CTC Review: 2009 Toyota Corolla S

[UmroAyyar]

There are fleet managers in Toyota's downtown Toronto dealerships. What do these fleet managers do?

I see tons of Camry taxis and Corolla rentals around town. Cord mentioned in another thread, Toyota is following the footsteps of General Motors.

[initial_D]

People are saying Corolla fleet sales are a smart move because the rental companies can turn around and sell them at nearly-new price.

How is flooding the used market with badly-abused, one-year-old Corollas NOT going to kill resale for both the rental companies and private Corolla owners alike?

So far, no effect at all. People can sell their used Corolla fairly fast as long as they are reasonably priced.

[Honda Owner]

When I worked at Chrysler, every 2.7 litre that came in with death rattle had been a rental car. Not one had adequate oil changes. Most had none in the year at the rental company. Chrysler didn't fix them, either.

Toyota had a rash of engine failures in their 1MZ V-6 and the 5SFE 4 cylinders. Most of these failures were caused by inadequate oil changes and/or short trips in cold weather, compounded with Toyota being too cheap to put oil monitoring systems in their cars. Toyota agreed to fix them if the owners could prove one oil change a year. This is the reason they are so eager to sell the service contract with the car, which I am sure they make tons of money on.

Watch for engine failures in Toyotas off rental.

I might add that when I was car shopping earlier this year, I found that used cars that I was interested in were not really worth it, especially in light of the Eco rebate and PST exemption. Knowing the history of your car makes a big difference and really helps with resale.

[pgomez]

Vehicle interior complaints may be valid for the Corolla, lest we forget GM and Ford used to get a beating for their cheap looking interiors.  But do not lose sight of what the Corolla is, an inexpensive, long lasting, and reliable compact car that can be had for $15k (US).  If you want a refined interior and a sporty feel, move up in price to a Lexus or BMW.  I owned a Corolla twenty five years ago, it never let me down.  According to recent Consumer Reports testing, the Corolla's (US) combined fuel efficiency returned 32 MPG and 40 MPG highway only .  Impressive for a non-hybrid.  Soon I will be in the market for a fuel efficient vehicle, so far the 09 Corolla or Matrix are at the top of my list.

[PJungnitsch]

How is flooding the used market with badly-abused, one-year-old Corollas NOT going to kill resale for both the rental companies and private Corolla owners alike?

I think you are right, it already seems to have happened to the Yaris in Alberta, Yari are cheaper than Echo's in some cases.

[safristi]

Ya have seen a YETI................

[Arctic_White]

My dad (almost retired) is looking into this car as his next vehicle.  A very good replacement for his 2000 Corolla with 239,000 kms on it as of now.

[johngenx]

Corollas have been rentals here for over 5 years, and no damage to resale values for private sales.  In fact, privately owned cars sell super-fast as they are desireable in a sea of for-sale Corollas.

Almost every brand is now in rental fleets.  CR-V's and Civics are now on lots as well as many Toyota models (Camry and Corolla the most).

[vdk]

I remember the first Corolla I drove at driver training... had 450,000km on it... and still going pretty strong... the engine used to rev a bit when using the steering wheel while the car was at rest...

[carcrazy]

Wing,

I would be curious to hear your take on how Corolla's powertrain compares to the Astra's as you drove one fairly recent. The reason I'm asking is because they both have a similar combination engine/tranny.
I test drove an Astra today and I found it kind of wired in a hard to explain way - slow to accelerate, hesitant to down shift when I was pushing the gas, slow to react to press/depress the gas. I know you cannot expect much performance from such powertrain, but still … The truth is I drive a Mazda3 2.3L 4AT and a V6 Outlander V6 6AT so I'm used to more power, but still curious on how two very similar powertrains (by numbers) compare.

[Wolverine]

Why they insist on using those old trunk hinges???

[safristi]

..WHY has the New (2009!!!) Corolla been trashed in the US car Mags/ sites??....

[IceAndFire]

..WHY has the New (2009!!!) Corolla been trashed in the US car Mags/ sites??....

Its their reputations.  The Corolla has never truly been a oustanding performer....but its very popular with the consumer public.  If a car mag were to give it a favourable review then they would loose credit with their readership who are not interested in a Corolla.

I'm not sure if its the comfort issue or what but I'm more and more displeased with my XRS.  Its a good car, its well made, its well put together, but there are some annoying issues for me including leg room.  I'm wondering how long I should keep it....initially the idea was to keep it for a very long time.

[Honda Owner]

.WHY has the New (2009!!!) Corolla been trashed in the US car Mags/ sites?

Car magazines are probably about the most corrupt rags out there. Ever see one of the big ones really pan a car? Of course you haven't. The job of these "journals" is to sell advertising. Have a look at Car and Driver's page and see "The Best Reasons to Buy American."

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/best_worst_lists/the_best_reasons_to_buy_american_feature

Four of the five featured vehicles are gas guzzlers that Detroit can't move. However, the Detroit based companies run lots of advertising to move their product. Often the advertising budget is more than the engineering.

Ever notice where the car makers (and I include the German makers, they REALLY put on big shows to move their overpriced junk) have their new model releases? Well, it isn't in Detroit. They fly these "journalists" to places like California, Spain or even South Africa, put them in nice hotels, wine them and dine them and then send them home, all expenses paid. Now, if said "journalist" were to say, "The Zaperoo Onynx V-10 is a POS!" what do you think are his chances of being invited to another new model release?

Car mag guys roar around in other people's cars on other people's dime. Now, if I had the chance to do a road trip in a Dodge Charger Hemi and somebody else was paying the tab for EVERYTHING, including your toothpaste, I would LOVE it to pieces. And what is there not to love? I CRAVE big V-8 cars with huge power and deadly stereos. After said trip, articles extolling "canyon carving in the twisities with just a hint of oversteer" grace the pages of the esteemed auto magazine. Since I didn't pay for the  92 octane gas at 10 mpg, I would hardly note it. Take a look at the press that relatively poor selling cars get in the big mags. The great majority of vehicles sold in North America are grocery getters but we read about Porsches and Corvettes. Why? Well, the makers make tons of money when they sell them. Lavishing luxury on "journalists" is just part of the advertising budget. What is even worse is the so called "journalists" have come to expect it.

Toyota is famous for boring launches. They do pay for the flight to the test centre and maybe a cheap motel but that is it. No hospitality suites, no expense accounts. They don't need to. People who drive Corollas know they are getting a good quality vehicle at a fair price and couldn't give a flyin' you know what about "canyon carving." Toyota knows its product will sell like crazy. They can spend more money in engineering and less on advertising. They are producing the thing all over the globe. They have low unit costs. They make supertanker loads of money, something not one of the "Ten Best Reasons to Buy American" makers do.

Never forget, it is all about money in the car business. When you walk in the door, the sales or service department sees you as a money making opportunity.

Go back the Car Driver article I quoted. Toyota will sell zillion times more Corollas than all five of those cars COMBINED.

Iceandfire, I agree with you on the Corolla. I found the pedal-steering wheel relationship weird and the legroom too short for me. But have a look at the demographics of Corolla buyers and you will see why. There are just not a lot of really tall white guys buying them. The tall white guy demographic doesn't often buy Corollas. Toyota knows who buys their cars and builds them to suit. Eighty percent of car buying choices are made by women, incidentally. Dad can try to sell Mom on a Honda Fit manual but she will not have any part of it. She'll take the Corolla LE automatic any day and if Dad wants peace, he'll live with it.

Finally, I applaud Canadian Driver for testing cars that most people can actually afford to drive.

[safristi]

..NO REAL answer yet!!! and by the way "Honda Owner" don't "doctor " my statements in yer "quotes" "QUOTE!!!  i never said Huh Huh!!?......i've read several sites (NOt just mags) and they damn with faint praise the 2009 Corolla...yet we Canucks seem to think it's the best thing since Harper & Mulroney

[Honda Owner]

safristi, you are missing the point. The 2009 Corolla will sell like hotcakes all over the world. Toyota knows their market and build their product to suit it. They will sell every one they build which really isn't hard since Toyota only builds cars that dealers order.

Whether car reviews like the Corolla is a moot point; consumers love it.Toyota sold 52,826 units in the USA in May 2008.  Toyota makes money. That is how to be successful in the car business. It doesn't put much on your bottom line to make a product people don't want to buy.

Canada's market doesn't actually matter that much. Fewer cars are sold here than in California.

[safristi]

so see yer "doctor" elswhere  inna whirrled!! BUT leave my statements as they are...OK dopey!!!!

[PJungnitsch]

Where have you seen the trashing?

C&D comparison test, 3rd out of eight cars tested:

The top-of-the-class mileage is consistent with Toyota’s reputation these days, and so is the hospitality of the Corolla’s interior. No other here came close. Annoyance-free and verve-free, you might say; competence is the only flavor we detected.

CR comparison test:

Far from exciting, but effortless to drive, comfortable, and great on gas.

Edmunds.com:

The 2009 Toyota Corolla S is not quick, nor is it particularly fun to drive, but for an estimated base price of $16,500 and an estimated $21,975 in this configuration, we think you can probably overlook this car's sloppy steering while you're listening to your iPod and consulting the nav screen and warming your buns on the comfy heated sport seats. Plus you'll be averaging over 30 mpg.

Basically the same results from everyone. Interestingly the top rated small car for both C&D and CR is the same, the VW Rabbit.

[Altima1]

So Wing finished with a 7/100 average, hum that's the same as our Sentra.

[Mr Russell]

I drive a 2007, 5-speed yaris sedan.  I often get between 6.5 - 6.7 L/100km, so i'm suprised that the corolla is giving you the best fuel economy you've achieved, but it's not an overly suprising result looking at the 50L challenge you guys had not long ago... Anyways, might want to test out a new yaris, or perhaps one that's been broke in a bit.  (as a note i drive a good bit on the highway, and my mileage changes to the low 7's in the winter with snow and winter tires on...)