Toyota Corolla Review
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The Toyota Corolla, born in 1966, is the best selling car in the world. Marking the Corolla's 40th worldwide anniversary, the 2006 Corolla offers high quality interior options, a smooth comfortable ride combined with solid handling, zippy quick acceleration and the best gas mileage for a car in its class of 40mpg.
See also the main fact sheets for the 2006 Toyota Corolla.
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High Points
- Outstanding gas mileage
- Excellent crash test scores[1][2]
- Long list of safety features
- Plenty of storage space, including a large trunk
- Excellent rack-and-pinion steering
- Smooth ride
- Illustrious record of reliability
- Good resale value
- Cupholders work well
- Simple heating and air conditioning controls
- Reasonable MSRP
- Compact size car (Makes parallel parking simpler)
- Small blind spots
- Great turning angle
- Many convenient storage compartments
- Backseat folds down to allow storage of longer surfboards/snowboards
Low Points
- Lack of front legroom can cause poor comfort for larger people
- Bland on-road personality
- Adding options can make the vehicle pretty pricey, leaving other economy sedans on the market more attractive in terms of value for the money
- Slow acceleration
- Standard CD player does not play MP3 format songs
- No IPod Jack
- The seat fabric in standard LE editions easily attract dust and dirt
Interior and Comforts
The Toyota Corolla interior doesn't feel like any other compact car. There's plenty of legroom and headroom for average-size individuals. However, those who are on the bigger/taller side might feel a little cramped. The driver's seat is substantially comfortable for long rides. The back seats offer plenty of room for two average-size individuals.
In addition to being roomy, the Corolla's interior is designed with high quality materials and finish, creating an illusion of being in a more luxurious Toyota Camry. There is an option for leather trim seats as well as wood-like veneer trim seats(looks very real). The steering wheel on the LE and S models is wrapped in leather. The XRS model's interior is sportier, with sporty bucket seats, silver instrument finish, Lexus-like gauges, and other sporty details. The layout of the dashboard and instruments is ergonomically well-designed. The FM/AM radio as well as the heating and air-conditioning knobs are easy to reach.
The Corolla offers a generous amount of storage space. There is a large glove box compartment and storage pockets on each of the front doors. In addition, there are two storage compartments in between the 2 front seats. The trunk is one of the biggest of the compact cars. The backseat and the trunk are a split of 60/40. The backseat folds down to allow access to the trunk and this is also essential when taking long surfboards or snowboards on a trip to the beach or up to the mountains.
Exterior
The Corolla is available as a 4-door sedan. To some, it may look similar to a small Camry. The Corolla's smooth but strong and sturdy design is consistent with other sedans in the Toyota/Lexus line-ups. The Corolla has a high trunk line and a relatively long wheel base compared to other compact cars. The Corolla's headlights and taillights shape matches according to the car's smooth curvature.
Styles and Options
There are 4 different trims: CE, S, LE and XRS. The S version ("S" for Sport") has additional visual attractions such as a sporty front spoiler, body-colored side rocker panels and rear skirt, fog lamps and smoked headlamp masking. The XRS has 16-inch wheels that fill out the wheel wells better than the 15-inch wheels on the CE, S and LE models. The XRS also has other distinguishing features such as a rear color-keyed spoiler, a color-keyed bezel surrounding the grille, and unique badges.
Main Competitors
Professional Reviews
- "It's totally appropriate to describe this new Corolla as a baby Camry, which, in turn, is in a baby Lexus. That's not a bad pedigree for any car." — New Car Test Drive
- "...the great variety of Corollas past has dwindled to this, an all-new 2003 Corolla compact sedan." — The Car Connection
- "It's too bad that, while significantly improved, the new Corolla sedan has an awkward appearance." — Carpoint.com
- "Its engine keeps the Corolla from dominating the class." — The Car Connection
- "The car exhibits an overall refinement that's noticeably enhanced in contrast to the previous model's." — Road & Track
- "...this new ninth-generation Corolla is an evolutionary model that carries on Toyota's tradition of producing a robust small car that acts as a great introductory model to the Toyota family." — New Car Test Drive
- "More features are standard this year, and even the lowly CE comes with air...a CD player, power steering, power mirrors, an outside temperature gauge, 60/40 split-folding rear seats and 15-inch wheels." — Edmunds.com
- "...performance is lively and fuel economy -- always a prime Corolla virtue -- is high: an estimated 30-32 in the city and 36-40 on highways." — Carpoint.com
- "Acceleration is certainly on par with or better than most other economy cars, and the ride is smooth." — Edmunds.com
- "Engineers proudly note that Corolla standards of panel fit...now match those previously adopted for Lexus interiors." — Road & Track
- "...at 178.3 inches long overall, the new Corolla is actually 3.7 inches longer than the Civic and a scant 0.8 inches longer than Nissan's Sentra (which has a 99.8-inch wheelbase)." — The Car Connection
External Links
WikiCars Contributor Favorites
- Edmunds' Corolla history
- Toyota Corolla - specs, prices, reviews, and photos
- Toyota Corolla Reviews
Community Sites
