Toyota Corolla 2012 Review
It won't set the road on fire, but it is a safe betRETROSPECTIVE
The oldest nameplate on test, Toyota Corolla dates back to 1966. As of
1997, Toyota had sold more than 40 million examples, so it's clearly a
tasty recipe. The current generation is the 10th in a long line of
Corollas which are now produced in 14 countries (it was once built right
here in Australia, too). Interestingly, from Toyota's 'Crown' naming
convention, Corolla literally means small crown in Latin.
>> Resale values
>> Interior ambiance
>> Four-speed auto
>> Driver’s seat too high
The chunky steering wheel telegraphed a light feel but had ample feedback. The stability control system intervened at the slightest provocation, which can be taken as either annoying or very safe depending on how you look at it.
The 1.8-litre engine is sufficiently powerful, but the four-speed automatic gearbox is best described as archaic. It confuses itself about which gear it should be in, dropping into lower gears early at times, and at other times (such as during our full-car four-passenger test) not kicking down a ratio at all. Even up a hill...
VALUE FOR MONEY
Being a Toyota, the Corolla naturally delivers a strong bang for your buck (starting at $20,990), particularly when it comes to resale values and fixed-price servicing costs.
Standard kit on our test car was also decent, with Bluetooth connectivity, USB port, remote central locking, power windows and mirrors. There's also plenty of safety kit, including seven airbags. However, the value equation is let down by the gearbox.
FIT AND FINISH
While the Toyota has a reputation for build quality and reliability, a few of the interior fittings seemed a little ad hoc, particularly inside door handles which appeared tacked on rather than fully integrated. A thick A-pillar reduces visibility when peering to the right and the seat was a little high, but overall, the interior is well finished.
The instrument dials had a sporty motif and the steering wheel follows suit. There’s also plenty of headroom thanks to an upright shape.
At 100km/h in normal conditions we recorded 74dB, and the Corolla was indeed a sturdy little machine, with barely a rattle or squeak to be heard.
PURPOSE
While the Corolla had the second lowest amount of boot space (290 litres -- enough for a couple of large suitcases), it's quite spacious inside offering plenty of room for four adults.
Front seat passengers may feel a little perched on the seats but there's lots of room, even for rear-seat passengers and the seat-cushion foam was comfortable enough. For rear-seat passengers, kneeroom was good for our 6'3" test monkey, and though rear head and shoulder room was decent, it was far from class leading.
TECHNOLOGY
Though the Corolla didn’t have heads-up display or radar-based cruise control, nor did any of the other cars in this test... But it does have Bluetooth connectivity for phone and audio, however we struggled to get it to work in a short space of time. One of our troupe managed to pair his iPhone with the Corolla, but we think it was a fluke... Granted, if you owned the car it may become clearer.
Cruise control was a welcome feature, though optional. I was sort of hoping for text-to-voice SMS integration like the Toyota Yaris... Maybe next year?
Price: $20,990 ($24,490 as tested)
Engine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder
Output: 100kW/175Nm
Transmission: Four-speed automatic
Wheels/Tyres: 16 x 6.5-inch / 205/55R16 (Dunlop SP Sport)
Fuel/CO2: 7.7L/100km / 180g/km
Safety: Five-star (ANCAP) / Seven airbags
See how each of the 10 cars went in the Small Car mega test:
motoring.com.au's Small Car road-test comparison:
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