The 2014 model, on sale since September, now is made in Tupelo, Miss., instead of Canada.
It has a new menu of transmissions and a new high-mpg Eco version of the carryover four-cylinder engine with increased horsepower (140 vs. 132 for other models) and a laudable 35 mpg government rating in combined city/highway driving.
The wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer, and it mostly went to extending rear seat legroom. Trunk got a bit bigger, too. Overall, the car's 2.6 inches longer and half-an-inch wider. Still solidly compact, but feels bigger than that inside.
Not sporty, though. The TV ads portray some growl from the engine and a bit of agility that could make you believe Toyota's made a little BMW, but not so.
In real life, the engine growls because the new continuously-variable-ratio automatic transmission (CVT) forces it to rev high and struggle to accelerate. In fact, it's pretty much dead under full throttle from a full stop. Once underway, the setup's more responsive.
Corolla S models have manual-shift mode that makes it more fun, and a "sport" mode that changes the transmission to create seven ratios as in a normal transmission instead of the continuously changing ratio of a CVT. That setting does improve response, as well as driver satisfaction.
"Sport" holds the transmission in each gear long enough for the engine to really stretch its legs under full throttle. It's still closer to dead than alive when you floor the gas from a dead stop, though.
It'd make you nervous jumping from a side road onto a main road with fast-moving traffic and little space between cars.
Those references to dead-in-the-water initial response from a standstill might provoke an argument from Toyota engineers, who tried to make this CVT responsive. Toyota's hybrids all have had CVTs, but those have used gears. The Corolla CVT is Toyota's first use of the more common belt-drive CVT in the U.S.
Two ot! her transmissions are offered, a four-speed automatic, as in the previous model and only on the base L, and a six-speed manual replacing last year's five-speed.
The suspension type and layout remain the same as in the old version, which means the 2014 leans in sharp corners, with enough understeer to get the driver's attention. Dramatic, tire-squealing understeer in some cases.
If you like tossing the car around a little, Corolla's not the compact sedan for you. You're better off with a Honda Civic or, most particularly, a Ford Focus. The Ford, while perhaps not the best overall value among compacts, has a terrific chassis.
The new Corolla shines inside. New dashboard is a broad horizontal sweep that gives the illusion of greater width inside. And it's festooned with enough of the cheap but acceptable plastic trim items, such as a thin faux wood strip in the LE Eco test car and thin blue line in the S test car, to have a pleasing overall feel.
Toyota did not make the mistake that Honda did on the redesigned 2012 Civic, with its underwhelming interior that required a fast makeover for the 2013 Civic.
Nor did Toyota make the Civic 2012 misstep in refinement. The Corolla is quiet and serene inside, at least compared with others of its ilk. So's the Civic — now.
Seats are comfortable both front and rear, and the expanded leg and knee room in back will be welcomed by those who ride there.
Fuel economy will be a selling point. Not only are the published ratings alluring — as much as 42 mpg on the highway in the Eco version — but they are surprisingly realistic. Test Drive tends to drive 'em like we stole 'em, so usually registers fuel economy numbers well below the window-sticker ratings. Not so in the Corolla test cars.
The Eco model, pushed briskly through hilly terrain, was good for 39 mpg. The S, keeping the transmission in the fuel-using but fun enhancing "sport" mode and using any excuse to floor the gas, was good for 35 mpg in hilly terrain.
M! ost of th! e newest-generation compacts can get 30 mpg or better driven normally, but to exceed 30 by so much, without trying, is impressive.
If the Corolla as a package wows you, but you enjoy spirited driving, try the S model with "sport" and manual-shift capability. And don't demand too much when you happen on the right street at the wrong moment and have to make a sudden 90-degree turn.
If you're smitten by the new features, roomier interior and good mpg, and don't drive hard, especially around corners, the redone 2014 Corolla seems an excellent choice.
TOYOTA COROLLA DETAILS
What? Redesign of four-door front-drive compact sedan that's one of the best-selling cars in the world, passing 40 million lifetime sales in July.
When? On sale since September
Where? Made at Tupelo, Miss.
How much? Starts at $17,610 for base L with six-speed manual transmission, including $810 shipping; $20,910 for test LE Eco Premium with CVT (continuously variable-ratio automatic transmission); $23,570 for S Premium.
What makes it go? 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine rated 132 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 128 pounds-feet of torque at 4,400 is carried over from 2013. New Eco fuel-economy model uses same engine, new valve technology and is rated 140 hp at 6,100 rpm, 126 lbs.-ft. at 4,000 rpm.
Three transmissions are available, depending on model: four-speed automatic (base L only), six-speed manual, CVT continuously variable automatic.
How big? About 3 in. longer than a Honda Civic. Slightly longer, wider than previous Corolla, about 6% more passenger space. Trunk is 13 cubic feet, up from 12.3 cu. ft.
Weighs 2,800 to 2,865 lbs.
Turning circle diameter, 35.6 ft.
How thirsty? Depending on transmission, models are rated 27 to 30 mpg in the city, 36 to 42 highway, 31 to 35 combined city/highway. Eco model has highest rating in each.
Eco test car with CVT driven briskly in hilly terrain registered 39 mpg (2.5! 6 gallons! per 100 miles). S test car with CVT mostly in "sport" mode and using lots of wide-open throttle bursts in hilly terrain delivered 35 mpg (2.86 gal./100 mi.). The mpg numbers aren't rounded, they just happened to come out even.
Burns regular, holds 13.2 gallons.
Overall: Nicer, more fuel-efficient, roomier than predecessor.
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