COROLLA

2013 Toyota Corolla Review

Standout styling, decent engine and CVT, handling and ride, steering, front sports seats, fun car to drive.

CVT can be noisy around town, handling and ride not as good as some rivals, base model Ascent misses out on touch screen.

Toyota Corolla Overview

Australia was the first country outside of Japan to receive the Toyota Corolla in November of 1966 with the first generation going on sale in 1967.

Success in the 1968 and 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 Bathurst races went hand in hand with Corolla’s early reputation for durability and reliability combining to make the car a triumph for the Japanese marque in Australia.

Local Corolla production followed sporting a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual gearbox and a push-button radio.

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1970 saw the second generation Corolla hit Australian streets, still in two-door layout, before the third generation took over in 1975 joined by a three-door Liftback in 1976 and the first four-door Corolla in 1980. Technology upgrades now included front disc brakes and the availability of a 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre engine.

1983 would prove to be a definitive year for Toyota and for the Corolla. The fourth generation brought with it a stronger chassis, longer wheelbase, coil-spring rear suspension and a 1.8-litre engine for the first time. In Japan, meanwhile, it was the smaller capacity 88kW 1.6-litre 4A-GE engine that would start a cult following taking pride of place in the front-engined rear-wheel drive AE86 Corolla – the namesake of the new Toyota 86.

Despite its Japanese popularity, in Australia the little dynamo of a motor would only find its way into the front-wheel drive fifth generation Corolla of 1985. The generational change also marked a shift from rear-wheel drive to front, Twin Cam Multi-valve engines and electronic fuel injection. The locally produced sedan, hatch and liftback body styles were joined in 1988 by the fully imported four-wheel drive Toyota Corolla wagon.

1989 was another leap forward again for the Toyota Corolla with the six generation seeing the 4A-GE reach the 100kW mark powering the Corolla GTi and Corolla Seca SX liftback. This was followed in 1991 by an historic achievement when the Corolla became the first local small car to be fitted with anti-lock brakes (ABS).

The fully imported eighth generation Corolla of 1999 ended 31 years of local production, as Toyota Australia created production capacity for its Toyota Avalon large-car.

All 18 models of the ninth generation Corolla benefited from the latest developments including the addition of variable valve timing (VVT-i), improved fuel economy and emissions, and an increase in body rigidity while reducing weight. The model range was highlighted by the introduction of the 141kW Toyota Corolla Sportivo, with its variable valve timing and variable valve lift (VVT-iL) engine technology.

2007 saw the Corolla enter its fifth decade and tenth generation with a line-up of 13 models all now featuring both anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) for upgraded safety. These measures joined the standard driver’s and passenger airbags, and an optional safety pack that included font-seat side airbags, curtain airbags and driver’s knee airbag – the latter being the first available in its class.

Corolla sales have now exceeded 1.1 million vehicles in Australia and after 44 years and nine full model changes, the Toyota Corolla’s worldwide sales have eclipsed 32 million units.

According to Toyota Australia’s senior executive director of sales and marketing David Buttner, with just one-third of one per cent of the world’s population, Australia has bought around three per cent of all Corollas produced.

The small car is now produced in 16 countries around the world and sold in more than 140.

The Toyota Corolla’s nine-model range, priced between $20,990 and $31,490, include both hatch and sedan body styles, and the latest 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine producing 100kW of power and 175Nm of torque. Basic features such as air conditioning and power windows are now joined by new technologies like wireless Bluetooth connectivity and vehicle stability control (VSC).

As of July, the Toyota Corolla stands strong as the third most popular car in Australia, with year to date sales of the mighty Corolla reaching 22,011 vehicles - just 2955 units behind its Toyota HiLux stable-mate.

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Toyota Corolla Owner Reviews Add a New Review

2008 TOYOTA COROLLA ASCENT
By Kennedy
Rating:
Owned this Corolla Ascent first day in 2009. * Great looker as I liked the European styled Ascent Hatch.

2011 TOYOTA COROLLA ASCENT
By Alan Davies
Rating:
I live in Canberra and drove recently to Casula and back and used 3/4 of a tank in total. My car is the hatchback model.

2011 TOYOTA COROLLA ASCENT
By Robert Bashir
Rating:
The Toyota Corolla is a decent car to drive, reliable and fuel efficient. The best part of the car would be its compact size which makes...

2002 TOYOTA COROLLA ULTIMA SECA
By JMAE881
Rating:
I had looked a purchasing this Toyota Corolla because of their well known reputation of efficiency and reliability.

1991 TOYOTA COROLLA SE
By D Is For Drive
Rating:
I bought my first car, the Toyota Corolla Standard Edition (the bottom of the range with optional air conditioning as ticked on the option...

2011 TOYOTA COROLLA ASCENT SPORT
By Osman Asmar
Rating:
Despite what people think of the Toyota Corolla, I myself am not a Corolla fan. For me, in my honest opinion, Corollas are boring, bland to...

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