2010 Toyota Corolla: My Thoughts

We decided to cash in our clunker for a 2010 Toyota Corolla. We have been Toyota fans for a long time owning a Camry, Lexus, Tundra, and others. We test drove the Honda Fit and the Toyota Yaris. The Honda Fit was nice but Toyota is giving incentives that were hard to pass on. The Yaris was awful. I did not even have a place to put my coffee cup!

We bought a basic 4 door manual sedan with a 1.8 liter 5 cylinder engine. Out of the 3 the Corolla was the biggest and although the back seat does not go up as in the Fit the back seat goes down so we'll have plenty of room for our stuff.

The 2010 Corolla gets about 26 mpg on the city roads and 35 on the highway. Certainly this isn't the best mileage (i.e. the Prius) but in this price category, $16,000, it made the grade.

I am big on safety and felt the Yaris was just too small although the crash ratings were good. The safety ratings for the Corolla are 4 stars for the driver and passenger in a frontal crash; 5 stars in the front seat and 4 stars in the back seat for a side crash; and 4 stars in a rollover. These statistics are from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Some of the standard equipment include 60/40 split rear seat with an in-trunk release, a/c, direct tire pressure monitor, and anti-lock brakes. Remember this is the base model. We did not even get power windows though the side mirrors heat up. I do have places to put a drink and there are enough nooks and crannies for me to be happy. Interestingly enough and finally this is a no-smoking car meaning there is no ashtray. If you smoke you'll be paying for an ashtray!

I think it's cute - perhaps not as cute as the Fit but for a small sedan I like the look. It seems to be a baby version of my Lexus. (The fact it is the same color may have something to do with that!)

I can drive a manual and don't mind it although my husband loves the manual and has wanted one for a long time. We had a manual Honda Accord at one time but at this point of my life it isn't what I would choose for everyday use. However, the manual has more pickup (naturally) than the automatic we test drove. As a driver I find the Corolla very easy to handle and the ride smooth and quiet. Much more so than the Versa and even the Fit I think. There is plenty of leg room both in the front and the back and though this is truly a no-frills car it makes a great commuting car.