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Comparison review: seven economical sedans (second place)
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While the Toyota Corolla isn't especially fun or exciting, it's comfortable and refined
and surprisingly inexpensive.
Though it’s the best-selling economical car in the United States, many reviewers have been underwhelmed by the Toyota Corolla, which was recently redesigned as a 2009 model.
Some reviewers had criticized it just for being boring. They didn’t like that it doesn’t have sporty handling and that it still looks pretty much the same way it has since 2003. Others correctly recognize that not everything needs to look or drive like a sports car, but then say that other economical cars are similar to the Corolla but offer more for the money.
But while it’s reviewers in the second group that are half right, they’re thinking of Toyota as a company that doesn’t offer big discounts. They’re thinking that Toyota is more like Honda than Ford or General Motors, and that therefore the Corolla sells near its sticker price of $18,564 as tested.
But there are deals to be had in today’s market conditions, including on Toyotas as the company is set to post its first operating loss in seventy years. Toyota strikes $1,000 from the price of every Corolla, and Fitzgerald Auto Malls will chip in more than $2,000 of its own to sell you a Corolla identical to the tested car for $15,331, the second-cheapest of these seven.
Reviewers like Consumer Guide, who criticized the Corolla for offering nothing that a Hyundai Elantra doesn’t, hadn’t counted on the Hyundai’s $400 price premium over the Toyota. The Corolla is also projected to hold its value much more than the Elantra, according to the Automotive Lease Guide.
The Corolla and Elantra are, in fact, the two most similar cars of these seven. They’re unexciting but comfortable, refined, and pleasant. Both have a few cheap interior materials, but both hid them where you won’t feel them frequently, and both have straightforward instrument layouts. Both have comfortable front and rear seats, though the Hyundai has more rear seat head and leg room and a larger trunk.
They’re also similar on the road, with a comfortable and quiet ride but few fun-to-drive handling characteristics, and both feel more like nice small cars than more substantial larger ones. The Corolla has an especially absorbent ride, however.
While the two cars have similar power, the Corolla’s engine is slightly noisier than the Elantra’s if you push it, but gets two extra miles per gallon over the already-economical Elantra. Its EPA fuel economy ratings of 27 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway are the best of these seven.
Another area where the Corolla outdoes competing economical sedans is its crash-test performance. Like the Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda Civic, it earned the top rating of Good from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its front, rear, and side-impact protection, but it’s the only one of these seven that came equipped with skid-preventing electronic stability control. While an increasing number of inexpensive cars offer the feature, only the Corolla had it equipped as tested, making it an IIHS “Top Safety Pick.” The Elantra, on the other hand, earned a mediocre score for its side-impact crash protection.But even with its strong crash test performance and excellent gas mileage, the Corolla would indeed be a mediocre car if you couldn’t find a great deal on it. It’s generally pleasant, but that’s not unusual among today’s better economical cars, and the extra fuel efficiency wouldn’t make up the price difference if the Corolla cost as much as a Honda Civic.
But the Corolla’s unexpectedly low price turns that on its head. It may not be anything special, but at just $15,331, it doesn’t really need to be. It may just be average in most ways, but today’s economical cars are good enough for that average to be high. Add to that above-average safety and fuel-efficiency and below-average cost, and the Corolla is a strong economical choice.
Overall grade: A-
Vehicle tested: 2009 Toyota Corolla LE
Vehicle base price (MSRP): $15,350
Vehicle price as tested (MSRP): $18,564
Estimated transaction price as tested: $15,331
Test vehicle provided by: Toyota of Waldorf of Waldorf, Md.
For more info: http://www.toyota.com/corolla/
Coming up tomorrow: First Place
Wednesday, Dec 24: Fifth Place
Thursday, Dec. 25: Fourth Place
Friday, Dec. 26:
Third Place
Saturday, Dec. 27: Second Place
Sunday, Dec. 28:
First Place
Monday, Dec 29:
Conclusion
Photos by Brady Holt.
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