By Mauricio Lezcano / carsntravel.com
For 2014 the all-new Toyota Corolla S includes dramatically amplified elements of style, design, quality and craftsmanship, while building upon the Corolla reputation for reliability, efficiency and function, making Toyota’s newest compact the most surprising and capable Corolla yet.
The new Corolla makes an immediate visual impact with a more expressive, chiseled exterior design that elaborates on the Iconic Dynamism theme first seen on the Corolla Furia Concept that debuted at the North American International Auto Show. The new Corolla is distinguished by its tauter, more athletic proportions that ride on a longer wheelbase.
With the wheels pushed out toward the corners, compact overhangs, and more tapered front and rear expression, the new Corolla communicates a more dynamic compact sedan form, even at a standstill. The new sedan is longer overall and yet presents a more compact appearance than the current model thanks to a basic shape that tapers at the front and rear of the vehicle to help emphasize the wheel arches and wheels-to-the-corner stance.
Heightening the exterior design’s attention to detail, the athletic profile reveals door handles that have been sculpted into the body to align with a character line that spans the length the door surfaces, utilizing a vertically asymmetrical door handle design. The pillar features a faster, longer sloping angle that blends in to the rear deck more athletically. The rear view is highlighted by large, sharply-sculpted rear taillight assemblies.
The interior continues the Iconic Dynamism theme to create a stylish, highly functional, and inviting interior space with a greater sense of craftsmanship in its design, use of materials, and attention to detail. A horizontally oriented dash structure helps enhance the interior’s sense of spaciousness while providing a more wide-open, intuitively functional space for interface with vehicle controls. The interior offers a premium aesthetic with its use of piano-black gloss trim highlighted by metallic ornamentation and trim that conveys an upscale yet sportier image.
As a result of the 3.93 inch increase in vehicle wheelbase, the interior package has been dramatically improved in terms of passenger comfort, gaining considerable legroom for the rear seat occupants. Compared to the outgoing model, the rear seat hip point has been moved back 2.95 inches, and additional leg-room was gained by adopting a slim front seat back. The rear passenger floor was also made flatter by re-routing exhaust pipes beneath the vehicle to offer better middle position foot room.
Corolla’s standard gauge cluster offers three dials with sharp image detail and clear blue illumination, surrounded by chrome trimmed rings. Within the speedometer dial is a multi-information display that shows odometer, trip odometer, current fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, cruising distance and average vehicle speed. The S-grade meter cluster offers a high technology feel with a 3.5-inch black and white TFT display that rests between two large dials.
Under the hood, Corolla offers two efficient 1.8-liter, all-aluminum four-cylinder engines. The base 1.8-liter unit with VVT-i is available on the L, LE, and S grades and is rated at 132 horsepower. The Corolla’s new LE Eco trim level is equipped with a 1.8-liter engine with Valvematic , a valve train technology which appears for the first time in North America with Corolla. Valvematic offers a broader range of continuously variable valve timing to provide optimal intake valve operation relative to engine demands. Valvematic offers more than a five-percent improvement in fuel economy and engine output of 140 horsepower
The Corolla S with the new CVTi-S offers a SPORT mode that helps deliver a more dynamic driving experience with software tuning that alters shift points, creating transmission behavior during acceleration that enhances the sporty character of the S-grade. SPORT mode is not a track focused mode, but rather a transmission setting that, along with unique electric power steering programming, helps create a sportier driving sensation during normal road and freeway driving. On the Corolla S equipped with CVTi-S, steering wheel mounted paddle shifters allow drivers to make fast, sequential, stepped shifts through 7-speeds to help enhance the driving experience. The Corolla S console shifter also offers a manual gate that also allows drivers to make brisk upshifts or downshifts using the shift lever. The next shift step will automatically be engaged if the engine revolutions become high enough or down shifted if they become low enough. The M modeactivity is displayed in the black and white display of the Corolla S combination meter.
The new 2014 Corolla S delivers an improved driving experience over the previous model; it has grown larger and more inviting, adding new levels of comfort and practicality, with improvements in ride and handling. The 1.8-liter 132-hp inline four-cylinder engine used in the Corolla S is an efficient, smooth, tough engine that will provide adequate performance for many years to come.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price starts at $20,400.00, the one I drove included the Driver Convenience Package and Power Tilt / Slide Moonroof, and it came in at $23,520.00 including delivery, processing and handling fee. The EPA fuel economy estimates 29 MPG city, 37 MPG highway and 32 MPG combined.
mlezcano@carsntravel.com
