Why You Should Think Thrice About Buying A Corolla
1. It's not that nice inside. Used to be that the Toyota Corolla was the slam-dunk in this segment if you wanted a reasonably upscale yet economical ride. The economical part is still there, though the new Corolla tops out at 27 mpg city/35 highway (with the automatic), while the previous generation was rated at a marginally better 28 mpg city/37 highway (with the manual). But the upscale part? Not so much. The Corolla's interior is rife with hard plastic, and none of the switchgear feels particularly substantial. It's not bad, but it's certainly no better than, say, the cheaper Hyundai Elantra's cabin.
2. It's not that nice to drive. I know driving enjoyment isn't a priority for many shoppers, but the Corolla's flaccid character still seems a bit much. The steering is completely devoid of feel and feedback, and the body roll is Buick-like. Also, the 1.8-liter engine drones unpleasantly at higher rpm, which is odd -- I remember finding the previous Corolla's 1.8-liter engine note smooth and refined.
1. It's up against some pretty impressive competition. There's the abovementioned Elantra, which is basically a more endearing and content-rich Corolla for less cash. There's the redesigned 2010 Mazda 3, which has both a nicer interior and a much more engaging driving demeanor. The Honda Civic remains a strong if quirkily-cabined entry, and the Mitsubishi Lancer feels both sportier and more substantial. Moreover, Ford's waiting around the corner with the redesigned Euro-spec Focus.
Many Corolla buyers probably didn't bother test-driving anything else. If they had shopped around, I wonder how many of them still would have bought the Toyota. I suspect our 2008 Economy Sedan Consumer Comparison Test contains a few clues.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com
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- Josh Sadlier February 20, 2009, 3:00 AM
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- Car Buying, Life with Cars
I thought the previous Corolla was pretty mediocre inside as well. And the manual shifter in it was awful. Also it had pathetically little front leg room. This one I only tested because of the legend of Toyota quality. I tested almost every small car and the Corolla was dead last on my list.
Just looking at the new interior in pictures, (admittedly I haven't sat in the current gen model yet) screams "cheap" to me in comparison to the previous gen interior which actually looked high quality and appealing.
@ Josh: I couldn't agree with you more, Josh, but as long as Toyota have that reputation of reliability/longevity, this Corolla will sell well just like the previous one did!
@ ahightower: I respectfully disagree. I've driven a friend's '06 Corolla several times (with the automatic) and I think it's a pretty high quiality car, despite the plastic on the dash. It's dashboard quality feels a bit better than that of my Protege, and the front leg-room is also WAY better. In my Protege, I feel like I'm in a compact (not that I care) but the Corolla feels pretty much like a midsized car.
Most auto press reviews seem to agree that the current Corrolla is a step or two backwards compared to the previous one.
I have a rental Corolla outside right now. Two comments from my 6 year old upon picking it up:
* Dad, why is it so grey inside?
(For the record, our usual car is a Forester, with a two-tone black & grey interior)
* Dad, why do you keep playing with that lever?
(Because I couldn't get the seat height/ angle distance right.
And while I'm sure a rental BMW with 28k miles on it would have the same problem, the flimsy plastic storage box under the a/c controls flipped open with every hard acceleration...
+1 for the switchgear comments in the original post.
My recommendations:
If you need/want all-wheel drive: Subaru Impreza 2.5i
If you don't need/want AWD: Mazda MAZDA3
Right on guys. I remember doing a bit of car shopping when I helped my friend compare the Civic, Corolla, Jetta, and Mazda3. The lack of key standard features on the corolla is stunning.
After trying various combinations on Toyota's "build your own" feature to find the cheapest Corolla with power windows, locks, and cruise control I wound up with an MSRP of $18,115.
Good stuff.