Space is a poor point of the Corolla.  Although this car is relatively the same size as the previous model, this newer model doesn’t utilize space that well.  In fact, this is perhaps the biggest gripe against the Corolla.  The space up-front is adequate for normal people, but for those who are vertically or horizontally endowed, it’s a squeeze.  For instance, I’m a five foot seven inches; I find the dash already hitting my knees whenever I try to press the accelerator.  What Toyota should have done was to push up the dash and center area like the Honda Civic.  For the people at the back, three across would be sardines, and two would be the adequate number.  Again, this is a surprising fact as the previous Corolla had the ability to swallow five adults easily.

Mechanically, the Corolla hasn’t changed much from the previous version.  In fact, aside from having the same suspension set-up, this model shares the same engine (the 1.6-liter fuel injected DOHC 16-valve inline-4) with the older model.  What’s changed however is that this engine has been mated to a better-programmed four-speed automatic gearbox.  But, it is any better than the other 1.6-liter sedans? 

It depends on whom you ask.  If you're after the sudden rush of speed through torque and horsepower, then the Corolla isn’t your car.  What the Corolla does best is traveling at mid-revs (3,000-4,000 rpm) at a relatively sedate pace.  Although the 110 bhp peaks at 6,000 rpm, the car doesn’t seem like to rev that high.  Add this to the fact that the engine becomes too boomy at around 4,000-4,500 rpm that’s sometimes an annoying fact especially in highway driving. 

Another annoying fact is that the car exhibited huge amounts of road noise.  Although we have some guess that it’s the Goodyear NCT3s at fault, some cars such as the Honda Civic do not seem to suffer from this problem.  Moreover, the Corolla has a noticeable degree of wind noise, especially at 100 km/h and above.