Toyota Corolla: King of the Compacts

The 2009 Toyota Corolla has been redesigned to offer more power but the same high gas mileage and quality. Too bad it's still so bland

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Fuel economy, decent price, comfort, reliability, available stick shift

The Bad: Unexciting styling, lack of sportiness

The Bottom Line: Toyota should have made its top-selling compact edgier

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Up Front

Fuel-efficient compact cars are hot right now, for obvious reasons. However, there's a big question hanging in the air for anyone considering buying a new compact to save on gas: Which is better, the new '09 Toyota (TM) Corolla or the hot-selling but aging Honda (HMC) Civic, which last got a major redesign for the '06 model year?

The Civic has been gaining ground and could very well pass the Corolla as America's top-selling compact car this year, at least if you include booming sales of the Civic Hybrid. On that basis, the Civic has outsold the Corolla through April, 111,695 units to 99,482.

But that's an unfair comparison because the Corolla's sales undoubtedly have tailed off as many shoppers waited for the redesigned '09 models to hit Toyota showrooms. Also, if you exclude the Civic Hybrid (as is only fair since it competes mainly against the Toyota Prius, not the Corolla), the two archrivals are running neck and neck this year, even though Corolla sales fell 18.2% through April after declining 4.4%, to 371,390, in 2007.

The question now is whether the redesign will make the Corolla attractive enough to boost its cachet with consumers. I've just test-driven it, and for me Toyota played it too safe by not making the new Corolla's styling and handling edgier. In my humble opinion, the newly redesigned car isn't a huge improvement over the bland model it's replacing. I still prefer the Civic.

However, many compact car shoppers couldn't care less if the new Corolla isn't particularly exciting to drive—or look at. Those put off by the Civic's more outré styling touches, such as its robotic-look center stack and sharply raked windshield, may even prefer the new Corolla's more conservative design. Indeed, according to the Power Information Network (PIN), nearly two-thirds of compact car buyers borrow money to make the purchase, and a relatively high 45% of them are female. I'd guess from these statistics that safety, reliability, low price, and excellent fuel economy are more important to many buyers than looks and handling (the top priorities of male car reviewers).

I test-drove the Corolla XRS, the sport version of the car, and let me say right off I wouldn't pay extra for that model. The XRS comes with a big, 2.4-liter, 158-horsepower four-cylinder engine that's the same as the base engine in the Toyota Camry, as well as a five-speed automatic or manual transmission, bucket seats, a small rear spoiler, and some extra cladding along its flanks. Not surprisingly, the XRS is the most expensive Corolla: It starts at $19,420 with a stick shift and $20,610 with an automatic transmission.

Even so, the XRS isn't particularly sporty. And the tradeoff for the bigger engine is that the XRS only gets 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway (in 207 miles of lead-footed mixed driving, I only got 23.7 mpg).

If fuel economy is a priority, go with the LE, XLE, or the sporty S—or, if you really want to scrimp, the bare-bones Standard. They all come with a 1.8-liter, 132-hp four-banger, and a four-speed automatic or manual transmission, and are rated to get an impressive 26-27 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway. Their prices are lower, too, starting at $15,910 for a Standard with a stick shift, ranging up to $18,210 for the relatively fancy XLE with an automatic. (Manual transmissions always provide better fuel economy as well.)

The version that appeals to me is the Corolla S, which starts at $16,980. It only has the small engine but is available with a five-speed stick shift.