Faults:

Nothing. It's a Toyota. People say they're falling behind and all kinds of negative things, but they know nothing about what reliability has to do with time fraction.

Just like my family's cars, any Toyota we owned from Land Cruiser to Starlet - nothing went wrong, but saying that - changing brake pads or a cambelt on older cars is not something going wrong, but it's maintenance. So don't mix things up there.

General Comments:

Most journalism these days comes from enthusiasm about performance rather than an independent view of the overall car itself.

Most reviews comparing a Corolla to other brands, the Corolla never wins, but guess which sells the most? It's the Corolla and there is a bloody good reason why.

In Europe a car may carry a social status and there is discrimination when the view comes to imports (Japanese/Korean etc), but I'll tell you what - there isn't much gap left with a well sorted reliability reputation.

I've owned 96 cars over the last 18 years. I review them, and owning all types of cars and driving them is my passion. In NZ cars are cheap enough and at times I had a garage full of cars, and the max I owned at times was 8.

Anyway the Corolla 2016 E170 series is more refined than the previous generation.

Ride smoothness, improvement on handling, design inside and outside; also had a great shift with similar HP along with the trusted previous generation engine and CVT.

Of course the km being too low, nothing has gone wrong and it's early to tell, but the CVT along with the nippy engine is the perfect partnership to get you very satisfying fuel efficiency.

The interior being simple and where it should be, the stereo on the 2015 sedan is a new generation and does everything as it should, hands free is amazing quality, sitting position is just right, and lots of room front and back along with a large boot.

On the open road and in the city it's a pleasant drive. Compared to a Mazda 3 it may not feel as sporty, but the power output is close enough. The Hyundai Elantra is also another good candidate to be compared to, and they certainly are great cars, but I picked Toyota for its simplicity.

Toyota NZ recommends a service every 15k or 1 year, which is apparently different from Aus (10k or 6 months?)? Don't know why?

But either way, it doesn't handle like my BMW, but it wasn't meant to anyway, and it handles great enough for a car of its size and shape among competitors.

Long journeys are very comfortable, and short trips are also pleasant when you hop in and out.

Anyway:

A) If you are or not a car guy

B) Want reliability

C) Great fuel economy

D) Cheap and simple to fix

E) Good resale value

F) Great safety

G) Looks decent

H) Comfortable

I) Pleasant to drive

J) And don't want a hidden enemy

It has to be Toyota, and my pick would be a Corolla for my daily use. The rest are too big or small, or not practical for my day to day use.

I have tried all the Corollas from the ke20, and every new generation only gets better, although I won't agree with the ae110 (didn't personally think it was a step up), but the current generation is certainly the best outta the lot. Pretty obvious for company like Toyota who keep refining to come up with newer and sharper models.

Cheers.