Foreword
Here in Vancouver,BC I see are a lot of old Corollas. From what I've seen, they're being driving around by mostly older folk - people 40-50+. I would guess that most of these cars are from around 1997-98, and their exterior styling certainly shows their age. They are UGLY cars, no matter how you look at it. Sure,they may be reliable, and they might be good on gas, but only an older adult can see beauty in those things. That's JMHO though :)

Exterior
The new Corolla has a much nicer appearance to it. I believe Toyota is aiming at a younger audience - teens getting their first car, twenty-somethings and middle-agers. For me, the first word that comes to mind is 'cute'. It's in no way aggressive looking, but it stands out all the same. Heck, Toyota must be doing something right for Volkswagen to have modeled their new Jetta on the Corolla. I'm sure if you asked one of the VW reps if this was true, they'd quickly deny it. But anyone who has any interest in cars and a decent pair of eyes will see the resemblance from a mile away. From the front, the 2005 Corolla isn't that appealing. I find it's best part to be the back end. That's where the real 'cuteness factor' comes from - at least in this case. I also find the Corolla S(Sport) to be a step above the other trims visually - from memory,it adds a spoiler, side skirts and foglights among other details.

Interior
The Corolla's interior is, in my humble opinion, one of its faults. There's nothing wrong with the gauges, but I just find the rest of the inside to be boring and ho-hum. For example, the cd/radio controls in the centre console are overly simplistic. Just below that are the HVAC controls which can be adjusted with three knobs/dials. The radio controls are surrounded to the left and right by two large vents. These vents are the only thing I like about the centre console. Clearly, Toyota has a lot of rethinking to do. The quality of the controls is decent - there's nothing really wrong with them, but their configuration is lacking. I believe I'm someone who would be in their target audience if I were looking for a new car. As such,I am most disappointed in the interior for the fact that, gauges aside, it does not show any style or sportiness. Please understand that I'm not looking for anything revolutionary here. Still, Toyota could take a page out of the Mazda 3's book. Maybe a few pages, just to be safe. I also found the interior of the 2005 Suzuki Aerio to be a step above. For example, the SX model has automatic climate control - a feature not available(to my knowledge) on any of the Corolla or Matrix trims. The Corolla didn't have especially comfortable seats either. The one I drove had cloth, but if you can afford it, I think the leather would be a wise investment. My suggestion is to always get a fully-loaded car, because it always looks better in the newspaper when you want to resell it. Air conditioning is a must these days given the GHG problems and rising temperatures - especially if you would like to resell the car eventually. AC isn't standard on all trims of the Corolla here in Canada, unfortunately. It didn't come with the model I test drove either. In the Toyota showroom, I briefly sat in the back seat once I had adjusted the driver seat to my liking. I found I didn't have enough legroom. I don't have a recent measurement, but I think I'm about 5-10, plus or minus. I did not get a chance to test the radio, but the heating was an for the whole test drive, and worked well - warming up the car in less than 5 minutes, and maintaining that warmth.

On the road
I test drove the Corolla back to back with a 2005 Matrix. Although I can see how these two are related, the engines did not seem to be. Yes, they both had 1.8 Litres, but the similarity ended there. While the Matrix seemed peppy and happy to rev, the Corolla's engine did not show have these attributes. Instead, getting up to speed seemed like a chore, and unless I really stepped on it, the car went nowhere in a hurry. The lack of power may be explained by the fact that I was testing an automatic - for all I know, that may be the case. I have never driven a manual Corolla,so I can't say for sure. The published horsepower for the base Corolla engine is 130. However, Mitsubishi's Lancer has a posted HP of 120, and is considerably more zippy. Granted, the Lancer has a 2L engine. Still, even compared against the Civic, I did not find the Corolla's engine to be any faster on the road. In fact, I'd give the nod to the Civic in terms of driving enjoyment - just for the addition of the VTEC system, which I've experienced and learned to appreciate. I can't say much for the Corolla's brakes either way - they weren't any better or worse than the ones on my 3. Overall, the Corolla emphasizes a smoother shifts over a sportier drive. That translates into a car that is not particularily eager to rev, and when it does there really is not much of a kick to the acceleration. The car has a relatively short wheelbase compared to the Accord I drive a few times daily, so I found it easy to maneouver around the road. Having said that, it wasn't nearly as nimble as my Mazda 3,and cornering wasn't as much fun. I didn't find that the Corolla handled bumps and potholes any better or worse than other cars I've test driven in this class.

Mileage
The Corolla has a 50L fuel capacity. Perhaps one of its most impressive features is the car's fuel economy. It has a published economy of 7.1L per 100KM city and 5.3L per 100KM on the highway for the manual transmission. The automatic gets 7.8/5.6 city/highway respectively. The US mpg estimates are 30/38 city/highway for the 4-speed automatic and 31/41 for the 5-speed manual. Both of these numbers compare well with the Civic's published figures of 29/38 for the automatic and 32/38 for the manual(Civic 1.7L,115hp). Any way you figure it, these are superb numbers.

Safety
Another thing the Corolla has going for it is its proven safety record. It comes standard with two front airbags - side airbags are optional. ABS brakes come as part of certain packages, and are only standard on the XRS - the most expensive model. The Corolla got 5 stars from the NHTSA for driver front and passenger front crash tests. Couple this with the 'praise' they received for the recent side-impact tests with a 40-mph impact, and you have a fairly safe vehicle here. Granted, the model tested in the side-impact tests had the optional side airbags. Also, the car only got a 'fair' rating, as opposed to the poor rating given to almost all of the other cars, save one. As you might expect, traction and stability control aren't available in the Corolla. In terms of visibility, you won't find many blind spots with this car. It's certainly a lot better than the Mazda 3 sport/hatchback, which has a tiny rear window. Visibility around the front,sides and rear is very good. The driver's seat position is also quite high up - considerably higher than my old '93 Civic, but probably an equal height to my Mazda 3. Still, with the height provided it affords a good view of the road. Adjusting the seat is done manually - there are no power adjustments at all. I believe I remember the salesguy having said that the steering wheel also tilts and telescopes, but don't quote me on that.

Overall, I'm going to give this car 3 stars out of 5. If I tested the manual tranny, it might have received a rating of 3.5 out of 5, but rounded down. The boring interior really got to me. Sure, once you own the car for awhile, it's not that important. But I style step into my 3 on occasion and marvel at how futuristic and sporty it looks. It really does blow the Corolla out of the water in that sense. There's no comparison. The Corolla has an excellent fuel economy, rivaled only by the Civic and some of the Hybrids out there. But the car is really lacking in the engine department. It's missing that certain something that Mazda calls 'zoom-zoom'. Still, Toyota has built its reputation up for reliable, efficient cars, and the Corolla is no exception. If you need a commuter car, or just something to get you around, a barebones or even a fully-loaded Corolla will probably suit you just fine. Just don't expect any 'fun' with your purchase.