2018 Toyota Corolla Road Test and Review

1 2018 Toyota Corolla hero ・ Photo by Brady Holt

It’s tough for sedans to compete with crossovers these days. These car-based SUVs deliver extra interior space, higher seating positions and available all-wheel drive, even as they increasingly match passenger cars’ driving dynamics and fuel economy. But there’s one area where sedans still can reign supreme: value.

That’s the domain of the 2018 Toyota Corolla compact sedan. It doesn’t really try to deliver the sporty performance or flashy style of a Honda Civic or Mazda3, or the quiet polish of a Chevrolet Cruze. Instead, the Corolla packs a lot of features into a usefully spacious package at low prices. Starting at just $18,600, the Corolla comes with standard safety equipment that costs thousands extra on many competitors — if they offer it at all. If value for the money counts more than sporty performance or posh luxury, read on to see if the Corolla is the right fit for you.

Cleanly Styled Exterior

The Corolla isn’t necessarily known as a stylish, head-turning ride. However, we think part of that is due to the car’s popularity, not any fault of its design. Toyota has sold more than a million Corollas in the United States since the current-generation Corolla debuted as a 2014 model. Even the most stunning-looking vehicle would lose its novelty after you’ve seen a million of them.

The Corolla’s design wasn’t really about novelty anyway. It has a chunky assuredness that sets it apart from lower-slung competitors like the Honda Civic, its archrival in the compact-sedan sales race. Slim headlights sit high, connected by a slim slit of a grille, above a larger blacked-out opening. This simple yet confident face sets the tone for the rest of the Corolla’s body, whose straightforward lines look purposeful while threading the needle between dull and overdone. The sport-themed SE and XSE trims add a bit more visual flair, with dressier front-end details and larger alloy wheels than our XLE test car.

Photo by Brady Holt

Functional, Not Luxurious

Many of today’s compact cars offer a dizzying list of available luxury features, such as plush leather upholstery, advanced smartphone integration, air-conditioned seats and panoramic sunroofs. The Corolla sticks to the relative basics, supplying everyday creature comforts at affordable prices. Toyota goes all-out in providing buyers with valuable safety technology, but the Corolla just doesn’t focus on luxury.

The same is true of the cabin decor: functional, not luxurious. The tested XLE is the luxury car of the Corolla lineup, but its simulated leather upholstery is better suited for avoiding fabric stains than for imitating a Lexus. The tall, blocky dashboard looks old-school, and hard plastics on the dash and door panels reflect the Corolla’s budget focus. Toyota generously provides a touchscreen infotainment system on every Corolla — 6.1 inches as standard equipment, with an available upgrade to 7 inches like on our test car. However, unlike on most competitors, there's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration, and there’s just one USB port.

Photo by Brady Holt

Spacious Cabin

It’s easy to associate affordable cars with small interiors, but the Corolla offers plenty of space for four adults — a valuable attraction for budget-minded car buyers who might otherwise consider a subcompact vehicle. The front seats are well-shaped and comfortable, and the cabin feels airy for a compact car. You sit a little higher than in some competitors, albeit in front of a tall dashboard. One front-seat passenger wished her seat was height-adjustable like the driver’s.

In the back, the rear seat has plenty of legroom for even taller adults, plus decent headroom. The Corolla’s upright profile keeps the windows big and the roof fairly high, unlike some models that feel like they’re closing in on you. A nearly flat floor helps a center passenger squeeze in, but as with the competition, the Corolla isn’t quite wide enough for three adults to truly be comfortable in the back. Overall, the Corolla would make for a decent Uber or Lyft ride — whether you’re the driver or the customer. The 13.0 cubic feet of trunk space is appropriate for the class.

Photo by Brady Holt

Not a Sports Car

Some compact economy cars could be considered low-priced sport sedans. The Corolla could not. The first clue is the engine: most versions use a 1.8-liter four-cylinder with 132 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque — among the lowest in the class. (The LE Eco model has some tweaks that result in 140 hp and 126 lb-ft of torque). That’s enough power for the Corolla to cruise comfortably at high speeds, but it takes some patience and some engine roar to reach those speeds.

If you push the Corolla hard on a winding road, it handles with respectable composure. However, the steering doesn't have the smoothness, responsiveness, or precision that would make the Corolla truly fun to drive. At lower speeds, meanwhile, we’d have preferred the steering to be lighter. Our XLE test car rides comfortably — it sometimes feels a bit jiggly, but it absorbs bumps well. The SE and XSE models have larger 17-inch wheels that make the ride a little stiffer.

Photo by Brady Holt

Respectable Fuel Economy

Budget-minded buyers will appreciate the Corolla’s tradeoff for leisurely acceleration: thrifty fuel economy. Most models, including the XLE with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that we tested, are rated for 28 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the highway and 32 mpg overall. The LE Eco trim does slightly better, while the SE and XSE fare slightly worse. We averaged about 35.5 mpg in a week of mixed driving.

However, a few more powerful competitors do better still — and so does the new 2019 Corolla Hatchback, which is mechanically distinct from the Corolla sedan. This 168-horsepower five-door is rated for up to 36 mpg in mixed driving. We look forward to Toyota updating the Corolla sedan with this same impressive powertrain, which we expect in the 2020 model year.

Photo by Brady Holt

Generous Safety Gear

The Corolla trumps every competitor for its standard safety technology. Even the base model comes with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, radar cruise control, a lane-departure warning with automatic lane-keeping steering and automatic high beams. Most competitors don’t even offer all these technologies as options, and none provide them all on the base model at no extra charge. The only missing feature: a blind-spot monitoring system, which most competitors offer, but even a fully loaded Corolla lacks.

If the Corolla’s elaborate accident-avoidance technology isn’t enough to prevent a crash, take comfort in its status as an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. Thanks to an update last year, it secured the top score of Good even in the IIHS’s demanding small-overlap frontal crash test. The Corolla also earned five out of five stars in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s round of crash tests.

Photo by Brady Holt

Pricing and Trims

The 2018 Toyota Corolla sedan starts at $18,600 for the base L model. In addition to the aforementioned safety gear, the Corolla L includes a backup camera; power windows, locks and mirrors; cruise control; Bluetooth connectivity; and two years or 25,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance. An automatic transmission also is standard, whereas it’s an option costing around $1,000 on most competitors. Most buyers upgrade to the LE model, which brings automatic climate control, a keyfob remote, upgraded cabin trim, and more for just an extra $435. Meanwhile, the more efficient LE Eco starts at $19,535, and the sporty-looking SE — the only Corolla offered with a six-speed manual transmission — starts at $20,635, with 17-inch alloy wheels and other aesthetic tweaks.

The Corolla’s priciest models are the XLE ($22,135) and XSE ($22,880), which are higher-end versions of the LE and SE, respectively. They add heated simulated leather upholstery, power-adjustable seats, a power moonroof, a smart key with push-button start, and a navigation system.  In addition, the XLE has 16-inch alloy wheels. The 2019 Corolla sedan, which already has arrived in dealerships, has nearly identical pricing and equipment.

Photo by Brady Holt

Notable Competitors

The Corolla often is mentioned in the same breath as the Honda Civic, but these two compact sedans have markedly different appeals. The Civic is flashy and fun to drive, while the Corolla provides affordable transportation with few frills. To that end, its closest rivals are the Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte and Nissan Sentra. The former two drive better than the Corolla and trump its infotainment technology, but you need a fully loaded model to get advanced safety features. The Sentra, meanwhile, has an extra-spacious interior but is less pleasant to drive.

Budget-seekers may also be interested in some appealing subcompact cars. The redesigned 2018 Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio, and Toyota’s own Yaris iA sedan, offer surprising refinement in a tiny vehicle — but much less space than the Corolla. Meanwhile, the new Nissan Kicks crossover provides some SUV flavor and versatility at Corolla prices.

Photo by Brady Holt

Overall

The Corolla may not have a premium-grade driving experience or the latest smartphone integration features. But, it provides more safety gear for less money than other compact cars, along with a strong reputation for reliability and a usefully spacious interior.

Car enthusiasts often shake their heads at the idea of buying a Corolla instead of a more powerful, more agile competitor like the Mazda3 or Honda Civic. Regardless, if you’re interested in functionality, safety and value over luxury and fun, you’ll want to check out the 2018 Toyota Corolla.

Photo by Brady Holt