Remarkably Unremarkable but a good car nevertheless

This version of the Corolla has just been ditched in Europe and Japan in favour of the much more sophisticated Auris, but it continues for 2008 in the US and Canada. This is a bit of a pity for the more progressive among us – although Ford pulled the same trick 3 years ago when it brought out a brand new Focus for Europe but made North America make do with the old car for a few more years.

In this review we look at the basic 1.8CE version.

STYLING, ENGINEERING

Anodyne and unoffensive is the best way to describe the Corolla's looks. It isn't ugly - just boring - a bog standard Japanese compact sedan then - like the squillions of others that have been made over the decades. The North American markets never had the hatchback and station wagon versions that Europe and Japan have been treated to. The boot (sorry trunk) is enormous for this size of car - Toyota quote a figure of 13 cu ft capacity, and there is a 60/40 split folding rear seat to even further boost this.

Only one engine size is available in the US and Canada - a 126bhp 1.8 litre four pot through either a four speed auto or optional five speed manual.

INTERIOR

The Corollas cabin is a generally friendly place to be, with soft, comfortable seats although they do lack a bit of lumbar support on long journeys. I am over 6 feet and the car still feels (like so many compact Japanese cars of the past) like it is built for someone a few percentiles lower in terms of size. It gets worse in the back seat which is barely adequate for two average sized adults.

The fabrics used for the carpets and seats look plush, even on the base model, but the trouble is that it all looks terribly dated now – so dated in fact that you’d think this car dated from 1997 rather than 2007. Compared to the latest US and European offerings the cabin is full of 1990s grey Japanese blandness. The instrumentation is clear, the switches are conveniently placed and easy to use, the dashboard well laid out and it is all faultlessly put together. But in line with the rest of the car it is all pretty unremarkable.

For 2008 however, even the base version is quite well equipped - you get power front and rear windows, power mirrors, air con, a decent CD/radio stereo system and an inside temperature gauge. Going up toe S version will get you alloy wheels and a host of other goodies.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Behind the wheel it’s standard Toyota fare. The handling is responsive, safe and predictable but never exciting. The steering isn’t overassisted by any means but still lacks feel, and there is a fair bit of body roll on the corners. Most vehicles destined for the North American market will of course be automatic and the car makes do with a bog standard 4 speeder. As autos go it is as good as they come, although personally I found the box’s kick down just a little bit too sensitive – the box was changing down at quite small throttle ‘blips’ which of course may be ideal for quick freeway dashes from one lane to the next (like you frequently have to do when on US highways…as I discovered!), but doesn’t make cruising all that relaxing either when you slowly want to pick up speed. On the plus side though they have geared the car quite high, so at a steady 60mph the engine is barely doing 2000rpm, and it is quite well insulated from the cabin making for a relaxed cruiser. The engine isn’t happy at high revs however, and gets quite buzzy and strained when it is being worked hard and the sound deadening struggles to do its job when you’ve got your foot hard on the gas. From a performance perspective around town it is quite nippy, but for high speed cruising on freeways it starts to run out of puff on the outside lane - not good when there is a V8-powered SUV bearing down on you!

As far as economy is concerned I spent about 600 miles with this car and I was getting about 350 miles from a tankful – which worked out at about 30-35mpg. The automatic box of course consumes more fuel - a 5 speed manual is available should bring the gas mileage up to around the 40mpg mark.

OVERALL

Once again this is a car targeted at someone who wants a totally painless ownership experience. It is comfortable, easy to drive, a pleasure to live with, well made and being a Toyota it is guaranteed to be seamlessly reliable and cheap to run and insure. And for most people this will be enough. However if you are looking for something with a bit of soul or guts, clearly the Corolla misses the mark, and in the same size class the likes of the VW Golf/Rabbit or Audi A3 for example offers a lot more.