The WRX is getting re-clutchified, so for the past three days we've been tooling around the greater Los Angeles area in a 2007 Corolla. Our impressions are thus:
Features the world's most legible instruments.Comparing the Corolla to Wonder Bread isn't fair — to Wonder Bread. The Corolla is more like a sack of flour, and not that fancy King Arthur stuff, either.Still, surprising power. Another reason why modern engines are amazing; even a pair of brown shoes like the Corolla has both DOHC and variable-valve timing.Enjoys going around corners. Even so, negative feedback from the tiller. It's like turning the hollow plastic steering wheel attached to your kid's crib.Rock solid at 70 mph. Becomes 20-times more sketchy at 75-80 mph. Puny wheelbase doesn't help matters.We will never bitch about cheap GM/Ford/Chrysler interiors again without mentioning el Corolla. Way to cut corners (and fingers), Toyota.Worst driving position of any modern car in memory. The seats are overstuffed and feel like bad dorm furniture. Frankly, just terrible.After taking my friend out to lunch in the Corolla she asked, "What kind of car was that?" I told her it was a Toyota Corolla. She answered, "Really?"Has a simply cavernous trunkEasy to lose in parking lots, as it looks like a lumpen gray blob with wheels.