2013-15 Toyota Corolla Review

One of Toyota's best selling cars is finally cool

The Corolla has long been seen by many as a boring car. Toyota wanted to do something about that.

The Toyota Corolla has been sold internationally almost from the very beginning of Toyota, and now the North American model is in its 11th generation. It was redesigned and started to sell here in 2013. The Corolla has always followed in the steps of its bigger brother, the Camry. Since the Camry was revised recently, the Corolla was sure to follow. This is Toyota's compact car that for many years  people would say that one of the only reasons why they owned one was that "they needed a car". Previous generation Corollas have been pretty boring, so Toyota decided to finally change how people would  view the new Corolla, and they did not disappoint.

Take a look:

Different Styles:

The Toyota Corolla only is available as a sedan. It has two 1.8L 4 cylinder engines available; the only difference between them is about 8 HP. While the regular one produces 132HP, the "Eco" one produces 140HP. There are 3 different transmissions available. A 4 speed automatic is available only on the lowest base trim while all the rest have either a 6 speed manual or a CVT.

Styling and Comfort Impressions:

This new Corolla does look quite a bit better on the outside than the old model. The front looks more aggressive with its pointed down nose and wide mouth, while the back looks a little less "fat". I don't know why, but the back reminds me of a carry on suitcase, albeit a nice one. The proportions look right on this new Corolla as well with classy rim designs. While the windows in the Corolla and its main competitor the Honda Civic have always been relatively large, they seem to have shrunk a good amount in this new generation. 

Going inside I am once again very impressed. The entire top of the dash looks like a piece of leather stitched on. It isn't, as its just a soft touch plastic, but it looks really nice and upscale. The radio and shifter are surrounded by very shiny or matte black plastic with chrome accents that look very good. The radio and air options are either a simple set up with 3 large knobs controlling air and the radio having its normal setup. Or upgrade to the large touch screen multimedia unit and you also get automated climate controls that also look very nicely put together. Once again, somewhat reminding me of the new Civic's front set up. The only complaint I have with the front dash is that it is like the side of a cliff. It's very flat and also not angled toward the driver at all. This is obviously done to give the impression of it being larger and more luxurious, but for a tall driver that does not like to look away from the road while driving, this makes it more difficult to use. However, it still looks very good. It also comes in a variety or different colours depending on the trim level you choose.

Lets take a look:

The interior is great not only for the colour choices but also for how its all put together as well. The sound system is great. Visibility is OK -not the greatest due to smallish windows and a high rear trunk- but definitely better than the Toyota Yaris (which will be reviewed soon) and on-par with cars in its class. The seats are comfortable and supportive. The head room and legroom upfront is OK, at the furthest back it would go, but the weird thing is that the back seats have tonnes of leg room. They very easily could have added another click or two for the front seats to go back and the rear seat passengers would still have plenty of leg room; headroom is tight for taller passengers.

Take a look:

Those pictures are with the front seats basically all the way back. I like the combo of dark green and clay brown, very earth-like, that is for the "Eco" trim level. Finally the trunk. It's large, but not huge. Also, the trunk pass-through to the back seat is smaller than others in its class due to the rounded corners.

Driving Impressions:

Traditionally, Corollas have been the type of car that people just use to get from point A to B. They are reliable and worry free. But at the same time they don't provide a lot of excitement. Does this new Corolla back up its new styling with a fun to drive experience? No, not really, but it's not all bad. First off, the engine is very quiet in almost all situations. Starting up, going around the city and on the highway, the engine is barely noticeable. Only under hard acceleration is the engine really heard but it's not too loud or rough. This brings me to the next plus point for the Corolla: it is very smooth. This isn't exactly a small car anymore and it is noticed in the ride. It soaks up bumps well and does not vibrate or rattle going over abrupt surface changes. For every trim level besides the "S" trim the ride could also be called soft as it does roll a bit in corners and doesn't seem to feel very solid changing direction. So the engine is quiet most of the time; this does not mean it has an abundance of power, but it does have enough for most of the Corollas. I did not feel like it was under-powered at any moment, even on the highway, but obviously if it had a bit extra that would be nice as well. I would like to see a different engine or at least a differently tuned engine for the "S" trim but there is not. You can, however, get a slightly more sporty performance out of the Corolla by putting the shifter into the "S" spot. This essentially stands for sport and on the trims with the CVT they have this spot that just holds "gear ratios" longer for better acceleration and they also have a "B" slot for engine braking. This "S" selection on the shifter actually does change the performance considerably for the better. Visibility while driving is OK but like I stated earlier, the trunk is decently high and the windows are somewhat small with wide rear pillars. 

Overall:

I must say good job to Toyota for making the new Corolla a great looking car that can be somewhat fun to drive. It now means that people can defend why they have purchased a Corolla "because it looks nice" or "because it's comfortable" or "because it drives well" or many other answers. They still, however, can't respond with "because it's super fun to drive". Maybe one day... The new Corolla is definitely a car that can please many different types of people. It can comfortably seat 4 -5 if the last person is small. It looks good, has a good sound system and of course is very reliable. If it's a second family car or someone's only car, it should be good for anyone. I would buy one, as a second or 3rd family vehicle.

Facts/ Figures:

Price ( for mid trim level): $24,000+

FWD

Max HP: 132.  Eco: 140

Max Torque lb/ft: 128.  Eco: 126

MPG (approx*): 28 city, 37 highway. "Eco": 29 / 41

Cargo room (approx*): 14 CuFt

Length: 183'' 

Width: 70''

Tank Size (gal): 13.2

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 422 "Eco": 462

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $12,000+ 

* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic. 

Links:
Toyota Canada

Toyota USA

Enjoy!

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J.K.