The Toyota Corolla, it's the world's most popular car. Thirty-something million units and counting. But here in Australia, it's a photo finish for first place in small cars with the razor sharp Mazda 3. People love their Corollas. Take Car Advice road tester Alborz Fallah's parents. What is it about Corollas, because your mom and dad are in love with theirs?
They do love theirs, and you know what? They bought it after test driving so many of its competitors in its class, so I think the reason they bought it is because it's a Toyota.
I think the perception of reliability really helps.
They kept the price of the servicing for the first six services. A company as big as Toyota can come out and say we'll guarantee this is how much it's going to cost.
You know, it's a bit of a shock to people who road test cars for a living, but plenty of people out there just use their cars to get from A to B.
Absolutely, and I
think the Corolla is a definitive A to B car. You just buy it because you know it's going to be reliable. It 's not going to look exciting, it's not going to go around corners really quickly, but as you said, most people probably don't really care.
It's really comfortable. You've got a lot of room in thatyou just, you get in and you can drive all the way from Brisbane to Sydney and you wouldn't feel it. It's very simple to use. You get in, you know exactly where it is, and you know it's going to work, too. And I guess the other thing about Japanese cars is that they drive on the same side of the road as us.
So a lot of their control architecture's just a little bit better. Yeah, that's right. It's really easy to drive. I do think on the base model it's lacking a little bit. Like you don't have power windows to the rear unless you get the power pack. So if you were buying a Corolla, you're out there, you're a family, you want a good second car or even good first car.
Which model do you kick off in? I think the Ascent is perfect. It's the base model. You just make sure you pick the safety pack. It gives you more air bags. I think that's pretty much all it gives you now, is more airbags. Because stability control is across the range. Yeah that's right. You'd also pick the power pack, so you'd get, obviously cruise control and we want a get the re-winters as power winters am enough if he want 98 crease control them congratulate the just preserve your licence because its so easy to the road at 120 and get pinged.
Yeah, that's right. You know what, though? The automatic is only a four speed, but it's probably one of the better autos speed automatics on the market and I think it's made it quite well to the 1.8 liter engine. Tell us what other cars you have to test drive if Corolla's on your short list. Lancer, I30, definitely.
And even the Impreza would certainly be worth a test drive. But two of those cars, the I30 and the Lancer, they come with a much longer warranty don't they? And if I'm on a budget buying a Corolla, then that extra protection could be really important. Oh, I definitely agree. I think a lot of people's brand perception Toyota's perceived reliability is not exactly true.
Sure, they're very reliable, but the Koreans and the Japanese, for example in the I30 and the Lancer offer much better warranty, and if the cars weren't good enough, they wouldn't be doing that. And I guess the other thing you gotta bear in mind, and it's not all about the drive, so what other unique selling positions are there for Corolla?
I think the sedan is quite a decent size. It doesn't have the practicality of the hatch. They're the same price, so if you do want to get a bit more practicality with go for the hatch for lot of traditional boys look my parents prefered the sedential and they think looks good i think you will lot of practice of the car, lots of room inside, lots of room in the boot, and it's quite a decent car.
Thanks, Albos. Well, it might be white goods on wheels for some people Oh, but lots of people enjoy their Corollas. You can read the full review online now, download the specifications, add your comments, and even get a quote from a Toyota dealer. Just follow the links, on this page.
