2006 Toyota Corolla CE

I took my 1999 Cadillac Seville STS in to the dealer for scheduled maintenance yesterday afternoon. As a courtesy, the dealer gave me a loaner car so I could get to work. Usually, they give me a Cadillac, but they were fresh out of Cadillacs. The dealer has a Toyota/Scion franchise next door, so they gave me a 2006 Toyota Corolla CE to use that afternoon.

The Corolla CE is the base model and retails for $14,205.00. The Corolla S and LE are the upscale trims. This particular example was finished in a nice dark metallic color called Phantom Gray Pearl. It had a light gray cloth interior. It is shod with P185/16R15 all-season blackwall tires on 15-inch steel wheels, with very cheap-looking plastic wheel covers. Looks like every manufacturer tries to make their plastic wheel covers as cheesy as possible to force buyers to upgrade to alloys.

The car has conservative styling with a front end that reminds me of the 2006 and earlier Camry with a back end that looks almost like the Volkswagen Jetta's. I think Toyota came out with this design first and I like to bust on snooty Jetta owners about their VW Corollas!

The front-wheel drive Corolla is powered by a transverse 1.8 liter four-cylinder dual overhead cam 16-valve engine with variable valve timing. It delivers 126 hp @ 6000 rpms and 122 ft-lbs torque @ 4200 rpm. It is mated to a four-speed automatic transaxle with electronic overdrive that can be engaged or disengage via a button on the shifter. Toyota claims 30 MPG City and 38 MPG Highway. The Corolla has a small 13-gallon tank and is happy on Regular fuel.
The suspension consists of independent MacPherson struts up front with and a torsion beam in the rear with front and rear stabilizer bars. Stability Control is available on the uplevel S and LE trims, but is not available on the CE.

It was odd for me driving such a small car so it took me a little time to get oriented. The outside mirrors are power adjusted via a switch on the left hand side of the dash board. The lights and turn signal are controlled by a stalk on the left side of the column and the windshield wipers, with variable control, on the right. The driver faces a pleasant, if sparse, instrument panel dominated by a large central speedometer that goes to 110 MPH/180 kph, a slightly smaller semicircular tachometer is on the left, and stacked temperature and fuel gages to the right. A tiny quartz display at the bottom shows the odometer, outside temperature, and trip odometers. The Corolla CE has a tilt wheel, but not much of an up and down range. To release the key from the ignition switch, one has to push the key in then turn it. I wonder what was the reason for this design? At first, I thought the key was stuck.

The Corolla seems to have a decent, if somewhat austere, interior compared to other small cars I've driven. The fit and finish is generally good with a few shortcomings and a splash of imitation wood on the instrument panels and doors. The console consists of the shifter, hand brake, two storage "drawers" with imitation wood finish and a storage panel under the hand rest along with two molded cup holders. What was odd was the car had a cigarette lighter, but no ashtray. Another strange touch was the passenger's vanity mirror had no cover, but the driver's side did. A very un-Toyota like touch was the sloppy finish of the visors. They were thin, spongy, and the edges had very visible "flash" around the edges. I'm surprised this passed the QC people.

The standard AM/FM CD radio with four speakers and a quartz crystal display delivered decent sound and had separate seek and scan buttons. Cool! This is something I like about my Seville and a nice touch for Toyota. My girlfriend's LaCrosse only has a seek button, but will go into scan mode if you hold it down and listen for the "beep." The only gripe is that the display was rather tiny and hard to read. It has six preset buttons allowing for at least 18 different settings for FM1, FM2, and AM bands. It has a nice satin black finish that looks upscale in an economy sedan - a nice touch!

The HVAC controls are three large round dials supplemented by large buttons for A/C, Recirculate, and Fresh Air vent. A little note near the controls reads "Recirculate gives maximum A/C." Cool! I didn't know that! The A/C is nice and cold and more than adequate to cool the car on hot days. I didn't get a chance to try the heater, but I imagine it performs just as well.

I'm 6' tall @ 194 lbs. The front seats were comfortable, but I felt the lower cushion was a little low. The back seats were kind of cramped. There was a lot of head room due to the Corolla's rather tallish design, but I found leg room tight. The trunk is rather small, but adequate for most shopping duties. This is supplemented by the fold down rear seats for added cargo capacity. Of course there was that super-stupid donut spare! Even Toyota isn't immune to this cost-cutting curse!

The car drove rather quietly and smoothly until I'd put the hammer down and then there would be a bit of hesitation and a loud high-revving buzz from the engine. When driven gently, the power seemed adequate. The Corolla CE has front disc/rear drum brakes, but antilock brakes are not standard as the car stopped quickly and rather abruptly and going slightly to the right. It's strange that ABS wouldn't be standard across the board these days.

All in all, the Corolla is a pretty decent small car for the daily commuter and non-enthusiast, but I don't know if I could drive it all the time as I'm used to Cadillacs, Buicks, and other larger cars. It's definitely worth a look for those seeking good reliable basic transportation.