Our TOAD or what we will be pulling behind Geogie
We decided to cash in our clunker for a 2010
Toyota Corolla. We have been Toyota fans for a long time owing a Camry, Lexus,
Tundra, and others. We test drove the Honda Fit and the Toyota Versa. The Honda
Fit was nice but Toyota is giving incentives that were hard to pass on. The
Versa 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 also am big on safety and felt the Versa
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 cut 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.
This was written in 2010. Jo no longer has the Lexus. This was reviewed somewhere!