It’s difficult for many of us to reconcile what has happened with Toyota.
Perhaps one of the best ways to come to terms with recent events is to test the 2010 model of one of the automakers’ stalwart models — the Corolla.
After all, it was the Corolla that was first released more than 40 years ago and arguably brought the automaker into the public consciousness of the United States. The automaker often said at various times that one Corolla was sold — on average — every 40 seconds. Toyota notes that the Corolla is the world’s best-selling C-segment sedan.
Of course today’s Corolla is very different than the ones of years gone by. The Corolla is no longer the inexpensive sedan that is only good for running around town. Today’s Corolla is contemporarily designed but small enough to comfortably live in urban environments.
The Corolla exterior has been revised to create a more advanced, sophisticated and dynamic image, reinforcing the Toyota sedan’s premium quality status within the C-segment.
Despite all the headline-making problems various Toyota models have faced in the past year, there’s something comforting about the exterior of the Corolla. Even though its exterior was updated a tad with a lower grille, tweaked bumper and other tweaks, it still has the bones of the Corolla of the past several model years.
The same is true of the interior. A flat-bottomed steering wheel, some muted colors, and a silver instrument panel and door handle trim enhance the look while keeping the overall appeal of the car.
Although the overall size of the Corolla lets drivers ease it into cramped city parking lots, the interior is designed to give amble leg-, head-, and shoulder-room in the front and rear seats.
There are also a few more technical bells and whistles including a wireless truck opener, a choice of audio speakers, USB and AUX sockets for portable devices.
Of course what everyone wants to know about is the ride. No, this model didn’t have any of the system problems that have been widely reported. What it did have was a comfortable, smooth ride that is arguably better than many other models by an array of automakers. The lack of hesitation when shifting and the smooth braking were especially notable.
Toyota credits the car’s 1.8-liter, double overhead cam, four-cylinder engine for that performance. The 132 horsepower and 128 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm delivered by the engine gives this car plenty of perk while keeping fuel economy at 26-mpg city and 34-mpg highway.
It also offers a quiet ride thanks to engineering and design that includes floor carpets especially designed to absorb sound.
As Toyota struggles to right itself after quality control issues, it’s exciting to see the Corolla looks, feels and drives as smoothly as past models many of us knew and loved.
