Isn’t Toyota jumping the Pontiac shark with the added body cladding to attract the youth?

Consumer reports has an awesome resource that rates the reliability of over 350 models.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/types/reliability-comparison-index.htm

Two brothers and I have now purchased the 2009 Corolla S version. We love them. Very nice looking in Red Metallic.

Civic looks really bad the way the front end is styled.

The 2009 Corolla is the prettiest car on the road for the money and reliability.

Those who complain about the steering are whacked. Sure it is different than hydrualic but once you drive it a few days you will love it. Very precise.

Even my uncle, who drives a very expensive car remarked that the Corolla is very quiet and rides nice.

With the Vehicle Stability Control it takes me through any corner as fast as I want to go and never feels unsafe. This really surprises me because I am a past speed demon who thoroughly enjoyed my 1970 Camero Z28 as well as the IROC Camero’s of later years.

Seats are quite comfortable once you adjust them to your liking.

Excellent safety rating in crash tests.

Great fuel economy

Very smooth engine with dual variable valve timing.

After test driving the S and the XRS I decided the S had plenty of acceleration and I really liked the better fuel mileage.

So Toyota likes to promote kaizen or “constant improvement” in their products? Where is this philosophy now? The 09 Corolla is plain pathetic. I had the misfortune of driving an LE model over 1300 miles recently on vacation. I was planning on buying a Corolla – no longer!

This car is just plain wrong all around. The interior is so UN-ergonomic for the human body it’s pure torture to drive on a long trip. The seats do not adjust back far enough to prevent leg cramps and are rock-hard with no support in the correct areas. They appear to be designed for some freakishly deformed life form.

The trip computer controls require extreme arm flexibility and diverting your attention from the road.

The side armrests are too low and sloped to be of any use.

Nowhere near enough storage compartments. There is a lot of wasted space in this little car.

Overall legroom for the driver has gotten more cramped than past models – my knee was constantly bashing the keys. There is also very little dead pedal room for the left foot.

Cheap interior fabric reeks like rotting vegetable matter on hot sunny days. WTF?? What happened to that great “new car smell” of my old Toyotas? This model smells more like the county land fill!

The engine would seem to have adequate power for an econo-box if not for the wide-ratio automatic transmission which destroys any hope of reaching 75 mph from the freeway onramp any time soon. It just seems to die after first gear. This thing badly needs another gear.

Driving on the freeway at 75 mph with a slight wind will definitely keep you focused! This thing is the most unstable, twitchy vehicle I’ve driven in years. The suspension seems wholly inadequate for the car. After a few hundred miles of being flung all over the road I was ready to cut my vacation short. The dash should carry a placard stating, “Do not drive this car on the freeway!”

Conclusion: If you’re looking for an economical run-around car for in town commuting the Corolla would be adequate. If you plan on much freeway driving – buy a Camry instead.

#1 plus in this car from test driving several other of the same size from mazda and subaru is very low road noise and handling on some of the rougher roads. Incredible difference in cabin noise compared to the other vehicles. Consumer reports even says that the Honda of similar size has an issue with road noise.

If you get the extra xm radio option it comes with a free 1 year subscription . I am an avid XM radio listener so that was just another plus.

I am very glad I purchased the XRS vs the standard corolla.

Each of the updated versions of my Corollas (93, 00, and 04)had something more positive than the previous version, until the 2009. I sold my 2004 to buy the newly designed 2009. Whoever designed the 2009 interior should be fired. It appears that absolutely no thought went into this car. There is nothing that was updated that makes any logical sense in comfort or style on the inside of this vehicle.

In the 2004 – the clock was front and center and the temperature was always visible directly in front of the driver as soon as the car was turned on. In the 2009, the clock is to the left of the steering wheel and difficult to see or get to and you have to press a flimsy button to see the temp.

The Drive gear shares the same slot with 3rd gear so when your passenger moves their left leg and hits it (which happens about once a week) – the car slides out of Drive and into 3rd Gear. I’m not making this up.

There is no place to store any CD. The 2004 had 2 slots below the CD player. This car has none.

The drawer that I use for change is hard to get to and on such a slant that when you open it, all your change falls out. The old drawer was more accessible and higher up.

The 3 knobs for the temp controls look cheap, outdated and ugly. Reminds me of a car from the 60’s, not something streamlined from the 21st century.

The cup holders are still too small and have a little cheap removable plastic piece that is destined to get lost so I can get charged $25 from the parts dept to replace it.

The wood grain look is gone from the LE model and the general look of this interior is that of very cheap and flimsy plastic. I guess you have to upgrade to the XLE now to get the wood grain.

And the biggest disappointment that people cannot believe when I tell them is that there are no speed controls on the intermittent wipers. Someone said to me “You’ve got to be kidding me, my 95 base model truck has that”. I said – well, my new LE 2009 doesn’t.

I have no qualms with the quality of Toyota’s reputation. That is why I come back. My complaint is with the “no thought” design that went into this new version of the interior. It appears they rushed to come up with something and if this is the best they could do – they should have just left the interior alone. It seems obvious that whoever designed it never drove a Corolla or never spent any time in one. All in all, the driving experience is fine, predictable really, and that is okay. But the interior makes me wish I still had my 2004. I am seriously looking to trade this in for a 2008 LE.

It was almost as if the car had been neutered. It had no balls whatsoever. And I remember talking to my friend and us both wondering who the hell would want such a boring car. These cars are appliances (as mentioned earlier). For people who are chiefly concerned with getting from point A to point B, that’s who this vehicle is for. Not us. The Corolla lost its soul after the AE86 passed.

I got a new ‘09 Corolla S just 3 weeks ago and it already has about 1500 miles on it. So far, I am convincing myself to be happy about it.

Truth be told, IT IS NOT A DRIVER’S CAR. But it is a car that you love if you are looking for a little better styling (Type S that is) and FUEL ECONOMY. But for the price – it is just about ok.

Here is the laydown from my perspective:

Cons
1. The car lacks that initial burst of power that I am looking for. The car feels like being punished to push itself from 0 to 40. The engine revs like it is going to give up, but once it is settled it is the beginning of ease. But see, this wont work if you have a lot of stop lights in your route to and from work.

2. My drive involves a 2 mile strech of uphill every day and it is where it gets testy. I have a good pick up speed just before the climb, the car rides fine, but if for some reason, your pick up speed is hampered, you have to switch to 3 just to feel that assurance that you can make it on top. I feel edgy because come winter – then is the real test.

3. I don’t feel assured when going at speed on the highway. I once drove it in the NJ Turnpike and I felt that the back-end swivels when doing speed a little over 70mph. (come ‘on you know you can’t observe that 65 limit all the time) There are times I felt I would be taken out of my lane.

4. I dont have that assurance about the brakes either. It takes double pump (which according to manual is dangerous and should not be done often) just to get the stopping power that you need.

5. Steering is fine on speeds below 50, but on corners, I would need to step more on the gas to regain the power that that Vehicle Stability Control has taken away from me. (It just freaking rob you of that burst.)

Pros:

1. Great fuel economy. I get 33mpg driving on start/stop environment.

2. Better looking that the Civic and Mazda 3. (I got an S so I challenge you to get me a better looking Civic off the lot.)

3. Silent and stable ride. (The last one I am not sure if it is a pro or a con cause I feel sleepy while driving it – NO FUN AT ALL. But I get an assurance whenever I take my kids for a drive.)

4. Price within te budget.

So there, as I said above, if you are looking for a sportier car then this car is NOT FOR YOU. But if you are looking for a fuel efficient and stable car with a good reputation then this one.

Btw, there is no need to typecast the cleaning lady, etc. etc. Lets just stick it to the car itself, capisce?

To me all new cars sold in US have adequate power; so, I don’t think horsepower is much of an issue in what makes a car a driver’s car, but it’s an issue for satisfying your ego.

A good driver hardly uses the brake pedal; so, it shouldn’t be a criteria in rating a driver’s car either. Corolla’s brake pedal is soft at first and then it gets harder. This is in order to save fuel and provide a smoother stop. A brake pedal with no freeplay and that is too hard would wear the pads too quickly and result in fuel waste. Corolla’s ABS system also has brake assist, which means in an emergency situation, the brake pedal automatically exerts full power, even if you don’t press it fully. Civic doesn’t have this feature, which was found only in Mercedes and BMW until recently.

Steering is the most important thing to me in determining whether a car is a driver’s car or not. You want precise and safe steering that directs the car to where you want it to go. Remember that Corolla comes with electronic vehicle-stability control. I believe electronic vehicle-stability control requires lighter steering as well as more freeplay at the center. I tested both the Civic and Corolla around the same tight curve, where I tried high speed combined with sudden change in the steering input. Corolla responded extremely safely and smoothly, with no body lean and jerk. Civic, on the other hand, when I applied the sudden steering movement on the curve, felt like the car was going to bend around the wheels (imagine what would happen in that situation on wet asphalt), which didn’t make me feel secure. Yes, the steering was very fast in Civic, but Corolla’s steering seems to be much more intelligent in directing the car to where you want it to go, rather than deciding purely on the precise position of the steering wheel, which might not be the right direction, since humans are prone to errors. To me Corolla’s steering seems to be an adaptive system, some kind of artificial intelligence, as opposed to Civic’s old-fashioned, direct-linked steering. Even around sharp curves, I found Corolla’s steering more secure than Civic’s. And, with the extremely sturdy construction of the 2009 model, there is almost no body lean around curves.

Because Toyota or Honda are the only used-car brands that you can get for $1000 and still won’t require repair.

I am especially impressed with the city fuel economy.

These were all basically mentioned in the review. Niedermeyer says it’s got Toyota reliability, “an endless sea of happy faces in Consumer Reports”, and good fuel economy.

The reason the car got two stars is because it’s not a driver’s car. This is a site populated by pistonheads who want a sporty, “cool” car. Other writers have said they prefer the Honda Civic, even in base form. I agree with you that the Civic is a bit ugly, but considering that Honda makes sporty motorcycles I’d guess it’s probably sportier to “car guys” when you get behind the wheel.

It’s a great car for the average person, cleaning lady, secretary, whatever, the question is whether it would be appropriate for someone asking a bit more than. There, I’d wager that the answer is “not really.”

I own a 2009 Corolla XLE and I will tell about it.

First, Mr., you mention that Corolla is popular among your cleaners and receptionist. Have you ever wondered why? These people can afford any $1000 used car, including BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Cadillac, or whatsoever. Then why do they go with a Toyota or Honda? Because Toyota or Honda are the only used-car brands that you can get for $1000 and still won’t require repair. You can find a used BMW for $500 but you would have to spend $15000 to have it fixed and it would have to see a mechanic every week.

Contrary to your review, 2009 Corolla is far, far better than the previous (2003 – 2008) Corolla. First of all the newer model doesn’t look like the boring, unnoticable Japanese car the older model and the current 2008 Civic model are. In fact, I would say it looks better than most cars on the roads. It’s highly impressive from outside. It stands out on the road. Most other new cars on the road look like cars of the past next to the new Corolla.

It’s very quiet and rides well.

About the steering: Nowadays every new car comes with electronic steering and it’s always light. When you switch to light electric steering from hard hydraulic steering for the first time, it feels weird, but after a day or two, you never want to go back because the steering is so precise and comfortable. To me hard steering doesn’t make a car sporty but makes it feel sporty. The light electric steering is far more precise than conventional steering, and as people said, contributes to better fuel economy. Hydraulic steering is a thing of the past so forget about it.

09 Corolla corners very well. There is minimal body lean. Handling is very secure. With the widely available electronic vehicle-stability control, I expect to it to get a maximum emergency maneuver speed of more than 55 MPH (tested by Consumer Reports), better than Honda Civic. That’s another reason why I preferred it over Civic, which had no electronic stability control. The other reasons were edgy looks (Civic is way too plain looking), quietness, and comfort.

The new Corolla was the highest-rated small car in European safety tests.

The fuel economy is better than the 08 model and yet the engine is smoother and more powerful (dual variable valve timing instead of single). I am especially impressed with the city fuel economy. I seem to get close to 30 MPG in city traffic.

The Barcelona Red Metallic color I have is arguably the most beautiful red-car color on the road. It’s amazing. The Civic red was too maroon and it also came only with a yellowish-beige interior.

Interior is very spacious and there is storage everywhere, including “two” glove compartments. My model has a DVD navigation system, which is indispensable. I love the white-LED illuminated Optitron gauges, which are also found in Lexus.

The power is adequate, but for those who prefer to satisfy their ego over the fuel economy, there is the XRS model with plenty of extra power that you will hardly ever need.

So, once again, Toyota has proven that it makes the best car on the road. I am extremely happy with the 2009 Corolla XLE Barcelona Red Metallic I have. It can’t get any better than this.

$250 bought me a 1977 Corolla that supposedly had
a bad cylinder. It did not. My father, who worked on cars for forty years in N. Dak., where it is still difficult to spot “one of those foreign jobs”, could never understand how a car with 150,00K could not burn oil. I put some KYB shocks on all four corners and drove the dickens out of that car, racing jeeps down rutted rocky roads and generally torturing the poor beast. I sold it for twice that, running better than ever. Years later
it would occasionally see it still beating around town. This car saved me thousands in repairs when I did not have thousands. I will never
forget that car.