My Ram had to have the door repaired and repainted and was given the Corolla for a rental. Had it 1 week. It was an LE model with the 1.8 liter and CVT w/ sport mode. Had 18,000 miles on it. I'm not a professional auto reviewer, but I figured I'd give you my impression.
Interior design / fit and finish - The interior layout I found most impressive compared to small cars and even some mid size. The dash layout was flat (almost old school feeling) unlike most cars today that go for the "cockpit" design that flows outward which to me takes up precious space and makes things seem cramped around the front occupants. The design made it feel much more roomy than the Chevy Cruze we had last year. The use of soft touch materials made it feel much more upscale than it is. The simple controls were easy to find. The stereo was very nice, though it seemed like it was throwing to much base and power out, which I would guess is what the younger buyer wants. Concerned more about volume than sound clarity.
Ride comfort - Much softer than I would've imagined. Soaked up the bumps very well, but seemed a bit jittery over the washboard imperfections on the road. The seats looked a bit thin but didn't leave me uncomfortable during the 45 minute commute all last week. I'm a fairly big guy 6 feet 230 pounds. Front leg room was generous for a car this size, as was hip and shoulder room. Head room left something to be desired, I had to crank the seat recline a bit farther back to sit comfortably.
Powertrain - This is not a sports car by any means. But the engine did not every leave me needing more power around town and cruising on the highway. It revved nicely though maybe abit loudly. It's downfall was passing on the highway in drive mode. It needed to be pushed a bit more than it should to pass at higher speeds. When in "sport" mode, there wasn't any concerns when needing to pass. My guess is that sport mode keeping it in a higher RPM to start with made all the difference.
MPG - After a week of mostly highway driving between 55-75 I hand calculated the MPG at 36.7mpg. That was with me testing it out and driving it a bit harder than I needed. I have no doubt that it would be over 40 if driven all highway normally. Without beating on it as I did.
Overall I actually enjoyed the car. I would have no problem driving one as a daily driver. Styling is subjective but I think it is very clean and subdued. Being that you can get one nicely equipped for under $18k makes it a great buy.
Interior design / fit and finish - The interior layout I found most impressive compared to small cars and even some mid size. The dash layout was flat (almost old school feeling) unlike most cars today that go for the "cockpit" design that flows outward which to me takes up precious space and makes things seem cramped around the front occupants. The design made it feel much more roomy than the Chevy Cruze we had last year. The use of soft touch materials made it feel much more upscale than it is. The simple controls were easy to find. The stereo was very nice, though it seemed like it was throwing to much base and power out, which I would guess is what the younger buyer wants. Concerned more about volume than sound clarity.
Ride comfort - Much softer than I would've imagined. Soaked up the bumps very well, but seemed a bit jittery over the washboard imperfections on the road. The seats looked a bit thin but didn't leave me uncomfortable during the 45 minute commute all last week. I'm a fairly big guy 6 feet 230 pounds. Front leg room was generous for a car this size, as was hip and shoulder room. Head room left something to be desired, I had to crank the seat recline a bit farther back to sit comfortably.
Powertrain - This is not a sports car by any means. But the engine did not every leave me needing more power around town and cruising on the highway. It revved nicely though maybe abit loudly. It's downfall was passing on the highway in drive mode. It needed to be pushed a bit more than it should to pass at higher speeds. When in "sport" mode, there wasn't any concerns when needing to pass. My guess is that sport mode keeping it in a higher RPM to start with made all the difference.
MPG - After a week of mostly highway driving between 55-75 I hand calculated the MPG at 36.7mpg. That was with me testing it out and driving it a bit harder than I needed. I have no doubt that it would be over 40 if driven all highway normally. Without beating on it as I did.
Overall I actually enjoyed the car. I would have no problem driving one as a daily driver. Styling is subjective but I think it is very clean and subdued. Being that you can get one nicely equipped for under $18k makes it a great buy.
