Another winner
Pros:
Economical, reliable, comfortable, and easy to drive.
Cons:
A tight fit for a larger driver, or for more than 2 passengers at a time.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This is my third Toyota Corolla, so I'm obviously a loyal fan. I've had it for 3 weeks now, and so far I'm very pleased with it: it's easy to drive, gets good gas mileage (even in city driving in winter), and is generally very comfortable. Compared to my previous Corolla (an '85) this one has a zippier engine, and the handling seems to be better: my old one tended to feel unsteady on tight turns, and this one seems more agile in confined spaces. It's a more comfortable car too: the ride is smoother (even on bumpy dirt roads, of which there are many in my part of the world), and the seats can be adjusted so that you're sitting upright with your head supported, which I find is a better position for me on long drives.
Some specific likes:
1. The controls are generally intuitive and easy to use (I haven't tried the cruise control, though), although some of the labels could be improved -- e.g., the wiper controls say "Pull" to spritz the windshield. I tried pulling the knob lengthwise and got no results, until I figured out that I was supposed to pull it TOWARDS me (duh!).
2. The trunk is very large for a car this small, and the threshold is low enough for easy access.
3. I'd never owned a car with automatic door locks, and was concerned that I'd have trouble with them, but I figured them out in about 2 minutes.
4. At long last, someone is putting mirrors on BOTH sun visors!
And a few things I dislike:
1. The seats aren't designed for ample bottoms: the buckle of the seat belt on the driver's side digs into my right thigh when I sit down. I'm not a particularly large person, so this could be a real problem for someone of more generous proportions.
2. The upholstery in the VE is really tacky; the CE is better, but it's a short plush and I'm not sure how well it'll wear. (My old Corolla had fabric more like velveteen.)
3. I don't like having to push the button to see the trip odometer, although the dual-trip odometer is handy. (On my old car, the regular odometer and the trip odometer were visible at the same time.) But I don't like the digital odometers in general because you have to turn the ignition on to see the mileage -- rather a pain sometimes.
4. The interior seems smaller than my old car's, especially the back seat. Not a problem most of the time, when it's just me and (perhaps) one other passenger, but I wouldn't recommend the car to anyone with 3 small children!
5. I wish I could slide the front seat back even farther -- I like to keep my right leg almost straight when my foot is on the gas pedal, and it's not quite straight now.
6. The rear window is rather small by comparison with the one in my '85, and the rear seat headrests cut into the view even more.