2011 Toyota Corolla Reviews

Graham Smith reviews the 2007-2012 Toyota Corolla as a used buy. The 10th generation Toyota Corolla, which arrived in 2007, was a conventional front-wheel drive small car that was available as a four door sedan or five door hatch. With a wide choice of models there was one to suit just about every small car buyer's

Ewan Kennedy reviews the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Toyota Corolla as a used buy.

Well known as a safe buy, Toyota Corolla has been a major player in Australia since the mid 1960s. The Corolla was built in Melbourne until 1999 and fully imported from Japan since then, probably to the regret of the Australian branch of Toyota in recent years. Having been pulled from our market to make place in the factory for the not very successful Toyota Avalon, Corolla has recently become the biggest selling vehicle in Australia. And it's made overseas... Ah, well, hindsight is wonderful!Corollas made in Australia had improvements made by local engineers to suit them to our conditions. To this day Toyota Australia provides feedback and engineering information to Japan and there's little doubt Corollas worldwide are all the better for this.Suspension dynamics used to lean strongly towards comfort rather than sportiness, but that equation has moved more in the direction of satisfying handling. Indeed, the latest Corolla, introduced in November 2012, should be somewhere on the short list of keen drivers.The great majority of Corollas are four-door sedans and five-door hatchbacks. A station wagon was sold until the model change of April 2007. While the wagon is a practical machine and has a good load area it was never particularly popular as buyers preferred larger wagons or SUVs.Toyota Corolla has reasonable rear-seat room and a good-sized boot so is large enough to be considered as a family car if the children haven't reached their mid-teen years.Engines are all four-cylinder units with a capacity of 1.8 litres. Manual gearboxes were five-speed units until the all-new model of 2007 when a six-speed was installed. An exception to this is the Celica-engined Sportivo which has a close-ratio six-speed unit.The automatic transmissions are lagging behind many competitors in still being four-speed units. Performance from an automatic can be marginal in a car of this size so take it for a good test drive to check that it suits your needs.Anxious to get away from the Corolla's reputation for being a sensible but boring car, Toyota has had a stab at a couple of sporting variants. These Sportivo models didn't have a lot of success having rather half-hearted styling-and-suspension jobs without any more engine performance than the standard cars.Spare parts and servicing for these Toyotas are available through one of the biggest, most widely spread dealer networks in the AustraliaThe 2001 Corolla Sport model did have a turbo engine with plenty of grunt, but it was expensive and didn't sell well. This can be an interesting car if you are looking for something out of the ordinary, but talk to your insurance company first as insurers often take a dislike to turbocharged engines.From May 2003 until 2006, Toyota imported the Corolla Sportivo with what was virtually a hot Celica 1.8-litre engine. There's plenty of power high up the scale, up to 141 kW at the peak, but down-low torque is noticeably lacking so driving can be irritating unless you are a full-on sports enthusiast.The Corolla has a simple layout and is easy for the good amateur mechanic to work on. But please stick to non-safety work unless you are a professional. Workshop manuals are readily available at specialist motoring bookshops as well as some general suppliers. We recommend you have one at your side before commencing work.Spare parts and servicing for these Toyotas are available through one of the biggest, most widely spread dealer networks in the Australia. Some outlets in the outback may not stock less common components for the Corolla but can have them shipped in promptly.Insurance premiums are usually low on all but the turbocharged and full-house Sportivo models. If looking at the latter make enquiries in advance, particularly if you are a young and/or inexperienced driver as the premiums can be budget breakers.WHAT TO LOOK FORCheck for signs of panel damage or previous crash repairs. Easiest to spot are ripples in the body, best seen by looking at the car end on in good light; watch for paint colours that don't match correctly; look for tiny spots of paint on areas like glass, badges and rubbing strips that should be paint free.Look carefully at the interior for signs of damage or excessive wear.Drying out and cracking of the dashboard top or rear shelf probably means the car has seldom, or never, been garaged.The engine should start within a couple of seconds and settle into a smooth idle within seconds. Listen for a rattle from it when it does start and check the oil light goes out quickly.Look for smoke from the exhaust pipe when the engine is accelerated hard after having been idling for a minute or so.Make sure the brakes don't pull the car to one side when they are applied hard and that ABS, if fitted, works correctly. A pulsation through the brake pedal under hard braking will tell you all is OK.Rust is not common in later-model Corollas, but can sometimes be found around the fuel filler cap and the hinges of the rear hatch. Check the bottom corners of the doors and mudguards, the door sill panels and in the lower edges of the bootlid or tailgate.CAR BUYING TIPStart shopping around for a used car several weeks before you intend to buy. This gives you a solid feel about the market before stepping into the home territory of used-car sales people.

The table has turned. Now it's not your masculinity under question for owning a large car, but your sanity. Simply, small cars work. They are quick, comfortable, well equipped, economical on fuel and ownership costs plus fit into small parking bays or tuck neatly into peak-hour traffic queues.They are also relatively inexpensive - the cheapest is a Chery J1 at $9990 drive away - and there's about 30 different car models and 280 distinct versions to choose from. More importantly, budget motoring means there are thousands of near-new used small cars on the market.Pick your next pre-owned car carefully and it's likely you'd find one that retains a portion of the new-car warranty. I realise that many small-car buyers may look at features and paint colour before safety ratings and reliability.But even if the buyer has few aspirations to venture outside the city perimeter, it's important to keep safety, reliability, comfort and durability as part of the purchase criteria. Consider also factory-fit Bluetooth and audio streaming.Hands-free telephone calls and portable and interactive music are pivotal to young car owners and increasingly to the people who end up buying your car.Final tips: Ensure the car has been serviced to the manufacturer's requirements (it's stamped in the service book that should be in the glovebox - if it's not there, neither should you. - Bent or buckled number plates indicate a prang. - Tyre tread worn on the edge or in the centre indicates the car needs a wheel alignment (or may have been in an accident). - Always get the car checked out.THE CARS: We've selected three small cars that come up trumps as used cars after starting life as sensible new car choices. Note that these are examples and variations will occur given the car's location, service and driving condition, distance travelled and general body and mechanical condition.1. 2010 Toyota Corolla AscentPrice: $16,990Odometer: 35,266Engine: 1.8L 4-cylinder petrolTransmission: 4-speed automaticThirst: 7.7L/100Carsguide says, “second series of the Z-code Corolla that started in 2000 just improves year after year. It's solid, dependable (no camshaft belt to break), inexpensive to own and fuel, roomy and holds its value. Capped service can save money but Corolla still has a twice-yearly maintenance schedule. In a five and six-speed auto world, the Corolla's four-speed auto is ordinary. But it's strong and reliable. This car is in line with average annual driving distances.” 2.  2010 Mazda3 MaxxPrice: $16,990Odometer: 107,445Engine: 2L 4-cylinder petrolTransmission: 5-speed automaticThirst: 8.2L/100Carsguide says, “well equipped version of Australia's most popular car appears to have covered a big distance given its age. That may be due to use as a country car and hence has resulted in a small price concession over a similar model with a lower mileage. Mazda's 3 is a very good all-round car with excellent safety standards and generally a nice ride, though cabin noise is more intrusive than most rival cars. Twice yearly servicing needed and no capped service program means it may be a bit more expensive to maintain that, say, a Corolla.” 3.  2010 Hyundai i30 SLXPrice: $14,990Odometer: 87,412|Engine: 2L 4-cylinder petrolTransmission: 4-speed automaticThirst: 7.6L/100Carsguide says, “the one that won Carsguide's Car of the Year for 2010 is a smart buy, even two years down the track. It retains about three years of its five-year warranty. As a driving machine, the i30 is simple, secure and fuss-free. It's relatively economical but not as sprightly as the Mazda3 that has a similar engine. Mileage is a bit high and car may be due for a new camshaft belt. But it looks good with 16-inch alloy wheels, has a high five-star safety rating and a comfortable cabin.” 

Well into its fourth decade in Australia the Toyota Corolla has consistently been a big player in our new and used-car scene.

THE Volkswagen Beetle was once the world's most popular car until technology made it obsolete. Now it is the Toyota Corolla that has the mantle. More than 37 million have been sold since 1966 and the formula of simplicity, value for money, high resale prices and reliability is as integrated into its latest 10th generation as it was 45 years ago.But the competition has become sharper. Compared with the Corolla, the style of its rivals is more athletic and better dressed. The opposition more readily embraces the latest technology and with it comes new economies in fuel use and ownership costs. And their value for money - predominantly through competitive prices and a soaring feature list - is eroding what once made the Corolla great.VALUEThe $31,490 Ultima automatic sedan tested gets a bigger 2-litre engine, leather interior, xenon low-beam headlights, reversing camera and rear spoiler for only $800 more than the previous 1.8-litre model. That puts it hard up against other key players from Mazda, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia and Subaru and into an extremely competitive market.Like Mitsubishi's 2.4-litre Aspire version of the Lancer, the Ultima bridges the price and performance gap between its less expensive, high-volume versions and the manufacturer's bigger car models - in this case, Camry.TECHNOLOGYThe bigger 2-litre engine promises more power and performance but is hamstrung by the Ultima's extra weight - up to 50kg more than the 1.8-litre Corolla models - and retention of the uninspiring four-cog, non-sequential auto. This auto is actually a new unit but has a tough time against the five and six-speed autos used by rivals to enhance economy and performance.The engine produces barely any more power and torque than the 1.8-litre version - disappointing - but is one of the very few on the market with a zero-maintenance camshaft drive chain.DESIGNThe Ultima comes only as a sedan and looks neat - albeit conservative and with an unfortunate strong resemblance to its big sister, the Camry. It sits on the same wheelbase as the 2000 model yet the car's body is now longer, so no real advantage to cabin space.The rear spoiler does nothing but defines the bootline. Women, apparently, like it because it looks sporty. So do I in Adidas shorts but believe me, the sight is appalling and hides the fact I couldn't run a warm bath.Cabin style is simple but works really well and incorporates features that will make your life easier - the rear camera with its screen within the rear-vision mirror is borrowed from the Koreans yet is so effective it should be mandatory.The boot is big, the rear seats split and fold down (not quite flat) and there's a full-size spare wheel. Two adults can fit in the back seat and thanks to the flat floor, you could persuade a third occupant of smaller stature to come along for the ride.SAFETYSeven airbags, electronic stability control and a five-star crash rating. All good news.DRIVINGBig advances have been made to quieten the mechanicals and resist ambient noise. The ride also feels more supple than my 2000 Corolla Ultima. But I expected more zing. There is an improvement in low-end torque which helps the car get of the mark and allows the four-cog box to flick quickly up the ratios.Annoyingly, hitting the accelerator to downshift when overtaking drops one extra the gear but makes the engine scream. A manual mode would greatly help the driving experience, even if that function is only needed in extreme circumstances.Performance isn't its middle name. Punching out only 3kW more than my 1.8-engined Corolla, yet weighing heaps more, means it'll run around the same (uninspiring) time to 100km/h.But drive it more cautiously and the car makes a lot of sense. The controls are perfectly placed, the steering feel is actually quite good and if you don't hammer the accelerator the journey is quiet and relaxed.Fuel economy could be better. Around the suburbs the test car returned up to 8.5 litres/100km on the same route my Corolla gets 7.4 l/100km and a diesel Golf sucks only 6.1 l/100km.VERDICTIt's well built, practical and durable. But it's simple and conservative in a market that wants - and is prepared to pay for - fresh meat.TOYOTA COROLLA ULTIMAOrigin: JapanPrice: $31,490Engine: 2-litre, 4-cylPower: 102kW @ 5600rpmTorque: 189Nm @ 4400rpmFuel: Standard unleadedFuel tank: 55 litresEconomy: 7.7 litres/100km (official), 8.2 litres/100km (tested)Greenhouse: 181g/km (1.8 Corolla: 174g/km)Transmission: 4-speed automatic; front-driveBrakes: 4-wheel discs, ESC, ABS, EBD, brake assistTurning circle: 10.2mSuspension: MacPherson struts (front); multi-link, coils (rear)Wheels: 16-inch alloy, 205/55R16 tyres; full-size steel spareDimensions: 4545mm (l), 1760mm (w), 1470mm (h)Wheelbase: 2600mmWeight: 1360kgTow (max): 1300kgBoot (seat up/down): 450/1121 litresWarranty: 3yr/100,000kmService: 15,000kmFEATURESDual-zone climate airconditioning6-speaker 6-CD/iPod/USB Bluetooth audio7 airbagsRear cameraLeather