When a normal person has a midlife crisis, they might think of emptying out their 401(k) and buying a Corvette. When a car person has a midlife crisis, they might think about selling off half-finished projects and finally buying something reliable. Well, what’s a bigger byword for reliability than Toyota? For $27,750 in freedom dollars or 33,354 and a half loonies, you could take home this top-spec 2024 Toyota Corolla XSE hatchback with all the bells and whistles. It gets a huge standard feature list for not an exorbitant amount of cash, an equation everyone’s looking for in times of headline inflation.
The Toyota Corolla Hatchback may be entering its sixth model year, but it doesn’t seem like it was launched that long ago. Perhaps the Corolla’s indestructible reputation has something to do with that. Either way, it has to fight off a raft of fresher competitors, but can it hold its own with several years under its belt? Is its confidence quiet and assuring, or built like wax wings? Naturally, I had to find out.
[Full disclosure: Toyota Canada let us drive this Corolla for a week, so long as I returned it shiny-side up, photographed it, and reviewed it. As is traditional, I paid for my own fuel and washed it myself because that black roof is awfully difficult to keep dust-free.]
What Is The 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE?
Well, it’s a Toyota Corolla with more convenient cargo access. Look, the Corolla nameplate is one of the best-selling cars in the world, so the concept of a Corolla hatchback shouldn’t be particularly foreign to anyone, regardless of where you live. Still, the current-generation car represents a remarkable turnaround for the model. Not only is it interesting to look at, it rides on a modern platform and features a uniquely-designed CVT that’s supposed to feel more eager around town. It’s not a hot hatchback, but it is relatively inexpensive, practical transportation with a sense of style.
The Basics
Price: $27,750 ($33,354.50 Canadian)
Engine: Two-liter naturally-aspirated 16-valve four-cylinder gasoline engine.
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission with physical first gear.
Drivetrain: Front-wheel-drive, open differential.
Horsepower: 169 horsepower at 6,600 rpm.
Torque: 151 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm.
Fuel Economy: 30 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, 33 mpg combined.
Body Style: Five-door hatchback.
Curb Weight: 3,060 pounds.
How Does It Look?
Back in 2019, the relaunched Corolla hatchback was a shocking transformation for what was, for several generations, a rather dowdy economy car. The chariot of the Consumer Reports warrior got smart sheetmetal shrink-wrapped around a properly compact silhouette, with just enough restraint to make the Honda Civic of the time seem positively garish. Nearly five years later, and this Corolla’s styling is aging like fine scotch. It’s received a facelift with fresh lighting, a smattering of tasteful trim, and the merciful deletion of rear valence trim meant to ape exhaust tips, and that’s only bolstered its appeal.
Sure, the grille is positively enormous, but the 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback carries no punched-out air curtains in the front bumper, no extraneous slashes, no ridiculous split headlamp treatment. Bathed in red then partially dipped in black, my test car looked as refreshing as a cool glass of water at three in the morning. It’s a compact car you look back at once you park it, and that’s a tricky thing to pull off.
How About The Inside?
If you’ve driven a new Honda Civic or a Mazda 3, you might think that the Corolla’s cabin is starting to show its age. For instance, the stitching that runs from the passenger air vent to the left edge of the center stack isn’t picked up to the left of the steering wheel. It just sort of gives up its will to live, which feels a bit odd. Interior plastics are good but not outstanding, tightly-grained but of average texture and sheen. However, once you look at pricing, everything becomes more than okay. Sure, there’s nothing standout about the Corolla’s dashboard, but there’s nothing offensive either. Besides, the steering wheel feels lovely, there are more buttons in the cabin than on an ’80s Hi-Fi, and outward visibility’s solid for this day and age. Stop nitpicking over having a soft-touch life and get with the fundamentals.
If anyone tells you there isn’t enough rear seat room inside a Corolla Hatchback, they’re probably a giant. For the record, I’m five-foot-ten and have awesome space behind my driving position. The seat cushion’s properly soft too, so there’s no chance of road trip pins and needles here. Chuck in clever rear seat cupholders molded into the door armrests and a smattering of USB-C ports, and you end up with a second-row that nobody should really be complaining about. If anything, it’s the front seats that are all wrong if you’re a certain body type. Yes, even with two-way lumbar support and fake leather softer than the real thing, the seats in the 2024 Toyota Corolla XSE are, well, bad. Upper back support is seriously lacking, and those long in the inseam will pine for more thigh support. My advice? Test drive a Corolla for an extended period if you’re looking to buy one, just so you know if it fits right.
What’s It Like To Drive?
Sad news: The standard Corolla hatchback is no longer available with a manual gearbox. This is rather annoying news because while the two-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine kicks out a solid 169 horsepower, the CVT makes it remarkably atonal. However, Toyota’s CVT is a bit cleverer than most. The biggest weakness of a belt-type CVT is that it can instantly turn an eager little car into one that limps off the line like an injured tortoise. It doesn’t matter if you brake-torque it, use manumatic mode, or pray to god of Bomex I hope your speed over the rival, you usually won’t get to fifteen MPH faster than you would on a used Schwinn. To fix this, Toyota’s used a physical first gear, and it’s nothing short of transformative. Jovial pick-up off the lights and impressively low engine speed while cruising? Yep, I’ll take that compromise.
It’s a similar story of strange divides when you inevitably reach a corner. The steering is so overboosted, you could use a hangnail to park the Corolla, and you’d have better luck finding D.B. Cooper than feeling any feedback through the column. Speaking of excessive assistance, the brake pedal, in true Toyota tradition, feels like stepping in boiled peas. However, don’t let the gossamer steering and big-toe brakes turn you off, there’s a solid chassis beneath this easy-to-drive hatchback. Because its TNGA architecture is so stiff, the suspension can actually do its job, soaking up mid-corner imperfections like a serviette while letting you really lean on the tires. What’s more, the Corolla will happily rotate under trail braking, as if there’s a bit of GR in this mainline model trying to get out.
If you aren’t driving like an absolute tillerman, you’ll enjoy the smooth ride quality, the reasonably low cabin noise for a small hatchback, and how easy it is to flip a U-turn in the current Corolla. You won’t get this sort of ride comfort out of a Mazda 3, even if the Volkswagen Jetta offers a yet more serene experience. Whether you’re 19 or 90, the 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is an easy car to pilot, just as you’d expect from a compact car.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Most of it, certainly. You can’t get a Corolla hatchback of any stripe with a sunroof, but otherwise, the gadgets are definitely here. For 2023, the Corolla gained Toyota’s latest infotainment system, which is lightyears ahead of the old unit. I’m talking fast, fluid menu structure, flawless wireless Apple CarPlay, quick boot time, and excellent touchscreen black levels. Sure, it feels more modern than the rest of the Corolla’s interior gizmos, but that’s no bad thing.
In fact, there are electronic gadgets on the Corolla hatchback that are great because they operate in a slightly outdated manner. For instance, because the heated seats are physical rocker switches and the heated steering wheel is operated by a two-position button, memory for those functions is built-in. On a particularly chilly morning, that’s luxury right there. Then there’s the fact that you can hit a physical button to turn off the wireless phone charger, providing a place to stash your mobile without it reaching the melting temperature of titanium.
The JBL premium stereo on this top-trim XSE model is pleasant, if not phenomenal. It’s strong and doesn’t fall into the V-shaped equalizer trap, but bass isn’t outstandingly defined and treble can be a tad shrill. Then again, the compact car segment has never held a particularly high bar for audio, and the Honda Civic’s optional Bose system can’t hold a candle to Toyota’s JBL.
Of course, beyond the flashy headline tech, every Corolla comes with more advanced driver assistance systems than you can shake a stick at, and the LED headlights truly are brilliant at night. Even if you don’t pop for the flash, loaded XSE trim, you’ll still end up with a handful of solid t0ys, and that’s a good thing.
Three Things To Know About The 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE
- It’s more stylish than it has any right to be.
- The new infotainment system is a vast improvement.
- No more manual gearbox without stepping up to the GR Corolla.
Does The 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE Fulfil Its Purpose?
Six model years on, the Toyota Corolla Hatchback still has it. Pleasing to look at, easy to drive, and now with tech that’s more iPhone 15 than Blackberry Playbook, it’s a reasonably priced, practical hatchback that’s far more than just a promise of dependability. For decades, it’s been a universal truth that when your boss gives you your papers, when your partner calls it off, when you’ve had an absolutely shambolic week, a Corolla will still be there for you. Sure, a Honda Civic or Mazda 3 feels fancier than this latest hatchback, and a Hyundai Elantra is cheaper, but there’s just an unwavering level of psychological safety that comes with a Toyota Corolla. To some, that will be enough, and everything else is a bonus.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE?
It’s good to look at, easy to drive, and feels willing to rescue you from a quarter-life crisis, a mid-life crisis, or even an entire-life crisis, and do it for sensible coin.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
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I was thinking about one of these with a manual when my Focus ST blew up, but the waiting list was laughable. As it turned out, I ended up with the hybrid sedan as a loaner for about a month and agree with much of this. Typical Toyota lackluster and outdated interior with no feel to any of the driving controls, though everything at least feels like it will last. Ergonomics were decent. Seats were not very good, but not unbearable for a couple hours (longest I drove it). Road holding was impressive, especially with those eco tires, but there was no fun in it. Mileage on the hybrid was really impressive. I was getting 55 mpg without trying and I think the screen displaying how the energy distribution was working made it a little more interesting. Boring as f to drive and look at (hatchback is better at least). Unless your life is such a disaster that the little bit of stability from having a Corolla will offer you just enough to get you through a day, if you enjoy driving, I suggest living a little and getting something else even if it might not be quite as likely to be bulletproof.
Thomas, were you writing this directly to me? I’m now 47 and I’ve been in the process of thinning my herds of projects, and am looking for a nice, reliable-yet-fun daily. I stay on marketplace and Craigslist as much as Mercedes does each day, yet this Corolla would be perfect (with the manual). Guess I’d have to get an older one to row my gears.
You can get this gen XSE in manual, which I would absolutely recommend, because other than being a bit down on power compared to say, a GTI, it’s a great option. Depending on your budget you can also get a manual GTI for a tick over 30 grand new jam packed with a lot of good tech and comfort as well but I digress.
When I was looking for DD’s a couple years ago this was on the shortlist, but I bought a house so I ended up with a Maverick. I think they dropped the stick starting in 2023, but 2022-prior of this gen has stick for the XSE. The CVT on this car is awful, I have a rental Corolla right now and it’s the worst part of an otherwise very good cheap daily.
I owned a MK7 GTI for 8 months. Didn’t like it. I also had bad VW PTSD from prior expensive VW ownership. When it would bing at me my heart would miss a beat. Then it would tell me it was cold outside, to watch for ice. DUH, that’s why I have a coat on you stupid Soundacktor car.
I love my MK8, but I totally understand where you are coming from having been a follower of the brand for many years. That being said, if something like the GTI isn’t in your wheelhouse, the corolla is a great option. Naturally I’d believe it would be more reliable anyway for a DD. I haven’t checked the secondhand market for manual XSE’s, but they are out there.
I still have a good relationship with my local, independent VW mechanic, since my son has a MK4 1.8t Jetta, but I’d rather not pay the mechanic’s boat payments every year.
A 2021 Corolla Hatchback SE 6MT is my daily. And it’s one of my favorite cars ever.
I bought it used just when the market took a slight dip. For the price I paid, I couldn’t have found a better car. Yes, the Mazda and Honda equivalents are sportier. But they have their compromises too. For 21k, I car with enough horsepower to be fun when I want it and still get 30mpg around town and up to 42mpg on the highway. Oh and it’s naturally aspirated so no worries about the turbo long term. It’s quiet enough at 80mph but new tires will improve that even further. For a guy who learned to drive in the 80’s on 70’s manual cars this thing is loaded with every feature I want and some I don’t need or use.
It has Android Auto/Apple Carplay
6 speaker stereo
Auto-climate control
Power windows
Power locks
Electric Steering(not more steering fluid) Yeah it’s a little numb but worth the trade off.
Radar Cruise control
Lane keep assist
Auto hill hold feature
Auto throttle blip/rev matching
It’s silly good for an entry-level economy car. After I put a short-throw shift kit and new cable bushings on a couple of weeks the shifter has a vastly improved feel so it’s even more fun to drive.
Thanks for highlighting a great little car.
The most criminal thing Toyota did was get rid of the manual. This day and age I understand why, but in my experience the manual was the one thing that added excitement to the 170hp.
FYI the stock tires wear out at about 35,000miles and are surprisingly expensive.
I replaced mine with Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06’s – they’re all around a much better tire and, frankly, are faster than the rest of the car.
However – Dunlop Enasave tires are contributing a fair amount to mileage. I do not break 40mpg anywhere now.
That’s interesting you mention that about the tires, never considered that. I used to have a cobalt XFE sedan, one of the things they did to increase MPG was the tire size. I wonder if they have a specific tire, I don’t remember but at the time when my dad switched the tires (he had the car before me) he bought the cheapest he could get, and I do remember getting less MPG, but that could be GM cars being GM cars.
The DWS06 are very good tires even for all seasons. My ex wife and I both had focuses, mine an ST and hers an SEL. I got pilot sport a/s3+ on mine and dws06 on hers sort of as a test, since we both needed tires and I wasn’t sure which I’d prefer. I actually liked the DWS06 a lot better.
I’d like to drive a CVT with a physical first gear. My girlfriend’s Crosstrek has the CVT. Aside from just being boring, it can be downright dangerous when making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic.
It makes a tremendous difference, especially pulling out of our subdivision first thing in the AM. It’s also a lot less nerve wrecking when you need to move out of the way of some terrible driver.
What is the issue you have? Just out of curiosity. My girlfriend has a 23 Crosstrek, I’ve never had such an issue with it. It is boring for sure, but is one of the better CVT’s I’ve had to subject myself to.
I’m conflicted. This, or a 30+ year old clapped out Honda with a cracked windshield from today’s showdown for $4k. (How do you even get away with asking $4K for a car with a cracked windshield that is not absolutely certifiably classic enough to restore?).
On the other hand, the Honda doesn’t have a CVT. 😉
Just, I know it’s probably due to the EPA footprint regulations, but I hate we don’t have the option of the wagon. I don’t need a ton of interior space, we’re not tall people, but the cargo space in the hatch is kinda dinky. And I know the Corolla Cross exists, but it just seems so underwhelming unless you shell out for the hybrid.
Exactly this. In Australia we can get the Hybrid Corolla Wagon as a grey market secondhand only for about the same price as a new hatchback but its the JDM not Euro version so its a bit shorter and squeezy in the back.
It’s probably more that the US just doesnt buy hatches like the rest of the world, and unfortunately moreso wagons. Business case doesn’t make sense in a lot of ways.
In the US, you might as well just buy the RAV4. TNGA architecture like almost everything else in their lineup now, similar power train choices and similar fuel economy, but with an upgrade from CVT to an 8-speed auto. Slightly elevated CUV seating positions for legroom, slightly more cargo room than a typical small wagon. Otherwise, it’s the exact same driving experience and aneneties. The only real problem is that Toyota can’t put enough of them on the lots and they sell within days or hours.
Thomas is a really gifted writer.
My niece asked my opinion about buying a Corolla SE Hatch. I told her that it is a no brainer. She bought it and loves it. I drove it briefly and loved the feel of the physical first gear and the fluid handoff to the higher”gears”.
I would love the same car but with a manual as a proper “slow car fast” scenario.
Curious about the claim that a conventional CVT takes forever to get to 15mph.
My wife’s Outback with a CVT feels like it does 0-15 stupid fast and then takes twice as long just to get from 15-30.
That being said I would freaking love the physical first gear because you can tell the CVT is big mad at having to do speeds below 20mph.
That’s not been my experience with a 2016 Crosstrek. The CVT is so sluggish off the line it feels like the engine is on its way to stalling.
“…they might think about selling off half-finished projects and finally buying something reliable.”
Having recently disposed of my oldest and largest half-finished project:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53155461865_9152264564_c.jpg
I admit the thought of trying out that newfangled “fuel injection” that I keep hearing the kids talk about these days does have a certain fleeting appeal:
https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/d/seattle-1992-citroen-ax-gti/7689686068.html
Uhh
$13k for that AX is what it cost new, I think, and there is nothing collectible about it to justify that price.
Well, I didn’t get to where I am today by making good automotive decisions. Still, that is far more than I’ve ever paid for a vehicle so I’m inclined to agree it’s a bit much.
“feels like stepping in boiled peas”
What?
the brake pedal feel can be a mushy in Toyotas, so mushy peas.
This and the current RAV4 came out about the same time and I drove both at an auto show. The Corolla was surprisingly comfortable, but for that short spin around the block, the transmissions were most memorable: the CVT was pretty decent with that first gear, much better than expected and better compared to the prior Corolla. The 8AT in the RAV4 was just a mess, like it was shifting through gravel. Drove home for me that regular auto isn’t always better than a CVT by default.
For interior space though, the Corolla hatch is small – it’s smaller inside than even the Corolla sedan, and cargo space is smaller than any other competitor, even the Mazda 3 that was dinged for being tight.
Can any audiophiles confirm? I feel like I’ve heard good things about the Honda Bose system (knowing that Bose isn’t that highly regarded) but don’t think I hear…anything about Toyota JBL systems.
Note that branding is basically irrelevant in all car audio.
Audio in cars is built to a budget set by the manufacturer. Most ‘premium’ car audio brands are just logos owned by Harman International (ELS, Infinity, JBL, B&O, Mark Levinson, etc). It’s the same company designing the JBL in Corolla as the Mark Levinson in the LS500. Given the relative budget, Harman probably allocates more engineers to the LS500 design, and spends much more on the hardware.
It really comes down to your own personal preferences (and ambient noise in the car) when dealing with audio, not the brand.
For sure, and I know some argue a car isn’t a good soundstage anyway and an amazing sound system isn’t necessarily worth it (more personal preference). The Bose system in my parent’s Nissan doesn’t sound any better to me than the ‘unbranded’ audio in my VW, but I also don’t really have an ear for that sort of thing.
Honda just went with unbranded ‘premium’ audio for the longest time outside of a couple special editions with Bose, but I’ve seen more reviews in the Civic say it actually sounds good for Bose. Perhaps it’s just low expectations or whatever, I’ve just never heard anything either way about Toyota JBL system to say it “can’t hold a candle” to it, and Toyota’s used JBL for many years.
> Bose
> audiophiles
Pick one
I know, that’s my point…I’ve never heard great things about a typical Bose system but more positive about about some of the newer uses, so wondering what others that are more in tune (pun?) to that sort of thing with some of the systems think.
“Look, the Corolla nameplate is one of the best-selling cars in the world, so the concept of a Corolla hatchback shouldn’t be particularly foreign to anyone”
Especially for those of us who were alive in the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s.
” more buttons in the cabin than on an ’80s Hi-Fi”
My old Sony receiver alone had something like 40+ buttons.
Then there was the Cassette player, CD player, VCR and Laserdisc player…
The remote had over 120 buttons
So maybe not that many buttons after all?
Oh, What a Feeling!
I’m not a typical car buyer, not by a long shot. But I can’t imagine buying this rather than spending $20,000 on a (used) daily and $10,000 on a project.
Toyota interiors aren’t great but they hold up so much better compared to Mazda. My Mazda 3 started off great but now everything has unglued, cracked and delaminated. My Tacoma still feels great despite it having 2x the mileage. Even the cloth seats are still flawless after 200,000 miles.
Out of curiosity, what year is your Mazda3? I ask because my fiancee has a 2018 with over 70k on it and the interior still looks great. Apart from where the previous owner scratched the hell out of the glossy black interior trim, anyway.
My 2018 Mazda 3 interior is also still in great shape, 67k miles.
Except for wear to the leather finish on the driver’s seat’s left bolster and a scuff or two on the door skins, my 2009 Mazda 3i Grand Touring still looked great when the insurance company consigned it to history at 104,000 miles last fall. The rear suspension components were making noises, but there were no rattling interior trim bits.
(And speaking of which – one thing I haven’t seen on Corolla feature lists as optional or standard is rain-sensing wipers, which I thought was a silly thing that wouldn’t work right when I bought that Mazda new but performed flawlessly and were convenient enough that I pretty much demand them in my next car now. So, no, Toyota doesn’t include all of the nice gadgety bits yet, but they’re standard on nearly every Mazda 3 trim level now.)
Huh. We have a 2015 Mazda CX-5 and the interior is still cherry. 108k miles
Those are the Mazda when Ford had ownership. Happened to somebody in the family, it was covered under warranty.
My dashboard has been replaced under warranty. Came unglued again
My 2010 Mazda 5 interior is doing just fine. It probably helps that I replaced the really OEM head unit for a touchscreen.
CVT with a physical 1st gear you say? I’m skeptical.. Sounds like an incredibly over-engineered transmission thats doomed to fail, but it is a Toyota after all. This car would be perfect with a manual: better driving experience and cheaper expense/repair.
The physical 1st gear takes a lot of the shock out of starting from 0mph. Takes a lot of the wear off a CVT.
Still, with this being a novel transmission I wonder about the merits of further complicating an already incredibly complex transmission to the sum of no joy.
I don’t tend to think of CVTs as especially complicated. They’re conceptually much, much simpler than a traditional slushbox. It’s pretty easy to explain how a CVT varies the gear ratio, especially if the person you’re explaining it to has any experience with geared bikes.
The concept is simple, but how they work is complicated. Traditional autos are complicated as well, I see your point. You know whats simple? A manual.
Perhaps a stupid question, but what other Toyota vehicles to date have had a (mechanical) CVT (not the eCVT in Prii)?
I know some bad apples have tarnished the name of CVTs and I’m curious if Toyota’s had any around long enough for A Verdict(TM) on their long-term reliability.
I love CVTs conceptually, but of course, as a Prius driver, my opinion on enthusiast stuff doesn’t count.
It’s about the only passenger vehicle in the Toyota catalog that hasn’t been hybridized, which leads me to believe it’s going to be allowed to die on the vine.
A Corolla sedan costs $1300 more in the hybrid than the N/A version. If you add $1300 to this hatchback Corolla, you’re getting precariously close to Prius pricing. Toyota probably doesn’t need to offer two hybrid hatchbacks in the same price range.
In some markets it’s the Prius that has died off in favor of hybrid Corolla hatch/wagons, so it’s possible, just that it would likely be too close in price like you say. That goes for both the Prius and the Cross hybrid with the same powertrain. May depend on whatever advancements the next Corolla brings, as the current sedan here uses the “old” hybrid setup of the previous Prius. And on the Civic too when the hybrid sedan and hatch arrive next year.
I have a Corolla hybrid hatch as my company car. In New Zealand, you cannot get a non-hybrid Corolla anymore. Its going nowhere! But they killed the Prius here (although it may be coming back).
I just can’t get behind Toyota design. The interior and exterior just don’t work for me, at all. Ignoring material choices, it’s the shapes (I guess more accurately the fact that there are no “shapes”) of the materials and where they use them. It’s a mess of things bending inwards, outwards, jutting into other things, diagonals…To me it just looks like chaos. It’s jarring and incoherent. I had a Corolla as a rental a few months back and it was a great car. I had no real complaints and I was very impressed by not only how well equipped it was, but how well all that stuff worked. Notably, the LKAS and ACC put the systems in my VAG products to shame. It’s excellent transportation for pretty much any human, but I just think it’s ugly as sin. Maybe I’m a weirdo, because many will say they’re boring, but I think the latest Civic and Accord are fantastic looking.
It is an ugly car and needs to be redesigned completely… the GR even more so (gasp).
If they are doing hybrid, why not go PHEV. I wish there was a Corolla PHEV.
I got a 2019 SE with a stick.
I would not trade the 6MT for slightly newer infotainment.
Toyota discontinued the manual in order to protect the GR.
And of course, now that there’s no more manual non-GR hatch, they finally offer orange.
I don’t think a GR buyer would ever cross-shop a non-GR. The personalities of the two vehicles are considerably different. A high take rate on the manual Corolla hatch still makes up a very small fraction of overall Corolla sales.
Ah the wonderful world we live in where 30k will get you a wonderful new Toyota Corolla….
Or for 3k more you could get the Cross hybrid (which unironically seems like a much better deal.)
That’s assuming you can find a Cross without a $3000 “market adjustment”… if you can even find one. They disappear off the lots before you can even look at one around here.
I’ve always liked these; they’re pretty sharp without being super overwrought. And I appreciate that it’s actually compact, unlike the damn near a midsize Civic.
I’ve tried the CVT with the real first gear, and it really does solve the main issue with CVTs (well other than their hideous reputation for being unreliable – I’m going to have to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt on that). The car is relatively eager and honestly, pretty fun to drive. It’s sensible without being a total bore, which is something that’s nearly extinct. If I was in the market for something like this it would be at the top of my list.
Civics of this generation and the one prior are within an inch or so in length of the ’68 Mustang I drove in high school, the first- and second-generation tweener Altimas lately extolled herein, and the Tesla Model 3, more or less (and if my memory’s at all reliable, more more than less.) The current Jetta is about the same, and both are styled to look longer than they actually are.
I think the Corolla Hatch is 7″ shorter than the Civic Hatch. Certainly significant, though for most people, I’m sure they’d prefer the Civic’s extra space. I actually find the current Civic to be somewhat “right-sized” in many ways, with the Accord being sort of a boat of a car for many years now.
I think my comment was more praising the Corolla Hatch for actually being a small car, where the Civic at this point really isn’t. This wouldn’t be an issue if the subcompact segment or smaller end compacts still existed, but they don’t. There’s really nothing left on the market outside of the Mirage and Versa that are as small as the Corolla Hatch, which is pretty crazy.
Sorry I wasn’t clear, because I concur. I really concur, because the current Civic and Jetta are enormous. I’ve come to think that the ideal car size is about 4,500 millimeters, or just shy of 15 feet, and my personal preference is a little smaller – around the size of the three C-segment cars I’ve had over the past 30 years. The Civic sure ain’t that anymore, and Accords of late could sub in for the B-52s Chrysler if only the name would scan.
Ah ok I re-read.
Most cars probably should be “upped” a class if the model has been around since the 90s.
I agree. One of the things that really enamored me about my second gen XB was the amount of interior space relative to the length (4249mm/167.3in) with 21.7 ft³ (614.5 L) of cargo space. What can I say, I’ve reached a point in life where I appreciate smart design and practicality above a lot of things…
So in this generation Corolla, I remember front passenger seat comfort being markedly different than the driver’s seat comfort. Driver’s seat was fine, passenger seat was a lot harder, worse leg support, etc. I believe it wasn’t even the same seat.
Has this been addressed with the refresh? I remember having to warn couples previously that the passenger seat was a bad time for trips together.
Not the case in my 2019
Seats in my 2014 Camry are 10 hr comfortable.
I dont know, but I know my parents constantly complain about the front seats in their 2022 Camry. To the point that they left it at my house and borrowed my 2008 Crown Vic to visit my brother in Kentucky, since Dad’s back was really acting up and he didn’t think he could stand the Toyota seats for that long of a drive just then. So, I’d really, really strongly recommend that anyone shopping for a Toyota of any sort to really try to check out the seats as much as you can. You can’t do a 12 hour road trip as part of a test drive, unfortunately, but try and be as through as you can anyway, you’re going to be spending a lot of time sitting there. It’s as important as shopping for a mattress
Prior to a car purchase, I usually recommend folks Turo a car for a whole weekend if possible. Better to eat a few hundred bucks figuring out there’s some dealbreakers, than eating thousands in depreciation.
A nice bowl of store brand vanilla ice cream, mmm
Come on, it’s decent looking car.
It is! I didn’t say vanilla was bad…as @mrcanoehead says below we can call it French Vanilla
It’s at least store brand French Vanilla…