Ride Report - '11 Toyota Corolla LE
Sep 16, 2012, 12:59 am
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Ride Report - '11 Toyota Corolla LE
L'shanah tovah tikatevu! I needed a car this weekend so I could go to Rosh Hashanah services, and found that it was cheaper to rent for two days and two hours from my HLE than it was to do a 24-hour rental from the airport. I booked a compact (Chevy Aveo or similar) and was offered a Corolla or Mazda3. After a bad experience with a Corolla last October in ROC and wanting to give it a chance to redeem itself -- and at the suggestion of the desk agent upon asking which one she liked better -- I took the Corolla. I wish I hadn't, and for the first time since I began renting cars myself I didn't feel safe in it and returned it to the airport.
www.toyota.com/corolla
Car Description: 11 COROLLA S (2011 Toyota Corolla LE)
Class: C
The LE trim is apparently the intermediate trim level for the Corolla. Perhaps the lowest trim doesn't have the aux-in jack or cruise control or who-knows-what, but I question how much can be taken out of what this car does have. Once upon a time, this car's MSRP was $18,360; 31,137 miles later and then a few I put on, I kept this car for several hours and 18 miles before swapping it at the airport.
Powertrain: The 2011 Corolla comes with a tiny 1.8-liter straight 4-cylinder "2ZR-FE" engine. It produces up to 132 horsepower and 128 ft-lbs. of torque. In the midsize category, the Corolla trails the rest of the pack. It's 4-speed automatic transmission, which requires moving the handle through a maze-like track, takes its time to switch gears and I found to be pretty unpredictable, not to mention that in 2012 a 4-speed is obsolete when other midsize (and even smaller!) cars have 6-speed transmissions. The weakness of the entire system means that you need to plan out lane changes and passing cars well in advance. The one area where the Corolla does shine, however, is fuel economy: it's rated at 26 miles per gallon in the city and 34 on the highway, and I averaged 34 even with pushing it as hard as it could go on city streets ^
Ride/Handling: This category is ultimately what drove me (no pun intended) to return the car. The suspension is pretty stiff and you experience very little body lean in turns, which is good. However, the steering is so vague that when you turn the wheel you're not sure if it'll even follow your orders; it's also very loose, although when it does turn it has a nice, tight radius. Braking is downright frightening; unless you push down hard on the pedal, nothing happens -- unless you are heading downhill, in which case you continue to gain speed.
Interior: Compared to what I remember of the 2010 Corolla I had last year, nothing has changed and can be described in one word: cheap. Four people can comfortably (I hesitate with that word) fit in the car, as long as two of them are not very tall. The bisque cloth suits the car fine since it looks cheap and the car is cheap. The plastics covering the entire dashboard look exceptionally cheap and feel cheap, too. I found 6 cup holders, two in the front (one in each door storage slot), and four in the back (one in each door and an additional two that popped out from the rear of the center storage console). There was no fold-down armrest in the rear row. A single DC power outlet is available (although a cigarette lighter is an optional feature that wasn't selected). The few positives here are the aux-in jack below the radio, the decent sound quality, and the extra storage compartment above the glove compartment; there are plenty of places to put stuff. The trunk is average, if not large for a car of this size.
The gauge cluster was simple and easy to read; there's not much that can go wrong there. A small screen on the right displayed the gear and the odometer reading, while on the left you could cycle through outside temperature, average fuel economy, instant fuel economy, distance to empty, and some sort of timer I think. Lights and wipers were on their own separate stalks, although if you forget to turn off the lights before getting out of the car it will beep at you (i.e., no auto lights
). Radio and climate control was simple and intuitive, with HVAC controls consisting of three large, cheap-plastic dials. The clock, below all of that, looked like an aftermarket thought, as if someone said, "Oh no! We forgot a clock! Let's stick it... uhh... there!" It's tiny and hard to see, and certainly not helpful if you're driving.
Noise was not a major issue with the Corolla; the engine is too small to be excessively loud, and road noise (although it's not much) is blocked out by your nerves while trying to control the car when driving. Very clever, Toyota
Just kidding. Every time you hit a bump in the road it sounded like a rock fell on the car.
Exterior/Design: The Corolla looks like a Camry and a Scion did something together that they shouldn't have. It doesn't look bad, per se, but it's just very bland from the side. The front does look like it's trying to be aggressive, and the lights on the rear are an interesting combination of red and clear when off. The Sandy Beach paint scheme (or "Champagne" if you refer to the Hertz paperwork) suits the car fine.
Features: This car has a number of features which are standard, including one DC power outlet, an AM/FM radio with CD and MP3 capability and an auxiliary jack ^, cruise control, power windows (including auto-down for the driver), power mirrors, and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel ^. What's not included is any Bluetooth connectivity, power-adjusting seats (not even for the driver), lights next to the vanity mirrors on the sun visors, auto-on/off headlights (don't forget to turn them off before leaving the car!), a cigarette lighter (you have the DC outlet but nothing in it), and so, so much more.
Value: Using the USAA CDP and the $10/day-off PC, I had a price quote of $25 and change for two days and two hours in a CCAR (Aveo or similar), so I was given an upgrade. $25 for a little over two days for a midsize car is not a bad deal. However, with this Corolla's lack of power and questionable brakes, I took a side trip to the airport to swap it for something else.
Summary
PROS:
CONS:
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but after reading drzoidberg's reviews of other smaller vehicles like the Chevy Sonic and Ford Fiesta and Focus (check them out on the National forum), I think the Corolla has a long way to go before it can be called a competitive midsize car, even with its great fuel economy and historically strong reliability. I went to the airport and swapped it for a high mileage but fresh-out-of-the-shop 2011 Altima (boo another 2011!) but it runs a hell of a lot better than the Corolla, and now I'm on the SLC station manager's good side
Final Verdict: If you only need to get from point A to point B without using a lot of gas, the Corolla is perfect for you and up to three other passengers and some stuff in the trunk, although it won't be quick or easy. Toyota has a ton of catching up to do in the midsize category, and Hertz needs to get their act together and toss these 2011 models. And don't be afraid to return a car if it isn't safe to drive @:-)
-J.
www.toyota.com/corolla
Car Description: 11 COROLLA S (2011 Toyota Corolla LE)
Class: C
The LE trim is apparently the intermediate trim level for the Corolla. Perhaps the lowest trim doesn't have the aux-in jack or cruise control or who-knows-what, but I question how much can be taken out of what this car does have. Once upon a time, this car's MSRP was $18,360; 31,137 miles later and then a few I put on, I kept this car for several hours and 18 miles before swapping it at the airport.
Powertrain: The 2011 Corolla comes with a tiny 1.8-liter straight 4-cylinder "2ZR-FE" engine. It produces up to 132 horsepower and 128 ft-lbs. of torque. In the midsize category, the Corolla trails the rest of the pack. It's 4-speed automatic transmission, which requires moving the handle through a maze-like track, takes its time to switch gears and I found to be pretty unpredictable, not to mention that in 2012 a 4-speed is obsolete when other midsize (and even smaller!) cars have 6-speed transmissions. The weakness of the entire system means that you need to plan out lane changes and passing cars well in advance. The one area where the Corolla does shine, however, is fuel economy: it's rated at 26 miles per gallon in the city and 34 on the highway, and I averaged 34 even with pushing it as hard as it could go on city streets ^
Ride/Handling: This category is ultimately what drove me (no pun intended) to return the car. The suspension is pretty stiff and you experience very little body lean in turns, which is good. However, the steering is so vague that when you turn the wheel you're not sure if it'll even follow your orders; it's also very loose, although when it does turn it has a nice, tight radius. Braking is downright frightening; unless you push down hard on the pedal, nothing happens -- unless you are heading downhill, in which case you continue to gain speed.
Interior: Compared to what I remember of the 2010 Corolla I had last year, nothing has changed and can be described in one word: cheap. Four people can comfortably (I hesitate with that word) fit in the car, as long as two of them are not very tall. The bisque cloth suits the car fine since it looks cheap and the car is cheap. The plastics covering the entire dashboard look exceptionally cheap and feel cheap, too. I found 6 cup holders, two in the front (one in each door storage slot), and four in the back (one in each door and an additional two that popped out from the rear of the center storage console). There was no fold-down armrest in the rear row. A single DC power outlet is available (although a cigarette lighter is an optional feature that wasn't selected). The few positives here are the aux-in jack below the radio, the decent sound quality, and the extra storage compartment above the glove compartment; there are plenty of places to put stuff. The trunk is average, if not large for a car of this size.
The gauge cluster was simple and easy to read; there's not much that can go wrong there. A small screen on the right displayed the gear and the odometer reading, while on the left you could cycle through outside temperature, average fuel economy, instant fuel economy, distance to empty, and some sort of timer I think. Lights and wipers were on their own separate stalks, although if you forget to turn off the lights before getting out of the car it will beep at you (i.e., no auto lights
). Radio and climate control was simple and intuitive, with HVAC controls consisting of three large, cheap-plastic dials. The clock, below all of that, looked like an aftermarket thought, as if someone said, "Oh no! We forgot a clock! Let's stick it... uhh... there!" It's tiny and hard to see, and certainly not helpful if you're driving.
Noise was not a major issue with the Corolla; the engine is too small to be excessively loud, and road noise (although it's not much) is blocked out by your nerves while trying to control the car when driving. Very clever, Toyota
Just kidding. Every time you hit a bump in the road it sounded like a rock fell on the car.Exterior/Design: The Corolla looks like a Camry and a Scion did something together that they shouldn't have. It doesn't look bad, per se, but it's just very bland from the side. The front does look like it's trying to be aggressive, and the lights on the rear are an interesting combination of red and clear when off. The Sandy Beach paint scheme (or "Champagne" if you refer to the Hertz paperwork) suits the car fine.
Features: This car has a number of features which are standard, including one DC power outlet, an AM/FM radio with CD and MP3 capability and an auxiliary jack ^, cruise control, power windows (including auto-down for the driver), power mirrors, and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel ^. What's not included is any Bluetooth connectivity, power-adjusting seats (not even for the driver), lights next to the vanity mirrors on the sun visors, auto-on/off headlights (don't forget to turn them off before leaving the car!), a cigarette lighter (you have the DC outlet but nothing in it), and so, so much more.
Value: Using the USAA CDP and the $10/day-off PC, I had a price quote of $25 and change for two days and two hours in a CCAR (Aveo or similar), so I was given an upgrade. $25 for a little over two days for a midsize car is not a bad deal. However, with this Corolla's lack of power and questionable brakes, I took a side trip to the airport to swap it for something else.
Summary
- 1.8L inline 4-cylinder engine (132 hp, 128 ft-lbs. of torque)
- 4-speed automatic with overdrive
- 26/34 mpg
- Second trim level
PROS:
- Great fuel economy
- Historically reliable
- Decent amount of room in the back (excluding headroom)
- Nice amount of storage space within the cabin
- Aux-in jack and tilt/telescopic steering wheel
CONS:
- Extremely weak, buzzy engine
- Lack of any features (at all!)
- 4-speed transmission in this day and age is unacceptable
- Maze-like gear shift track
- Visibly cheap plastics
- Extremely vague steering
- Manual light controls
- Ineffective braking potentially dangerous
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but after reading drzoidberg's reviews of other smaller vehicles like the Chevy Sonic and Ford Fiesta and Focus (check them out on the National forum), I think the Corolla has a long way to go before it can be called a competitive midsize car, even with its great fuel economy and historically strong reliability. I went to the airport and swapped it for a high mileage but fresh-out-of-the-shop 2011 Altima (boo another 2011!) but it runs a hell of a lot better than the Corolla, and now I'm on the SLC station manager's good side
Final Verdict: If you only need to get from point A to point B without using a lot of gas, the Corolla is perfect for you and up to three other passengers and some stuff in the trunk, although it won't be quick or easy. Toyota has a ton of catching up to do in the midsize category, and Hertz needs to get their act together and toss these 2011 models. And don't be afraid to return a car if it isn't safe to drive @:-)
-J.
Last edited by GW McLintock; Oct 9, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Sep 16, 2012, 5:18 pm
#3
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I find it a little odd that you got a 2011 this late in 2012. Must've bought some 2011s at the end of the model year.
I had a 2012 Corolla S last weekend and judging by your photos it apparently has some notable interior improvements, including a clock that is at the top of the center stack instead of the bottom.
I don't know for sure but I would venture that this is a change for 2012 for all of them, not just a entirely different interior for the S. The climate controls look about the same but the radio controls were different, the instrument cluster is a little different and the aux included a USB port in addition to the standard mini jack and had iPod integration when using that (i.e. song title and artist displayed on the screen, as well as play/pause/skip controls, and you could access playlists, etc, plus the title/artist display also worked with Pandora). It made reference to Bluetooth but I think it must have been an additional module not present because I couldn't find a way to pair to it with my iPhone.
All in all the Corolla was not bad and returned 32mpg on a 1300 mile highway trip even with my lead foot (lots of 80mph). The 4-speed though, yeah, this is 2012, get with the program! It should have at least been a 5-speed even several years ago. Although I had a 6-speed Focus last year for same drive and the mpg wasn't any better.
I had a 2012 Corolla S last weekend and judging by your photos it apparently has some notable interior improvements, including a clock that is at the top of the center stack instead of the bottom.
I don't know for sure but I would venture that this is a change for 2012 for all of them, not just a entirely different interior for the S. The climate controls look about the same but the radio controls were different, the instrument cluster is a little different and the aux included a USB port in addition to the standard mini jack and had iPod integration when using that (i.e. song title and artist displayed on the screen, as well as play/pause/skip controls, and you could access playlists, etc, plus the title/artist display also worked with Pandora). It made reference to Bluetooth but I think it must have been an additional module not present because I couldn't find a way to pair to it with my iPhone.All in all the Corolla was not bad and returned 32mpg on a 1300 mile highway trip even with my lead foot (lots of 80mph). The 4-speed though, yeah, this is 2012, get with the program! It should have at least been a 5-speed even several years ago. Although I had a 6-speed Focus last year for same drive and the mpg wasn't any better.
Sep 16, 2012, 5:24 pm
#4
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I find it a little odd that you got a 2011 this late in 2012. Must've bought some 2011s at the end of the model year.
I had a 2012 Corolla S last weekend and judging by your photos it apparently has some notable interior improvements, including a clock that is at the top of the center stack instead of the bottom. I don't know for sure but I would venture that this is a change for 2012 for all of them, not just a entirely different interior for the S. The climate controls look about the same but the radio controls were different, the instrument cluster is a little different and the aux included a USB port in addition to the standard mini jack and had iPod integration when using that (i.e. song title and artist displayed on the screen, as well as play/pause/skip controls, and you could access playlists, etc, plus the title/artist display also worked with Pandora). It made reference to Bluetooth but I think it must have been an additional module not present because I couldn't find a way to pair to it with my iPhone.
All in all the Corolla was not bad and returned 32mpg on a 1300 mile highway trip even with my lead foot (lots of 80mph). The 4-speed though, yeah, this is 2012, get with the program! It should have at least been a 5-speed even several years ago. Although I had a 6-speed Focus last year for same drive and the mpg wasn't any better.
I had a 2012 Corolla S last weekend and judging by your photos it apparently has some notable interior improvements, including a clock that is at the top of the center stack instead of the bottom.
I don't know for sure but I would venture that this is a change for 2012 for all of them, not just a entirely different interior for the S. The climate controls look about the same but the radio controls were different, the instrument cluster is a little different and the aux included a USB port in addition to the standard mini jack and had iPod integration when using that (i.e. song title and artist displayed on the screen, as well as play/pause/skip controls, and you could access playlists, etc, plus the title/artist display also worked with Pandora). It made reference to Bluetooth but I think it must have been an additional module not present because I couldn't find a way to pair to it with my iPhone.All in all the Corolla was not bad and returned 32mpg on a 1300 mile highway trip even with my lead foot (lots of 80mph). The 4-speed though, yeah, this is 2012, get with the program! It should have at least been a 5-speed even several years ago. Although I had a 6-speed Focus last year for same drive and the mpg wasn't any better.
). Still I thought that was ridiculous that I was driving a 2010 and it was almost 2012.Makes me wonder if Corollas stay this long, how about Crown Vics? Although after this, I'd honestly take a 2011 Crown Vic over a 2011 Corolla any day of the week. It may be old but at least it's built well. I've seen Crown Vics in Manhattan (taxis, not rentals) with over 400,000 miles and they ran better than some rental cars.
-J.
Last edited by GW McLintock; Sep 20, 2012 at 1:38 am
Sep 17, 2012, 9:23 am
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Sep 17, 2012, 2:57 pm
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And I guess I should avoid Sentras too. It's scary to me to think that it can get worse than the Corolla.
-J.
Sep 17, 2012, 3:42 pm
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Sep 17, 2012, 9:09 pm
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I edited the report a little to add one thing that I just remembered -- the Corolla had a tilt-and-telescoping adjustable steering wheel. Due to a variety of other factors (mainly because I couldn't position the seat so the steering wheel was in a comfortable spot), this didn't make me like the Corolla any better.
-J.
-J.
Sep 20, 2012, 6:14 pm
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The seat in the 2012 S was actually not bad. All my previous experiences with Corollas had me hating the seat. My last rental was the first time I didn't hate it.
I remember something being odd with the tilt/telescope as well. I think it was I expected it to tilt down a little farther than it actually did.
I never get the rated mpg on these things but agree that it's high time that Toyota tweaked this to be rated at about 37 or 38 highway at least because that is pretty standard these days in this class.
Again though, I had a Focus last year with the 6-speed, regular Focus is rated for 37-38, and I still got about 32 according to the onboard calculator (actually 31.8 or something). Same with the Toyota, according to its onboard computer. I didn't do any more exacting calculations with fuel used or anything, but I did make sure that I zeroed the computer so the calculation was made only with my driving. My conclusion is that while they have changed the process that generates the EPA numbers (to use some 80mph driving, use the A/C part of the time, etc), you still can't get the rated mpg with large amounts of A/C and 75-80mph.
So whatever tweaks make that car get 3-4mpg higher on the EPA highway cycle apparently are completely negated by driving fast enough and/or using the air a lot.
I remember something being odd with the tilt/telescope as well. I think it was I expected it to tilt down a little farther than it actually did.
I never get the rated mpg on these things but agree that it's high time that Toyota tweaked this to be rated at about 37 or 38 highway at least because that is pretty standard these days in this class.
Again though, I had a Focus last year with the 6-speed, regular Focus is rated for 37-38, and I still got about 32 according to the onboard calculator (actually 31.8 or something). Same with the Toyota, according to its onboard computer. I didn't do any more exacting calculations with fuel used or anything, but I did make sure that I zeroed the computer so the calculation was made only with my driving. My conclusion is that while they have changed the process that generates the EPA numbers (to use some 80mph driving, use the A/C part of the time, etc), you still can't get the rated mpg with large amounts of A/C and 75-80mph.
So whatever tweaks make that car get 3-4mpg higher on the EPA highway cycle apparently are completely negated by driving fast enough and/or using the air a lot.
Sep 20, 2012, 7:18 pm
#13
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The seat in the 2012 S was actually not bad. All my previous experiences with Corollas had me hating the seat. My last rental was the first time I didn't hate it.
I remember something being odd with the tilt/telescope as well. I think it was I expected it to tilt down a little farther than it actually did.
I never get the rated mpg on these things but agree that it's high time that Toyota tweaked this to be rated at about 37 or 38 highway at least because that is pretty standard these days in this class.
Again though, I had a Focus last year with the 6-speed, regular Focus is rated for 37-38, and I still got about 32 according to the onboard calculator (actually 31.8 or something). Same with the Toyota, according to its onboard computer. I didn't do any more exacting calculations with fuel used or anything, but I did make sure that I zeroed the computer so the calculation was made only with my driving. My conclusion is that while they have changed the process that generates the EPA numbers (to use some 80mph driving, use the A/C part of the time, etc), you still can't get the rated mpg with large amounts of A/C and 75-80mph.
So whatever tweaks make that car get 3-4mpg higher on the EPA highway cycle apparently are completely negated by driving fast enough and/or using the air a lot.
I remember something being odd with the tilt/telescope as well. I think it was I expected it to tilt down a little farther than it actually did.
I never get the rated mpg on these things but agree that it's high time that Toyota tweaked this to be rated at about 37 or 38 highway at least because that is pretty standard these days in this class.
Again though, I had a Focus last year with the 6-speed, regular Focus is rated for 37-38, and I still got about 32 according to the onboard calculator (actually 31.8 or something). Same with the Toyota, according to its onboard computer. I didn't do any more exacting calculations with fuel used or anything, but I did make sure that I zeroed the computer so the calculation was made only with my driving. My conclusion is that while they have changed the process that generates the EPA numbers (to use some 80mph driving, use the A/C part of the time, etc), you still can't get the rated mpg with large amounts of A/C and 75-80mph.
So whatever tweaks make that car get 3-4mpg higher on the EPA highway cycle apparently are completely negated by driving fast enough and/or using the air a lot.
-J.
Sep 21, 2012, 12:40 pm
#14
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Hell, I had a 2012 Camry a while back that also told me via its computer that it got 31 and change with, well, partly similar driving but on the way back I didn't take the highway the whole way. It wasn't as long a rental, only about 200 miles vs the 1300-1400.
It seems there may no longer be a good fuel economy reason to get a car in the Corolla class vs a 4cyl Camry or similar.
Sep 24, 2012, 3:09 am
#15
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Corolla is my go-to rental car, the right balance of fuel economy and comfortable ride.
I wonder if you actually had bad brakes that needed service. I've never felt they didn't respond. And that's over dozens of Corollas.
I also find for the class that the engine is one of the zippiest.
Nevertheless I can't say enough how much I appreciate your contributions to the ride reports. As a report/review this is excellent. I'd rather have a well done report to disagree with than a poorly done report that is no help to anyone.
I wonder if you actually had bad brakes that needed service. I've never felt they didn't respond. And that's over dozens of Corollas.
I also find for the class that the engine is one of the zippiest.
Nevertheless I can't say enough how much I appreciate your contributions to the ride reports. As a report/review this is excellent. I'd rather have a well done report to disagree with than a poorly done report that is no help to anyone.