Toyota 2014 Corolla

Toyota 2014 Corolla: If you're shopping in the compact-car class, fuel efficiency as well as price are most definitely amongst your leading concerns. Toyota's redesigned small car provides both-- as long as you're ALRIGHT with a couple of tradeoffs comfortably.

The 2014 Toyota Corolla is a huge enhancement, however it ranks simply midpack versus other compacts, particularly in terms of cabin noise and ride quality.

Together with an outside styling makeover, the 11th-generation Corolla gets a revised engine and also an extra upscale inside for 2014.

This is a huge, busy course with a lot of strong contenders and a near-constant redesign schedule. The Corolla's main rivals consist of the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Ford Emphasis.


Toyota 2014 Corolla


Exterior & Designing

For 2014, the Corolla drew an auto Miley Cyrus: Toyota took the sedan's exterior from Hannah Montana conservative to eye-catching starlet (regrettably, Robin Thicke wasn't involved). Its standard LED-accented fronts lights, chiseled body lines and also pumped-up grille make it the most dramatic-looking Corolla yet. Actually, nevertheless, any kind of update would've elevated the 2013 version from the midsts of its drabness.

Immediately noticeable are cues Toyota borrowed from the Avalon big car (the grille as well as fronts lights particularly look acquainted), and also although the words "big car" don't typically share exhilaration in the designing department, the result works on the Corolla. The sedan's fresh looks can't match the hostile, stylish position of the Kia Strong suit or the sweeping sophistication of the Hyundai Elantra, but it can get rid of "monotonous" from its list of problems.

How It Drives

Although the old Corolla's lackluster looks are gone, a refined outside can not hide a rugged driving experience.

First, the hits: Toyota did a fantastic job with the continually variable automatic transmission. It feels even more natural and also polished compared to the systems in the Subaru Impreza and Nissan Sentra. I drove the Corolla LE Eco design, as well as power distribution from the 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder was additionally quicker compared to the other two. Some CVTs in the course take their time constructing power as well as cause their engines to grumble loudly, yet Toyota's is both receptive and reasonably peaceful. It could get loud when pushed, yet it's far from the most significant culprit.

Other versions (L, LE as well as S trims) make use of a version of the 1.8-liter that benefits 132 hp. Criterion on the base L is a six-speed manual transmission, as well as an old four-speed automatic is optional; the CVT is typical on all various other trims.

The LE Eco design's powertrain is the most efficient. During my 200-mile trek in the city and on the highway, the Corolla returned excellent gas mileage: 38.3 mpg, which is better compared to the EPA's rating of 30/42/35 mpg city/highway/combined. Base designs with the manual are still impressive, with a 28/37/31 mpg rating, which is midpack compared with base versions of the Civic (28/36/31 mpg), Emphasis (26/36/30 mpg) and Elantra (28/38/32 mpg).

Currently the misses: Although decent pep places it at the top in terms of power, unreasonable noise levels drop the Corolla to the bottom of the segment. Noise gathers from everywhere. The mirrors reason quite a bit of wind ruckus, as well as roadway sound will certainly have you inspecting to see if all the windows are closed, leaving the powertrain's raw note complementing circus-like levels of loudness. This was a problem with the previous variation, as well, and the redesign hasn't put a damage in it.

Though on the strong side, an also larger issue with the sedan's ride top quality is a lack of seclusion. Excessive of the roadway comes into the cabin, so uncomfortable degrees of vibration as well as violence are constant, uninvited guests. The trip itself usually verges on jittery, with a little bit too much hop over larger bumps. Like the Honda Civic, the suppleness is bearable at first but ends up being significantly uneasy as the drive wears on. The Kia Specialty and also Ford Focus, nevertheless, ace flight high quality; both keep a comfy degree of calmness over bumps.

The Corolla scores much better in regards to handling, with natural-feeling steering and confident roadholding abilities. It doesn't really feel sporty, yet the car takes corners without sloppiness.

Inside

The makeover is no less extreme inside. Toyota changed the previous generation's dull layout and also products with an enticing blend of shade and texture, in addition to an extra horizontal control layout.

The Corolla I drove combined a dark eco-friendly exterior with camel-colored tones inside as well as was very welcoming. It's an enhancement over last year's budget-grade theme, however the cabin still can't match the Elantra's blend of high-quality products and innovative style. It does, however, use even more top quality as well as style compared to the cabins of the squeak-and-rattle-prone Focus and also traditional Strength.

Beauty is not skin deep in this situation. Not just does the within look excellent, however it likewise really feels excellent, also. The door panel armrest is padded enough, and also the seats strike an excellent balance: helpful without being also strong, cushy without being also mushy. One tiny missing thing is a moving sun visor, which several cars have and work daily.

At 182.6 inches long, the Corolla is just one of the greatest cars in the class after growing a pair inches for 2014. Bonus length means added guest room, and also legroom is generous in the front and back seats. The backseat pillow, nonetheless, is well-founded.

Ergonomics & Electronics

Several controls and also displays are in a similar spot in the new-generation Corolla, yet the layout has actually been stretched horizontally for 2014. It looks like Toyota was aiming for a more streamlined setup. The outcome is a lot more enticing overall, however the panel is still strained with buttons. Finding out just what they all do isn't an issue, nevertheless.

The 6.1-inch touch-screen audio device is once more common on the LE trim degree as well as above however inaccessible on base trims. The screen dimension is decent for menu clarity as well as button dimension. The system features Toyota's Entune application collection, as well as Bluetooth audio streaming with my Android phone was seamless. Linking to my Pandora Web radio app was additionally simple, but I would love to see more functionality. You can utilize the touch-screen to play and pause a tune, however functions like missing a tune or packing a brand-new terminal typically aren't available.

Freight & Storage

In spite of the gains in size, the Corolla's trunk is still fairly small, with just 13 cubic feet of space. That's up from in 2015's rating of 12.3 as well as bigger than the Civic's trunk (12.5 ), however somewhat smaller compared to the Focus (13.2) and also Elantra (14.8 ). Much more bothersome is the Corolla's trunk design. Big steel hinges protrude right into the baggage room; several car manufacturers have actually upgraded to smaller sized, strut-like devices.

The rear seat folds up in a 60/40 split for additional cargo area-- an useful feature that isn't really basic on the Civic or Emphasis.

In advance, there's a phone-sized cubby smoothly situated in front of supporting input as well as USB ports, in addition to a small-ish center console; the Civic's is much bigger and includes a comfortable sliding armrest. For the backseat, there are 2 flimsy pop-out cupholders (they wouldn't last a week with my household) as well as one bottleholder in each door.

Security

The 2014 Toyota Corolla is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety and security Pick, earning Excellent ratings in all areas of screening except the challenging brand-new small-overlap frontal accident examination. The Corolla racked up Low in this test, just one step above the most affordable score of Poor. The Strength scored Poor in this field, yet the Civic, Elantra and also Focus did better, gaining Leading Safety and security Choose Plus condition. The National Freeway Web Traffic Safety Management has yet to crash-test the Corolla.

A backup camera is not available on base L designs yet basic on every other trim. The only vehicle in this class with a typical electronic camera throughout the lineup is the Civic, the base cost of which compares with the Corolla LE. The Corolla also comes standard with a vehicle driver's knee air bag and both driver as well as guest seat cushion air bags that blow up under the knees-- uncommon attributes in this class. Go here for a complete checklist of security features, as well as see just how well the Corolla suits child-safety seats in our Car Seat Inspect.

Value in Its Class

The 2014 Toyota Corolla begins at $17,610, making it among one of the most affordable lorries in its course, ranking just over the Ford Focus, at $17,105 (all rates consist of location costs). The Elantra begins just greater, at $17,760, as well as the Civic tops the list at $18,955.

Shoppers wanting to update to an automated will also discover the Corolla inexpensive. The out-of-date four-speed is an added $600, less than the additional cost for the Civic's automatic ($800), the Focus' terrible automated handbook ($1,095) and the Elantra's six-speed unit ($1,000).

We called the 2013 Corolla "sub-mediocre" in a segment bursting with impressive cars, so this redesigned version has a hell of a hill to climb up. Although the Hyundai Elantra and also Kia Strength are kings of the mountain in terms of value, functions as well as comfort, the brand-new Corolla makes some strides in terms of gas effectiveness and interior materials.

Possibilities are, however, that few individuals will care that it still fails. In spite of the previous Corolla's stinker condition, individuals still bought it-- lots of people. Toyota has actually marketed more than 40 million Corollas worldwide because it went on sale for the 1989 version year. In the U.S., the sedan consistently covers month-to-month hot seller listings, trying to getting the top compact port with the Honda Civic. It could not be as well-shaped as a number of cars and trucks in its course, but the 2014 Corolla is definitely a step up from the previous generation and will certainly continuously attract the masses.