior: everything, performance wise, is the same as the ho-hum CE and LE trims. While the Corolla S may not boast any more power than the base model, it's still a zippy little 4-door sedan that offers more than enough power for consumers with economy in mind.

Acceleration 8/10

The 2008 Corolla comes with a DOHC VVT 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine making 126 horsepower (14 less than the comparably priced Civic DX and Mazda3i) and 122 lb.-ft of torque. While the Corolla's engine specs may sound like peanuts when compared to some of its competitors, the Corolla doesn't have much weight to move: approximately 2,600lbs. That said, the Corolla isn't nearly as anemic as its engine specs suggest. The Corolla isn't a fast car by any stretch of the imagination, however it's also no slow poke: the Corolla’s tiny engine poses no problems accelerating from stoplight to stoplight and it does a great job getting this 4-door sedan up to highway speeds. It should be noted again that this review is regarding the Corolla with the 5-speed manual transmission; the 4-speed automatic steals a significant amount of oomph from this car, as I have noted in past reviews of the 9th Gen. Corolla.

Engine Quality: 8/10

While the Corolla's small engine is still a competitive power plant, it isn’t without its pitfalls. One pitfall, for example, is its somewhat harsh note under full throttle take-off. I would have liked to have seen Toyota make more effort to reduce engine noise . Though far from being the most refined engine in this class, I still found the Corolla's engine to be quieter and much smoother than the updated 2.0 4-cylinder in the Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Spectra. However, most of the Corolla’s competitors, i.e. the 2008 Honda Civic, Mazda3i, and the Ford Focus are far less audible when their engines are pushed to their limits, not to mention they simply sound better. Engine noise aside, like most Japanese engines, the Corolla's 1.8-liter loves to rev and is more than willing to rev up to redline without feeling too strained as some cars do in this class, i.e. the Kia Spectra, Dodge Caliber, and the Hyundai Elantra.

Transmission: 9/10

The Corolla's 5-speed manual transmission (a 4-speed automatic is optional for $800) is perfectly suited for the small engine that it's coupled to: providing both good performance and fuel economy. The Corolla's 5-speed manual is also very refined: gear engagement is smooth and the clutch is light and forgiving, making this an excellent gearbox for beginners to learn on. If I have any gripes with the Corolla's gearbox it would be the shifter's relatively long throws; a short throw shifter would have been a nice touch, especially for the sporty looking "S" trim level.

Handling & Braking: 6/10

The Corolla's biggest performance underpinning is its inability to tackle twisty roads with the finesse of its competitors. Though very few cars in this class are particularly fun to drive on twisty roads, the Corolla ranks at the bottom of the pork barrel when it comes to fun-to-drive economical compacts. The '08 Corolla handles much like a downsized base model Camry. Is this a good thing? Well, if you like slowing down for every turn, the Corolla’s tipsy handling shouldn't be too much of an issue. However, driving enthusiasts most likely will not appreciate the Corolla’s profuse lean in turns and its ultra dumb steering. The Honda Civic, the Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Focus, and the Mazda3 are all better choices if handling is on the top of your priorities list.

While the Corolla's brakes are entirely adequate with just 1 passenger in the car, they tended to show significant signs of fade when the weight of a few additional passengers was added. ABS (a $300 option) may have helped matters, but I seriously doubt that such an option would be enough to make this car stop with the prowess of cars like the new Civic, Focus, or the Mazda3.

On the highway 9/10

The Corolla S cruises effortlessly. Despite having a relatively small 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine, the Corolla exhibits very little engine noise at high speeds and, overall, offers a quiet ride: save for some slight wind noise above 70 MPH. At 70 MPH the Corolla cruises just under 3,000 RPM, so the high revving sound that you may experience with the Corolla’s engine through town diminishes to near silence on the expressway. On rough roads, the Corolla offers a remarkably smooth ride, especially for an economy car. The Corolla's suspension is obviously geared for those who want to get from point A-B without a jarring ride: unfortunately poor handling is the trade-off.

Fuel Economy: 10/10

Fuel economy is (or at least should be) one of the most important factors when choosing an economy car: more so today (with soaring gas prices) than ever. Unfortunately many economy cars on the road can still barely break 30 MPG on the highway: the VW Rabbit, VW Jetta, and the Lancer are to name a few. According to the new strict EPA estimates, the Corolla receives a respectable 28-MPG in the city and 37 MPG on the highway, making it one of the most fuel efficient non-hybrid compacts on the road. With a fuel tank of just over 13 gallons, fill-ups should far and few between.

Interior:

Styling: 5/10

Depending on the trim level, the Corolla’s interior ranges from mildly sporty to downright cheesy. Unlike the interior of the LE, which is filled to the brim with tacky fake wood and the CE, which is about as bland as popcorn without butter, the Corolla S offers a slightly more interesting cabin. The S trim boasts white faced sport gauges and a charcoal gray interior that does a much better job hiding some of the Corolla's cheaper grade materials than the lighter color schemes found in the LE and CE. My biggest gripe with the Corolla's interior is the flat dash fascia. Unlike the Civic and many other cars in this class that have a center stack that curves out slightly toward the driver, allowing for easy reach of the controls, the flatness of the Corolla's dash makes it almost impossible to reach the controls without leaning foreword.

Quality: 7/10

When the 9th generation Corolla came out in 2002 as a 2003 model, its interior quality ranked among the best in its class. Fast-forward 6 years and the Corolla's updated competitors, most notably the Honda Civic and VW Jetta, now rule the interior quality segment. While most of the materials used in the Corolla still feel solid and well put together, quality control could be better. The switchgear, for one, feels lower grade than the controls in the Honda Civic and the new Nissan Sentra. There is also quite of bit of cheap thin plastics used for the center stack. The seats, on a positive note, are dressed up in a quality valeur type material and are about as comfy as seats get in this class.

Seats: 8/10

Though the Corolla's seats are hardly geared for aggressive driving, they do offer adequate support for normal driving conditions and unlike the Civic Sedan, the seats are actually soft. There are also plenty of driver-seat adjustments (6 total) to help find that perfect seating position, however it should be noted that telescoping steering (standard on the Civic) is not available in the Corolla. So, if you need the front seat pushed all the way back, it may be difficult reaching the steering wheel.

Equipment: 6/10

When it comes to standard amenities, the S trim is the in-between trim level, having more standard amenities than the base CE but not quite as generously equipped as the top-of-the line LE. Standard for the S trim comes power locks (power windows are only optional), AC, a leather wrapped steering wheel, tilt steering, 2 12 volt power outlets, outside temperature display, 4 cup holders, a no frills single disc 6-speaker sound system, and dual front air bags. While the "S" is better equipped than the CE, it's still fairly bare bones, and with just a few options ordered, i.e. ABS, power windows, and a sunroof, the price of the S can easily rise to the cost of a new, more refined, Civic EX. The one major gripe I have with the Corolla's interior equipment is the lack of standard safety features. Instead of raising the MSRP by a few hundred bucks to make ABS and side & curtain air bags standard, Toyota makes you shell out $300 for ABS and nearly $1,500 for side/ curtain air bags (opting for curtain air bags will also get you a sunroof). Even the less expensive Civic DX and Ford Focus come standard with 6 air bags: what gives Toyota?

Room & Storage 9/10

Creature room is more than adequate in both the front and rear of the Corolla for average-tall-ish sized adults. However, those over 6’ may find the front of the cabin a tight fit. The back seat, however, offers impressive room with great head and legroom for a vehicle in this class, albeit the backseat doesn’t feel wide enough to shuttle 3 rear passengers comfortably. At 5'6" the Corolla’s interior room was plentiful for my height and frame with lots of room to spare. Stowage space ranks slightly above average. The Corolla offers a couple small cubbies throughout the cabin and the trunk of the Corolla is fairly large: it should handle most situations, i.e. a few weeks worth of groceries. If larger items need to be hauled, the Corolla does come with 60/40 split folding rear seats, which substantially increases cargo capacity.

Price/Warranty:

The Corolla S starts out at just under $15,500 (about $500 more than the base Civic DX) and can top at just over $19,000 with all options added (ouch!). If anything goes haywire with your new Toyota Corolla (not likely), Toyota offers a 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-bumper warranty and a 6-year/60,000 mile power train warranty. Though Toyota’s are generally trouble free, I still would like to see a more generous warranty offered: If my $200 DVD player can have a standard 10-year warranty, surely a $15,500 item should have the same, at least. Note: since the new 10th generation Corolla just came out, you may be able to talk down the price, so be brave and persistent.

Final Verdict:

Though not involving to drive and not exactly the most radically designed car on the road, the 2008 Corolla continues to be a great value, despite its 6 year-old design. With the base price for the S model being just slightly north of $15,500, the Corolla S represents an excellent value in this class. If you are on the market for a car that is economical in both price and fuel economy, yet don't want a car that feels like a tin-can on the road, then the 2008 Corolla is definitely worth a look.

-Thanks for reading!