Excellent
Flat tire (somebody punctured it with a knife).
It has excellent power and an excellent ride. The auto transmission shifts smoothly, and it handles great!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th February, 2011
I think the car is great, and was an excellent choice
Nothing, has been a reliable car so far. Will try to provide more updates later.
It handles fine for what it is. S edition makes it look sportier, and you can seemingly tell the difference in the variations. I like the looks of the car.
Steering is vague but easy, and it goes where you point it. Brakes are good. It rides well and gets great gas mileage.
It is good, economic, and reliable transportation, even if some see Corollas/Toyotas as somewhat boring.
Also, I have not experienced any (of the hyped up) unintended acceleration, or any other quality issues as yet.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 31st May, 2010
As an owner of a 2003 Corolla, which has given me 0 problems thus far (except easily scratching paint), the unintended acceleration problems are mostly exaggerated.
Turns out the "unintended acceleration" was the drivers hitting the gas instead of the brake by accident. Black box evidence indicates this.
Drive with peace of mind now my friend.
Good commuter for small people
Nothing so far.
This car has a smooth and pleasant ride for the type of car it is. On smooth road, it is quiet even at highway speeds. On rough roads, suspension noise is present.
Handling is secure - one can go through curves pretty fast, but it's no fun. Steering is reasonably accurate for a commuter car, on-center feel is good, and the steering wheel returns to the center position well. However, steering is numb.
Engine power is fine for commuting and easy traveling. When you want to accelerate quickly, keep on wanting.
While the transmission shifts very smoothly, it doesn't allow the engine to live in the high RPM range, even when you demand quick acceleration. To invoke any faster increase in speed, you have to floor it. It takes a moment for the tranny to realize that you're serious about speeding up, then it downshifts by one gear. At first the acceleration is weak, but as the engine starts getting into its meaty revs, around 4000 RPM, the car pick us speed reasonably well. Just as you feel the real power coming on line, the tranny upshifts, spoiling the party, unfortunately. So passing and merging requires caution and planning.
Braking power is good.
Corolla is built for small people. Even though the seat can be pushed back enough to provide my 6'2" and 180-pound frame with just about so-so leg space, and the steering wheel telescopes and tilts, the left elbow rest (the driver-side door) doesn't align properly, so there is no resting place for my left elbow. The right elbow rest aligns reasonably well, but it's hard plastic so it can get quite uncomfortable.
Terrible seat comfort. There is no lumbar support, and the side bolsters in the seat cushion are narrow, so they press hard against the butt = very uncomfortable on longer drives. This issue seems to be dependent on the size of the person - my small mom finds the seats comfy. If you consider this car, I strongly recommend test driving it and paying close attention to the seat comfort - if you feel a suspicious pressure somewhere, it would get much worse with time (unfortunately my relatively short test drive didn't reveal this issue).
Simple and smooth-operating controls. Very nice amber lighting of the instrument panel, but the red needles badly crash with the amber colour (Toyota designers don't take courses in aesthetic?).
The stereo system sounds cheap, very average.
Big trunk, and the rear seats can be folded down, but not flat. I can fit my mountain bike and camping gear in the car with the seats down.
Uses 15" wheels = cheaper tires.
Excellent fuel economy. Just below 6l/100km on the highway, and about 6.5 - 7l/100km mixed driving in summer; 8l/100km city driving in cold winter.
I have the enhanced convenience package, which includes traction control and VSC. Tested them this winter - work as advertised.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 1st April, 2010
I agree with the seats, my dad's Corolla also has those tight seats, which hurts your shoulder.
I was pleased to see that it wasn't just me who has problems with the seats. It is by far the most uncomfortable car to drive I have ever driven. I have had to start stretching exercises after any lengthy drive. I would not recommend this car to anyone.
I'm 6'5" and I actually find the seats fine. Maybe wider drivers would have an issue though, or my seats are already "broken in".
My only problem is that I wish the headrest went a little higher. Other than that - a good car.
I'm a short and skinny person but I have comfort problems with the seats. Toyota needs to fix the seats.
"Very nice amber lighting of the instrument panel, but the red needles badly crash with the amber colour (Toyota designers don't take courses in aesthetic?)."
To be fair, red and amber are next to each other on the color wheel, so they should go together. It's better than my 2001 Camry with an all-green instrument cluster with needles that didn't light up, so you couldn't tell how fast you were driving at night.
I also agree with the comfort of Toyotas, the Camry I spoke of above was also uncomfortable. Due to the lack of comfort and some reliability issues, our first Toyota was the worst car we had ever owned.
3rd Mar 2011, 20:15
I've read reviews that say the XRS doesn't do much more for the Corolla than the regular engine. Maybe that's why they discontinued it for 2011. Also, I've always thought the XRS Corolla looks really good, but it seems this car just can't escape the label of 'boring,' or 'plain, no matter what Toyota does to it. I'd love to have a new Corolla.