My little Corolla

If there's anyone who knows their 2005 Toyota Corolla better, it'll have to be me. I've first purchased the Toyota Corolla in January of 2005 at my friendly Toyota dealership. And since I've had it I have been up and down the west coast and piling on the miles, so i seem to know this little car like the back of my hand. I have a Corolla LE that came in Desert Sand Mica paint with the stone pebble beige cloth interior. When I initially came to the Toyota dealer I had my heart set on the 2005 Camry, but that proved too much for my budget so I was referred to the Corolla, which I saw on the road but had no real major clue about what they were really like. I knew if I had bought a Toyota it would be the end to all my years of owning vehicles that just break down time and time again. I took the Corolla which costed me about $15997, which I thought was a little high for a small car, but I closed the deal anyway. The only option added to the LE trim was the JBL 6 disc in dash CD player with 6 speakers. Here is what the 2005 Toyota Corolla is all about.

*Styling*
I think Toyota got it right with the current generation Corolla. It looks big but it looks small at the same time. The rear end looks very fresh and "japanese"? From the front the car looks has large, clear halogen headlamps. I like the fact that the high beams and the low beams are not the same light like most small cars. From the side the Corolla looks tall and you can clearly see that the whole car has this wedge shape profile that makes the hood and trunk seem short. Overall the lines of the Corolla are very smooth and handsome, yet simple. I also like the large pull type door handles that the Civic lacks. The roof mounted antenna is very cute, but sometimes I think it looks a little long.

*Inside look*
Inside the Corolla you'll see that the presentation is very simple and logical and clean. Everything seems to be where it should be. The radio and climate control are flip flopped around, which makes it the radio more convinient to operate. I really like the Optitron guages of the LE. It has a very bright, crisp, white color to it that makes my Corolla look more expensive. What I really dont like is how the center armrest/storage bin lid seems a bit flimsy, but i'll do something about that. I can say that the Corolla has a nice interior of high grade materials that should last as long as you take care of it.

*Performance*
Surprisingly the Corolla isnt a slow econobox. It has a rather energetic 16 Vavle VVT-I 4 cylinder engine rated at 130 HP. The VVT-I is short for Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence. It's supposed to make for more avaliable torque throughout the rev range while at the same time saving more fuel and cutting down on emissions. The Corolla has very good low end torque, you can swiftly launch of from zero and easily get up to 50 mph rather fast. Freeway merging is easy, but I like to push a little harder to get up to speed faster instead of a gradual climb. Pack the Corolla with 4 more passengers and fill the trunk up and performance suffers. Instantly you will see how much of a performance loss you get when more weight is added to the Corolla. My theory is that the car is light as it is when only one driver is in it, so add alot more weight and a V6 seems like a better candidate for the job.

When it came to climbing some rather steep grades on my previous trips down the west coast the Corolla groaned loudly as it's revs sometimes jumped to 5000 whi8le it was on cruise control at about 70. Anything past 4000 RPM and the engine gets loud.

The 4 speed electronically controlled automatic transmission is the best around. Its both smooth and knows when to shift and is devoid of any clunkiness. The Corolla also has Hill Shift Logic which can hold a gear longer when it senses you are going up a grade that just keep climbing. This is helpful because it helps from loosing speed and power.

Gas mileage is a big hit for this car. I get about 32-34 with mixed city and highway driving.

*Ride Quality and Handling*
The Corolla has a comforatable ride, its fully independent front suspension absorbs most road imperfections and its semi- independent rear suspension could do a better job. The Corolla however is rather noisy with a moderate amount of road and wind intrusion especially on the highway. Handling sometimes gets a little edgy especially on roads where its twisty and youre driving at a higher speed. The Corolla has real good straight line steering. The steering also has a heavier feel to it which makes it seem like youre driving a bigger car.

I also think the Goodyear Integrity 15 inch tires that came with the car have aweful wet weather traction. During a rain storm traveling at about 60 MPH on the freeway the tires felt like they were loosing grip with the road. Then you'd correct with the steering wheel and then you'll regain full traction only to find that you overcorrected resulting in a big jerk to the right or the left. I think you should look at some better tires when it comes time to replace them, meanwhile be cautious in slippery conditions.

Also the Corolla is very susceptable to being knocked around by side winds. One occassion it was really bad it became very annoying. I think you can blame the tall body and narrow width of the car.

I think the 2005 Toyota Corolla is a great car. If youre young like me and you want a car that you can depend on for both good performance and excellent dependability yet still has the look and appeal and features of a more expensive car then I think the Corolla is a good choice. Even though its a small car, it has a large interior and doesnt feel like a cheap Hyundai Elantra or Dodge Neon.

*My recommendations for Corolla owners*
I added these items to my Corolla and I think you may like it:

Replace stock halogen headlamp bulb with Sylvania Silver Star headlamp bulbs. These take away any yellowish tint of regular bulbs and add a very white light that looks very crisp and offers better visability. It just looks better.

Consider getting the Toyota 15 inch alloy wheels found mainly on the Corolla S or the after market flaired Toyota alloy wheels. They just look way better than the wheel covers and make the car look even more better.

If you have a LE or a CE consider the spoiler accessory with the intergrated LED stoplight. It just adds that sporty look to the Corolla and can installed rather easily.