Sunday Drive: 2014 Toyota Corolla S Premium
2014 marked a banner year for the Toyota Corolla, as it has become the best selling automobile worldwide, not something that every manufacture can say! This new generation marks the 11th in the Corolla line-up, and has put Toyota over the 40 million Corollas sold and that was as of July 2013, which would have to be the reason they are found everywhere.
Originally introduced in 1966 the Corolla has become one of the mainstream autos in the American market, whether we like it or not, and is destined to stay there for the foreseeable future, as the new redesign looks good and is comfortable to ride in. Craig’s first introduction to the Corolla was back in the early 80’s while attending BYU, he took a road trip with a friend to Detroit in a 1976 Corolla, which was nothing like the new version, in fact he would have to liken in more to the new Fiat four door!
Back then the Corolla would have been classified more as a compact vehicle, whereas today it would be put in the compact sedan world. Of course back in the 80’s we didn’t think of smaller cars as compact sedans, in fact it seemed that most anything with 4 doors was just an over grown boat. Detroit was pumping out muscle cars that would tickle anyone’s need for speed, with gas still under a buck a gallon, who would want anything else?
Over the years the Corolla was not known as ‘the’ car to have. It was just a great car that was capable of going from point A to point B, and always seeming to get one of the best in class MPG marks. Most folks were using them as a starter car, or a great commuter car that would last and last, and not require a lot of maintenance.
With this new version, Toyota has decided to change the game having added great looks and a load of technology to the Corolla, making it way more appetizing to a younger demographic and making it a huge competitor, if not the leader in the sub compact field that is flush with great vehicles such as the Kia Forte, Honda Civic, and Dodge Dart.
Even completely loaded, as the LE Eco Premium was that we enjoyed for the week, it was still priced under $23,500, very affordable indeed. Although, the competition is going to be terrific in this segment, as we have found having had time in the Forte, Dart and now the Corolla, they are all great vehicles, and personal preference is going to make the final decision that much tougher.
Standard options that are going to come with the LE Eco Premium model of the Corolla on the outside are the LED low beam headlights with complementing halogen high beams, and LED daytime running lights. We had to agree that LED’s have really made a difference in the looks of any vehicles they have been included on. There were also standard fog lamps, and powered heated outside mirrors.
The new exterior styling is, in our opinion, by the far the most appealing version yet of the Corolla. There is definitely that new Toyota look, and as far as we could tell…. even a little Lexus influence in the front end. Of course that is what should be expected, some cross sharing of design in the company, so those who can’t afford a true Lexus, can afford some of the great ideas that have come from that luxury brand.
On the Toyota website they claim to have turned up everything with the redesign of the Corolla, and we would have to agree that it has been ‘turned up’ in an extreme way, especially on the inside as the new ‘fluid dash’ has made quite an impression with us. A couple of weeks ago we drove the Avalon with some of the same ‘fluid’ dash elements, and were impressed with how well done these new designs are.
The new Corolla is not as luxurious as the Avalon, but the dashboard becomes and extension of the fine exterior with a continuous line that moves the eye from one side to the other. If that were not enough the Eco comes with and Eco mode, hence the name that Toyota claims delivers a lazier calibration at less-than-50-percent throttle–they also say “smoothes acceleration”–and trims A/C compressor operation for more gradual cool-downs.
We do need to point out here that the Corolla is not what one would classify as a sports car, being that it has a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder motor, that doesn’t even include a turbo charger as other manufacturers have. It is only capable of 132 horsepower, and has a continuously variable transmission, which is one of the best we have encountered, although it was somewhat sluggish when starting out in the morning. So the sport mode and paddle shifters were very useful in adding “fun” to the new Corolla.
The only addition to our Corolla was the Driver Convenience package, which added some of our favorite things to the vehicle. First off came the smart key that allowed entry by just touching the handles on the front door, and also easy access to the trunk with just a touch. This vehicle also came equipped with Bluetooth, a USB port and SiriusXM radio, voice activation after hooking up a smart phone, and navigation. It was well worth the $1,500 addition.
Included on the leather wrapped steering wheel were controls for all of the audio and also voice activation. The seats were made of simulated leather, and included a nice white stitching all around; there was also the standard inclusion of a backup camera on the LE Eco Premium that we drove.
With the redesign, they have found a way to include almost 5 extra inches of legroom in the rear seats, ensuring that your friends and relatives will have a more comfortable ride in the back seat. On the same note, a rear facing child seat will fit much easier into the Corolla, and makes this an excellent choice for a young family just getting started.
One thing that everyone will notice is that the new Corolla will definitely sip less gas than in previous years, as all are equipped with an eco function that keeps the MPG as high as possible, we registered a fine 39 mpg for the week. It seems that Toyota has mastered the art of gas mileage over the past few years one of the things we have found to be common among almost all models we have driven!
There are many choices out there in the compact sedan market, and each has its own unique styling and driving functions, but you would be remiss to not at least check out the new Corolla, and all the new technology that has been included by Toyota. Check one out today at Brent Brown Toyota at 1400 South Sandhill Road Orem, (801) 224-1320.
Base Price: $20,100
Price as Driven: $23,270
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