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Toyota Corolla ? an Everyman?s Lexus, or Not ?
Date of Review: Jun 1, 2005
The Bottom Line: Theres a reason it sells so well in the market. Looking for cheap, well engineered, economy and reliability - thats the Corolla.
The Top Line
During a recent business trip I had the chance to drive a Toyota Corolla (LE) around for a couple of days. With the impending arrival of an additional car to satisfy our brood of teenagers I've been looking around for a cheap, reliable and safe car for them to drive. So I booked myself a nice economy car from Hertz and drove through, all around, over and under Atlanta for a couple of days.
Editorial Note: unlike many of the auto reviews here in Epinions which are all speeds and feeds and based upon a 45 minute test drive, what you get from me are my feelings and impressions based upon a minimum of 48 hours. If you want a ton of facts and figures and automobile jargon – read elsewhere.
The Market
The Toyota Corolla was first introduced in 1968 and has morphed through many changes and alterations. The 2005 is a ninth generation model which has practically all the rough edges and irritants engineered out of it. Unfortunately it also has a few engineering gotchas recently introduced into it – more on them later. Typical competitors would be the Honda Civic, Hyundai Electra, Mazda MAZDA3 and Nissan Sentra.
The Engine
The heart of the Corolla is a four cylinder 1.8L, 130hp dual overhead cam aided by a marketing marvel called VVT (variable valve timing). The base models such as the CE, LE and S all offer this engine in 4-speed automatic or 5-speed automatic transmission. The sporty XRS gives you an extra 40hp from the same engine with a 6-speed manual transmission. As for the LE It's actually quite peppy as long as you don't put your foot down all the way. Leaving the airport I had to accelerate very quickly to avoid some suicidal father in a minivan and the Corolla responded handily. I discovered later on, when steaming around the I-285 ring road, that if you try to accelerate by violently slamming down the gas pedal – nothing happens , count to two , the gearshift kicks down , the revs climb dramatically and noisily and finally your speed increases. Not exactly what I was expecting.
Otherwise the engine met my expectations, it responds well at lower speeds and driving around town, but gets a bit noisy above 65mph. I did notice that driving back to the airport with two passengers and their baggage (say another 500 pounds) the Corolla was definitely more sluggish.
Handling
Handling was light and responsive – surprisingly so – and the car handled minor changes in direction like a trooper. Taking sharp turns and corners is a different matter, the Corolla wallowed around them like a drunken trooper, and on several occasions I was wondering if I'd actually enter a small skid. (I did try these turns on empty roads behind a mall so as to avoid being a safety hazard).
The Interior
Basic and functional are the two words which come to mind. You don't need a Harvard MBA to figure out how to use the radio or set the clock. The controls show that this car has been around for a while, as they are all ergonomically placed and seem a little stronger and of higher quality and rigidity than comparable cars.
My biggest complaint was the drivers seat, in fact the entire drivers positioning system. The drivers seat provides no side support whatsoever, and seems to skimp on underpinning the thighs – causing major hamstring pains in this poor driver/reviewer. I also just couldn't get completely comfortable behind the wheel – and I'm no six-foot monster with long legs.
Although most reviewers find more than enough room in the back seat, one my passengers complained mightily all the way to the airport about the cramped ride and how he had to sit sideways to fit his legs in. That said, the trunk, at over 13 ? cu ft , offered more than ample space for all our luggage and three computer laptop cases.
Safety
The Corolla comes with multistage front airbags that deploy at various levels, depending on impact. Full-length side curtain airbags and front side-impact airbags are optional, as are antilock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (standard on the XRS). Stability control is optional on models equipped with an automatic transmission and ABS. In the NHTSA's crash tests, the Corolla earned five stars (the best score possible) for frontal impact protection and four stars for side-impact protection. In 40-mph frontal offset crash testing by the IIHS, it received a "Good" rating (the highest possible) and was named a "Best Pick" among small cars. Edmunds.com
Fortunately I had no real occasion to extensively test the safety features except for the brakes – which were sharp and at least in my rental suffered from no fade or pull.
NHTSA Crash Test Results
Head-on accident Driver EXCELLENT
Head-on accident Passenger EXCELLENT
Side Impact Front GOOD
Side impact Rear GOOD
Rollover Rating GOOD
Offset Crash Tests GOOD (IIHS Tests)
Reliability
This is what really drives people to the Corolla. I know people who have way over 120,000 miles on one of these machines, and several approaching 150,000. Couple that excellent engineering with excellent fuel economy (30/38 mpg city/highway) and an affordable price and its not hard to see why this car sells year after year after year. Our local garage mechanic gives the Corolla a thumbs-up as a great car to buy even with 60k miles on it as long as its been looked after (only driven by Grandma to church and the grocery store .. you've heard the story from the car dealer before ..) .
A Few Specifications
Fuel Data
Fuel Tank Capacity: 13.2 gal.
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Automatic: : 30 mpg / 38 mpg
Range in Miles: (City/Highway)
Automatic: 396 mi. / 501.6 mi.
The Butt List
If I were the engineer in charge of designing the 2006 Corolla I'd fix:
1. The endless warning beeps if you drive the car with no seatbelt.
2. Add a remote trunk release
3. Add side support and thigh support to the drivers seat
4. Fire the guy who designed the coin holder
5. Reduce wind and road noise
The Bottom Line
The Toyota Corolla made the list as a potential teen car – especially as I'd probably never have to drive it. Its relatively cheap , well engineered, safe, reliable and economic with fuel. Sounds perfect.
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