Toyota has done a fine job of squeezing maximum passenger space out of a small overall package. Generous room
is provided for the driver and front-seat passenger, both of whom sit on comfortable seats. The rear seat, as is
common to cars in this class, is rather less commodious. With two occupants it is a reasonable habitat--lacking
in both leg- and headroom for taller passengers--but three riders had best be good friends. Cupholders, storage
boxes and a center-console with a lidded bin are provided for convenience.
The interior design matches the exterior insofar as it's attractive and well-finished but little different
than that of most cars in the class. Instruments are housed in a curved dashboard; a tachometer is added in an
optional Touring Package. Controls are laid out for easy use.
Materials and workmanship are above average, though a few of our passengers found the cloth seat material,
which looks attractive and should be durable, rather scratchy on bare skin.
Our LE model carried just about every conceivable option, which gave us use of a good four-speaker sound system, air conditioning, power windows, mirrors and door locks and a glass sunroof. Opinions were divided on the white instrument faces that are part of the Touring Package.
In back, luggage can be stowed in a very usable trunk, accessed via a large lid that opens right down to bumper level.
Among the many changes made to the latest Corolla, the new engine, revised suspension and use of higher-quality
sound insulation materials will be most evident to driver and passengers, who will come away with mixed impressions.
Toyota touts the new 16-valve four-cylinder powerplant as being lighter, more powerful and more economical
than its predecessor. Right on all counts. The all-aluminum engine does give the Corolla sprightly performance,
even when teamed with a four-speed automatic transmission as was the case with our test car. Yet it sipped fuel
at a commendably miserly 30 mpg average during our test.
But it is a noisy little beast, buzzing away loudly when accelerating. It is somewhat more muted at cruising
speeds, though a resonance at 3000 rpm--possibly a quirk with our test car--was intrusive. The gearbox, on the
other hand, shifts smoothly and responds quickly when called upon to downshift for hill climbing or passing
maneuvers.
Judged by class standards, the Corolla handles well, especially when equipped with the slightly upgraded
suspension included in the Touring Package. Light but precise power-assisted steering helps as well. Ride quality,
given the short wheelbase, is very good. Nothing short of potholes will disturb the Corolla's occupants. The
rocking-horse motions sometimes caused by freeway expansion strips were too muted to notice on the Corolla. The
brakes stop the car quickly even after repeated hard use; they are, naturally, at their best when equipped with
optional ABS.
The economy-grade tires were less than ideal, however. They make a noisy nuisance of themselves when asked to
carry the car around corners at anything beyond a casual pace, they transmit tread noise into the cabin on the
highway, and they lack grip under hard braking. Without first-hand knowledge, we'd expect the smaller tires on
lesser Corollas will be even less satisfactory.
One final irritant will affect some drivers. My wide feet found the brake pedal on our Corolla equipped with the automatic transmission too close to the accelerator. On numerous occasions, I inadvertently applied the brakes while accelerating, and caught my foot under the brake pedal when attempting to slow down. Anyone who wears a size 12 or larger shoe will need to pay special attention to pedal usage. This is not a problem with Corollas equipped with manual gearboxes as a different brake pedal is used.