2008 Toyota Corolla: Plain-JaneSince the introduction of the first econobox Corolla in 1966, Toyota has sold over 30 million. The 2008 is the ninth generation, the E120 series, Corolla. This Toyota Corolla has been on the street in Japan since 2000. Marketing in the USA began in 2002, offering the 9th gen as a 2003 model. The no-longer-subcompact Toyota Corolla is the best-selling automotive nameplate ever. Corollas are sold globally, in 140 countries, a true indicator of success. 2008 Corolla is a carryover from 2007 without any significant changes since 2003. A refreshed Corolla, scheduled for 2008, was delayed. The project became a 2009 after the first design effort was found to be less appealing stylistically than the sharp 2006 revision of Honda's Civic. Toyota has wisely slacked it's frenetic pace and given engineering staff, in short supply in Japan, a needed rest. But with the new "2009" tenth generation Corolla coming in the spring, 2008 Toyota Corolla is what I call a lame duck. 2009 Corollas are predicted to arrive in dealerships in February 2008. "2008" has been available only since July and will have a truncated sales season. The current version Corolla has fallen behind competitors in style and standard safety features. 2008 Corolla offers one body style: a four-door, five-passenger sedan. Trims available are the base CE, $14,405 MSRP, "sporty" S, $15,450, and option carrier LE,$15,615. Toyota is Not Building ExcitementWalk any Toyota sales lot. The first thing I notice is the absolute lack of sporty or halo cars. No S2000, Corvette, MX-5 Miata, Solstice/Sky, or Eclipse grace the palace apron. Halo models are generally loss-leaders designed to build showroom traffic. The company has gradually pruned sport-niche models, including the Corolla XRS, from its product line. Toyota already has plenty of traffic, and enthusiast buyers were never the core market. Toyota is playing it conservative, and the slip-up with Corolla is evidence. On my 09/16/07 lot-walk, a large Houston dealership had near 100 Corollas out back, but only three smiley-faced Yarises, right up front on the apron. As Corolla moves almost imperceptibly up-market, the conservative approach has hurt the not-so-little car's competitiveness. Toyota Corolla targets a fairly conservative audience, it's supposed to be boring! This car has long been deliberately short on flashy personality. Why would Toyota do that? Well, the most popular color choice for new Corollas is gray. An unscientific survey, done by googling "craigslist corolla", reveals that almost half of ninth generation 2003-2007 Corollas offered for sale are either light or dark gray in color. For many buyers, a new Corolla soon slips into the subconscious, it doesn't try to take over their lives. Just ol' reliable, undemanding, low maintenance relationship: plain-Jane. Corolla's demographics hold few surprises. A substantial 53% of buyers are female, consistent with the low-risk reliable image. Only 29% are aged 16-35, with 41% in the 36-55 bracket. Thirty seven percent of people buying the sportier Civic are aged 16-35. Rumor has it that the 2008 will be the last deliberately drab Corolla. Yaris has taken the bottom rung, time to get out the lipstick and sell some options. There was a sales boost during the 2006 fuel spike SUV panic. But when the all-clear was flashed, Corolla sales fell back as the crossover boom caught fire. This late in a product cycle, a sales decline was expected. But Toyota is still selling about 350,000 9th gen Corollas annually. Corolla's August 2007 sales were reported at a very respectable 30,491 units.
Toyota Corolla is the second best seller in the compact segment, which includes Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Chevrolet Cobalt, Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra and Mitsubishi Lancer. Corolla QualityCorolla is legendary for dependability, many 1970's models are still accumulating miles over 200K. There is a small-time export to Mexico business, involving tow-bar transport with amateur drivers. When US consumers have priced a vehicle down to under $2K, they are bought at auction and taken back to Mexico, refurbished and given a new life. A prime target for these buyers: 8th gen Corollas. Corolla was Toyota's beachhead on the US mainland, it built the company's reputation for bullet proof reliability. JD Power Quality Ratings are; Power reports the top model traded in for a new Corolla: Yep, an old Corolla. Consumer Reports (CR) 2007 Auto Buying Guide gives almost entirely red circle thingeys, as opposed to empty or black circle icons, for "reliability history." In the almost foreign language employed at CR, this means "excellent". But there are a surprising number of mediocre user reviews out there, with lots of complaints A common user complaint with cars in general concerns brake pads and discs. Many folks just can't anticipate brake wear, allowing worn through pads to damage disc rotors. In urban stop and go driving, with an inexperienced or quicky driving style, Corollas can need new front pads as often as every 16000 miles. US Corollas are manufactured by the General Motors/Toyota joint venture, New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.(NUMMI) in Fremont, California. The Toyota Production System and a teamwork-based working environment are the model there. Corolla production also occurs in Cambridge, Ontario. Fuel EconomyAfter being revised downward, the Corolla's "new" EPA fuel rating's are 26 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. Regular unleaded is manufacturer recommended. A 13.2 gallon tank yields range figures of 343 miles city and 462 miles over the road. Users willing to adopt energy saving techniques report 45 miles on a gallon highway. This is easier with a manual transmission. Winter use, especially with short trips, lowers economy to around 27mpg highway. Safety is Optional on CorollasOn the lower segment Toyotas for 2008, to keep prices low, important safety features are still optional; Electronic stability control (VSC) is not available on the basic CE trim. Federal (nhtsa) crash ratings, last published for the 2006 Corollas, look good; But despite the above, Toyota Corolla four-door, without optional side airbags, has safety issues. Most importantly. a "Poor" side-impact rating from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). IIHS side impact rises to "Acceptable" when the car is equipped with the side and curtain package, not "Good." IIHS also rated Corolla's rear crash-protection "Poor." A significantly worse-than-average frequency of insurance claims for bodily injury fills out the picture. Toyota offers a long list of standard safety equipment on Corolla, but beyond multistage front airbags, these are trivial safety features. Engine immobilizers and tire pressure sensors do not make up for unsafe crash tests. Just in case one reader missed the point, I repeat. Toyotas at the lower end, targeted at naive young people, budget conscious buyers, and world markets, need side impact and side curtain airbags. These should not be optional. Readers are strongly discouraged from buying the 2008 Corolla without all the safety options. Look on the Monroney (MSRP) sticker for the rare $655 side air bag option, and avoid the "sunroof and side airbag" jack-up ($1,400). The US government will soon require side air bags on every car, Toyota is jeapordizing it's reputation by stalling. Scarce engineering resources should be allocated to fuel economy, safety, and restoration of Toyota's quality image, rather than to trying to match Honda's lead in small car styling. Honda has taken the lead in safety, and Hyundai has followed. Civic and Elantra have standard side air bags. These highly competitive rivals offer better safety and cheaper insurance. Toyota Corolla Power TrainNow built on a cut-down Toyota Vista platform similar to Camry, Corolla has grown inexorably with each generation. A unitized body supports a transverse mounted engine and front-wheel drive on a 102.4 inch wheelbase. CE, S, and LE trim levels share the same engine, transmission, and suspension. Corollas are powered by a 16 valve, all-aluminum, double overhead cam (DOHC), 1.8-liter, variable valve timing, 4-cylinder mill. This is a modern engine, though not Toyota's very latest technology. It makes 126 hp @ 6000 rpm, and 122 lb.-ft. torque @ 4200 rpm. A 5-speed manual overdrive is standard on all trims. Four-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive (ECT) is available as an $800 option. This could and should be a five or six speed. Independent McPherson strut front, torsion beam rear suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars is not the most modern. 2008 Performance: Brakes WantedPower-assisted ventilated front discand rear drum brakes are standard. There is no available all wheel disc brake option. Most compact buyers will be fine with rear drums, many fail to comprehend the importance of disc brakes. To me this is unacceptable in any modern car. Drum brakes are so 1939. Fifteen inch steel wheels with P185/65R15 tires and full wheel covers are standard on base CE trim. P195/65R15 tires grace the pricer models. Consumer Reports test vehicle stopped from 60mph in a too-long 140 feet. Brakes are another safety shortfall for Corolla. Acceleration is adequate for an economy car: the 2595 pound Corolla does 0-60 mph in around 9.2 seconds.
A turning circle diameter, curb to curb, of 36.1 feet, due to the longer wheelbase, is a bit high for an urban car. Corolla's 60/40 weight distribution results in predictable but unsportsmanlike handling. Fit and Finish, InteriorMaterials quality is consistent with leadership of the economy sedan class: Toyota Corolla has acceptable plastic and panels that fit. Large user controls are clearly marked and easy to use. 2008 Corolla's long wheelbase allows a little more back seat leg room than competitors offer. But Corolla seems to be built for shorter people: big and tall people may be a bit cramped. Five adults going anywhere in this car is a stretch, but two medium sized adults can sit comfortably in the back seat without being in the fetal position. There are lots of complaints, in professional reviews and in forums, about the Corolla's awkward driver seating position. They say the steering wheel is set too low and too far from the driver, with foot pedals too close. So prospective buyers, especially if large, should not settle for just a 10-minute test drive. "Spend some quality time with the exact car you are buying," is a site theme here. Air conditioning, and one disc CD player are standard. The standard AM/FM radio/CD player comes with four speakers in the base CE model, and six in the S and LE trims. The base stereo and speakers draw a few complaints. There is no Ipod hook-up or satellite radio connectivity, and no Bluetooth phone interface. There is an outside temperature readout on all trims, which owners enjoy. Well prepped press cars generate little road noise for journalists penning reviews to notice, but owners have a different story. Trim and window moldings vibrate on some Corollas, and there are many complaints of road noise, engine noise, and wind noise at speed. Noise and vibration when driving on rough roads also draws user notice. The glove box is big and there are small pockets in each door. A 13.6 cu.ft. trunk is one of the biggest in this class. Corolla's rear seats split 60/40 to allow access from the trunk. The opening is relatively small, limiting pass-through for large cargo, but it's just right for fishing poles and skis. Corolla Costs and DepreciationCorolla's reputation for being economical and inexpensive to maintain is well justified..Edmunds true cost to own is $.40 per mile. Only class leader Civic is rated lower, at $.39 per mile. Corolla holds value very well, with 5 year residuals around 49%. Since this is a very popular model Corollas are easy to sell, with an established market and reliable blue book. Basic warranty is 3 years or 36000 miles, with drive train protection for five years or 60000 miles. ValueNobody makes any money selling bare bones compact cars, and Toyota is no exception. The option structure is designed to lure in the first-time buyer and load them with option groups. Ideally for the company, this creates lifetime payment buyers for the brand. CE trim is rare, but there were several on the lot I visited. These are basically loss leaders designed to lure customers to dealerships with low-ball "under $15,000" newspaper and TV ads. Dealers will try to load the options list before the buyer gets out the door. Lots of prices paid forum posters claim rebates lowered their out-the-door to invoice plus 2-3%. Edmund's True Market Value shows a $750 rebate resulting in a price about $250 over invoice for my Houston zip code. There could be some 2008s on sale cheap around December. I suggest buyers wait for the 10th generation Toyota Corollas to arrive in February. Side airbags and antilock brakes are reported to be standard on all trims for 2009. Then consumers can choose between a bargain on the lame duck 2008 and the slightly upscaled, safer 2009 Corolla by Toyota. End 2008 Toyota Corolla Review, goto Sitemap
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