2007 Toyota Corolla Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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The Toyota Corolla is the ultimate form of affordable, sensible daily transportation (even if it is bland at times).
The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time. That’s a fact. And there’s a good reason for its success. The Corolla delivers no-fuss, reliable motoring. When you need a car that can get you to work for years and without incident, the Corolla delivers.
The 2007 Toyota Corolla is one of the final years of the ninth generation, which started in 2002 as a new car for the 2003 model year. As such, it’s a bit dated for the time, but that has not stopped the Corolla from being a sales success. Rivals like the Honda Civic punch above its proverbial weight, but Toyota knows why shoppers come to the compact sedan market: for reliable, economical transportation.
The 2007 Corolla will not stand out in a crowd. That’s partly thanks to the fact there are so many of them, but it's also due to the Corolla’s modest styling. It’s no head-turner, but it’s inoffensive, overall. The Corolla comes standard with steel wheels and plastic covers but is available with larger alloy wheels.
Inside, it’s more of the same, with a very clean and conventional radio and climate control layout. It is aesthetically evolved from its predecessors, but logistically the same as it’s been for years. There’s nothing wrong with this, as some might find the more futuristic exterior and interior styling of the competing Honda Civic to be a bit more off-putting.
The build quality of the cabin is also fantastic, with a solid construction, stitching, and panel placement. Reliability is often an idea that is sometimes only proven in a vehicle's history report, but you can actually feel the quality of the Corolla just by sitting its five-passenger cabin.
In Canada, trims are the Toyota Corolla CE, Toyota Corolla Sport, and Toyota Corolla LE. Standard features include cloth upholstery, manually adjustable driver’s seat and front passenger seat, power mirrors, power steering, 15-inch steel wheels, and fixed intermittent wipers. Air conditioning, leather upholstery, keyless entry, cruise control, power windows, fog lights, a sunroof, a rear spoiler, and an upgraded stereo are among the available options.
No matter the trim, the Corolla comes in the sedan body style equipped with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, with power specs of 126 horsepower going to a front-wheel drive (FWD) drivetrain. This engine is paired with a four-speed automatic transmission or five-speed manual transmission. While the automatic is well-matched to the four-cylinder engine, acceleration is nothing special. It will get you up to speed safely, but that’s about it.
Considering its subdued styling, the Corolla has almost uncharacteristically agile handling. This is in large part to the lightweight platform and construction of the Corolla. It is not quite a sports car, but it may surprise owners with its steering response and cornering ability.
Unfortunately, the Corolla shows its weaknesses at higher speeds. Once on the highway, it exhibits a chattery ride, and you’ll discover this small car lets in a lot of wind noise.
The Corolla has plenty of helpful cubbies and cargo trays at your disposal. There are dual trays in the centre stack, and slots for items in the doors. The centre console has a decently sized storage compartment as well. The Corolla also has 385 litres of trunk space, which is great for the class.
Being a small car, one would think that everything would be within close reach, but that’s not always the case. For taller drivers, sliding back far enough for adequate legroom puts you in a position where the steering wheel is a stretch. It would be much better if the steering wheel telescoped further.
Standard safety features include daytime running lights, rear child safety locks, front seatbelt pre-tensioners, and a theft-deterrent engine immobilizer.
The Corolla comes with front impact airbags, but the side curtain airbags are optional, and not every car will come with them, so verify this as you are shopping. It should be noted that rivals like the Honda Civic come standard with the full array of airbags. Basics like antilock brakes are also optional, unfortunately, and rear drum brakes are equipped on all trims. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the 2007 Corolla a Good rating in its front overlap crash test but a Poor rating in side testing when the optional airbags are not equipped and a Poor rating for head restraints. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives this Corolla five stars in its frontal tests and four stars in its side and rollover tests.
For the 2007 model year, the Honda Civic is a more advanced car than the Corolla, and prices reflect that. You are sure to pay less than a similarly equipped Corolla, but that is not a reflection on the Corolla’s quality or lack thereof. The Civic is merely a newer design and has some features that you can’t get on the ’07 Corolla.
If you are looking to buy the Corolla to reduce emissions, the manual is the one to get, returning fuel economy of 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving and 5.3 on the highway. The automatic Corolla is still commendable, at 7.8 L/100 km city, 5.6 hwy.
Not bad, and combine that with the Corolla’s strongest selling point: its stellar reputation for reliability into the future as a used car. Together, these features make the Corolla the ultimate economical, practical option for a daily commuter compact car.
Note: Images show a US model.
