Overview & Reviews

Well into its fourth decade of production, the compact Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in automotive history, and for good reason. Small, inexpensive, fuel-efficient and as reliable as the day is long, the Corolla is the quintessential economy car. As long as you change the oil on time and don't hit a tree, any Corolla should provide dependable transportation well past the 100,000-mile mark. That's why so many shoppers keep buying Corollas year after year.

Since its 1968 introduction in the U.S., the Toyota Corolla has come in a variety of body styles, including a sedan, coupe, hatchback and wagon. More recently, however, it has only been available as a sedan. Today's Corolla has almost as much rear passenger space as a midsize sedan and its fuel economy is impressive. Although rivals boast sportier designs and more entertaining driving dynamics, a Corolla is nonetheless an excellent choice for smart consumers on a budget.

User Reviews:

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  Overall Garbage - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By wicked31036 - March 19 - 1:48 am

  Got this as a hand me down three weeks ago with 32,000 miles. Ride is terrible. I feel every pebble in the road. Traction control stunts hard/quick acceleration at all speeds. Steering wonders at high speed. Cheap interior quality, the plastics rattle. Wind noise is bad. Cheap feel overall. Dealer has to do certain customizable feature for you. My 2005 Civic with 183,000 miles was better in every way. Including MPG. (Note: I never changed the shocks and only did routine maintenance on it) And this car does not have as much room as the Civic. Civic all the way.

• 

  Garys review - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By GaryMcC - March 10 - 10:00 am

  I am only six foot tall and the car is very unconfortable to get in and out. I bump my head almost every time. The center console hampers fastening the seat belt both driver side and front seat passenger side. The rear seat belts are cumbersome due to very short receiving side of belt. The fan for heater and aircondx is weak except in the highest position and it is noisy. The trunk door does not open wide enough to place an icechest in and be able to open door on the chest while in the trunk. (My Echo does)

• 

  I dont think Ill become a fanboy - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By unsatisfied - March 3 - 5:11 am

  The car is not that good looking to begin with, but it comes in any color you want as long as its white, black, 50 shades of grey, or Christmas tree ornament blue or red, very boring. You get what you pay for, but surprisingly for the price the fit and finish are very good.. The interior does seem to contain a lot of shiny cheap plastic. They also put a lot of emphasis on back seat legroom, but they didnt leave any upfront and that makes the car uncomfortable on a long trip. I have already stopped to stretch my legs so as not to get a DVT. My major complaint is the CV transmission. Im sure this may be an adequate transmission is a state that is flat, or in a snowmobile; but where I live It is very hilly and there is the problem. First it is noisy under acceleration and that acceleration is very poor. It is slower that the 4 speed automatic it replaced and a snail when compared to a manual shift. The engine races when accelerating, and it seems you are always waiting for the transmission to catch up. The RPM are all over the place, and passing can take a long time and be dangerous. Toyota put phony shift points in a transmission that doesnt shift; this is very irritating and it is one more thing to go wrong. I wonder what Toyota was thinking? Has anyone asked why the 2018 Camry started with a clean sheet of paper and they didnt put a CVT in that car? My theory is that this transmission is light duty only. Instead of gears there is a belt between two drums, and unlike a gear that meshes, the belts probably need a high coefficient of friction to function and friction spells wear. I was going to purchase this car until a friend, who is a transmission technician , suggested I lease it because in about 60k-70k miles there is a good chance of transmission failure. Visits to various websites appears to bear that out. If the factory has all this confidence with this gum band transmission why dont they offer a longer FACTORY warranty to give the buyer peace of mind? If there are a lot of problems model wide, resale will suffer. Before you buy one insist on an overnight test drive to see if you can live with it. Why cant Toyota give us options like a 6 speed auto, 5 speed manual, or a dual clutch auto? There really is no alternative except Kia, Hyundai, or Mazda since the Honda civic, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Altima also have CVTs. I realize that auto companies are being forced into this with CAFE averages, but Im not happy with this transmission and a potential of a $4500+ replacement charge, when it is out of warranty, so they can meet the CAFE and be able to sell a Tundra. This is just my opinion, but if you are buying for the long term maybe you should research CVTs on some websites Other complaints are lack of road feel, visibility is poor, and one has no idea where the front bumper is (maybe they need an upfront camera too), too much pedal travel in the brake, and difficulty getting in and out Other than the transmission, and some minor stuff, this is a very decent car for the price. As mentioned, fit and finish are excellent. It has a five star safety rating. The lane departure is good for those who like that tech. The air is great even though the fan is loud. I think this is my last Corolla especially when the next generation is going to be made in Mexico. Well thats my review, choose wisely.

• 

  I dont think Ill become a fanboy - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By unsatisfied - March 3 - 5:11 am

  The car is not that good looking to begin with, but it comes in any color you want as long as its white, black, 50 shades of grey, or Christmas tree ornament blue or red, very boring. You get what you pay for, but surprisingly for the price the fit and finish are very good.. The interior does seem to contain a lot of shiny cheap plastic. They also put a lot of emphasis on back seat legroom, but they didnt leave any upfront and that makes the car uncomfortable on a long trip. I have already stopped to stretch my legs so as not to get a DVT. My major complaint is the CV transmission. Im sure this may be an adequate transmission is a state that is flat, or in a snowmobile; but where I live It is very hilly and there is the problem. First it is noisy under acceleration and that acceleration is very poor. It is slower that the 4 speed automatic it replaced and a snail when compared to a manual shift. The engine races when accelerating, and it seems you are always waiting for the transmission to catch up. The RPM are all over the place, and passing can take a long time and be dangerous. Toyota put phony shift points in a transmission that doesnt shift; this is very irritating and it is one more thing to go wrong. I wonder what Toyota was thinking? Has anyone asked why the 2018 Camry started with a clean sheet of paper and they didnt put a CVT in that car? My theory is that this transmission is light duty only. Instead of gears there is a belt between two drums, and unlike a gear that meshes, the belts probably need a high coefficient of friction to function and friction spells wear. I was going to purchase this car until a friend, who is a transmission technician , suggested I lease it because in about 60k-70k miles there is a good chance of transmission failure. Visits to various websites appears to bear that out. If the factory has all this confidence with this gum band transmission why dont they offer a longer FACTORY warranty to give the buyer peace of mind? If there are a lot of problems model wide, resale will suffer. Before you buy one insist on an overnight test drive to see if you can live with it. Why cant Toyota give us options like a 6 speed auto, 5 speed manual, or a dual clutch auto? There really is no alternative except Kia, Hyundai, or Mazda since the Honda civic, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Altima also have CVTs. I realize that auto companies are being forced into this with CAFE averages, but Im not happy with this transmission and a potential of a $4500+ replacement charge, when it is out of warranty, so they can meet the CAFE and be able to sell a Tundra. This is just my opinion, but if you are buying for the long term maybe you should research CVTs on some websites Other complaints are lack of road feel, visibility is poor, and one has no idea where the front bumper is (maybe they need an upfront camera too), too much pedal travel in the brake, and difficulty getting in and out Other than the transmission, and some minor stuff, this is a very decent car for the price. As mentioned, fit and finish are excellent. It has a five star safety rating. The lane departure is good for those who like that tech. The air is great even though the fan is loud. I think this is my last Corolla especially when the next generation is going to be made in Mexico. Well thats my review, choose wisely.

• 

  2009 Toyota Corolla S - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By 09corolla - February 17 - 10:12 pm

  This is my second toyota corolla and i have alway loved toyota and could not see myself buying anything else. Well this car has changed that opinion and my next car will not be a toyota. This 2009 has had the whole A/C replaces, cam shaft gear, starter and the car still has problems starting. My corolla only had 56,000 miles. Total cost of repairs under warranty is over $9,000…. beware of the 2009 year.

• 

  Thought it was reliable - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By SteveMA - February 7 - 6:53 am

  I had no trouble with this car and felt it was highly reliable, like the Toyota reputation suggested. I bought the car new and always took car of the maintenance. Then at 59,000 miles, the transmission completely failed. No warning, no symptoms, just stop at a light and when the light turned green, the car would not move. Turned it off and turned it back on, and when I put the car in drive, the car made a horrible grinding sound. Called Toyota and they would do nothing for me. 6/60000 miles was the warranty. Guess they had it figured out just right. Ill never buy a Toyota again.

• 

  Unsatisfied Customer - 2002 Toyota Corolla
  By Chasityrose - December 31 - 10:00 am

  Over all this vehicles mech. are very good. It seems to be a quiet car. I am dissatisfied with the interior. I have had all 4 door panels replaced. Due to them being warped. I did not expect this from Toyota. I tried to get the vehicle replaced and was turned down. The blinkers were also broke when I bought the car brand new. I feel that Toyota does not stand behind its work. I am willing to try another one but I will be very careful when choosing my car. This car is not that comfortable if you have to ride in it for a long time. Great for around town.

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  Firestone Tire Recall is Toyotas Fault - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By Mark Lawson - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I was angered to learn today that Toyota installed defective Firestone tires on my new 2003 Corolla LE. I have already filed a complaint with the NHTSA because I must buy replacement tires at my own expense since Toyota insists that I must accept only Firestone replacement tires. This is a load of horse manure. The line supervisors and managers in the Wilson, North Carolina, Firestone manufacturing plant responsible for the Ford/Toyota tire fiascos should be put in jail and never allowed to manufacture tires again. Didnt Toyota learn anything from the Firestone/Ford fiasco? Life is cheap.

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  Not the Corolla it use to be - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By Sad College Student - December 28 - 12:53 pm

  I had noise in front suspension,dealer replaced both front struts and housing, Hubcap fell off for no reason, tire pressure sensor replaced, brakes recalled, glove box popped off for no reason, breaks still squeak, weird steering that when traveling over 55 MPH car will not stay put in a straight line

• 

  06 Toyota Corolla 5M - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By Corolla S - November 27 - 12:50 am

  I have had this car a little over two years and average 38 MPG, I am very easy on it however. I drove an automatic and they are pathetic, however, the manual can move descent. It is not "fun" to drive, however, it does its job-reliable, good mpg. I am now debating to keep this a long time, or trade it in for something like a Lancer soon.