2018 Toyota Corolla LE from North America
Summary:
Does the job, but not brilliant
General Comments:
I rented this car and drove it for about 9,000 km (5,600 miles) around parts of the USA and Canada for a few weeks.
It’s good to drive around town. It feels very nimble and easy to drive, although not that zippy on take off. Unfortunately, it’s not very good for long distance driving. The front seat has no lumbar support, so my back started getting very stiff after a few days of driving several hours a day. I ended up having to buy a cushion for my back. The seat cushion is also too flat and my thighs would get quite numb. The tyre roar at highway speed is also very loud, though this could be partly due to the brand of tyres.
The radar cruise control is too sensitive. It seems to react to the bottom of hills, as though it thinks the bottom of the hill is another car. It also seems to shift the transmission down aggressively when going down hill, which sounds and feels annoying. The old style, non-radar cruise control (which can also be selected), just eases off the accelerator. Also, the radar range I set would never be remembered. The default setting was for the longest range, which no one anywhere on planet earth would ever observe. Even the shortest range was still a bit too far away, because I’d approach a car and be getting ready to overtake, but then the stupid radar would slow the car down. I stopped using it on freeways after a few days. Too risky when you need to take advantage of gaps.
I’ve driven several cars with continuously variable automatic transmissions and I really dislike them. This one is too slow to react to a sudden need for acceleration, and when you do need to suddenly accelerate - say, when merging onto a freeway - it screams out with a sound like a slipping clutch. I know that’s how a CVT is supposed to sound, but it sounds awful and embarrassing!
The side mirrors aren’t big enough. Even without any overlap between them and the centre rear view mirror, there’s still blind spots to the sides.
I picked up the car shortly before it clicked over to 20,000 miles. Once it clicked over, the ‘maintenance required’ message that popped up on the dashboard every time I started the car never ceased to give me the poos. It was a rental car. I’m not going to service it! Stop harassing me! Even if I did own it, I do every second service myself, so this would be a continuing annoyance.
Aside from these issues, the car kept going without problems and I guess in the end that’s why people buy Toyotas.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 14th August, 2019
16th Aug 2019, 21:04
Or why suffer in the wrong compact?
17th Aug 2019, 13:42
Or rent a Volt for the fuel economy.
17th Aug 2019, 15:54
I have now been renting crossovers; the only one I won’t recommend is the new Audi. Leather seats are very firm. Surprised how hard they are. Rented a Mustang convertible once; that was fun but that’s another that I wouldn’t pick for a long trip.
18th Aug 2019, 03:37
Articulate review. Thanks :)
18th Aug 2019, 22:24
Or better yet you can save money on a rental and use your daily driver on a long trip. After all, highway miles are the best.
20th Aug 2019, 02:12
Good point. If you're driving and not flying to your destination, why rent a car. It's a waste of money unless your everyday vehicle is impractical or a lease and you have limited mileage.
16th Aug 2019, 00:40
I rent cars a lot from airports. If this was just for running to a hotel and parked most of the week, that’s fine. Or inside a city... Ask for an upgrade; sometimes it works. Especially if certain rentals are all out. I have even rented a mid size, walked out to the rental car pick up and got an upgrade. But either way, if it’s a vacation, why suffer back issues or thigh issues with cheap seats. A lot of newer vehicles get pretty decent fuel economy anyway. Why suffer in a compact.