What do you like about a good luxury sedan? Do you like the big, hefty feel? The vast interior? Or the prestige? Well, then you should actually buy a good luxury sedan. However, if you don’t really care for these things, but like a smooth, quiet ride and quality materials, then I have the car for you. Especially if you don’t care for the hefty feel that usually attends such things. The 2003 Corolla is the smoothest, quietest compact sedan to be had for under $20,000. With the redesign for 2003 the Corolla gained over five inches of wheelbase, so unlike the still lagging VW Jetta it finally matches other compacts in this crucial dimension. (To read my reviews of related vehicles click on the blue hyperlinks.) This bodes well for interior room and ride quality. I would say that this new Corolla is the compact sedan Lexus would build if it built such things (the IS 300 doesn’t count), but I hate it when people argue that a Toyota is just like a Lexus, just cheaper.

Toyota Corolla Reliability

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Styling

A large part of the reason I hate such statements is that Toyota sedans always look like Toyotas, and not like Lexus. They’re very plainly styled things, with simple, clean lines and, lately, somewhat awkward proportions. The last are the result of a very tall body combined with smallish wheel openings. The new Corolla fits this formula. If anything, it’s cleaner and more awkward than the similarly styled Camry. Still, with the optional thick-spoked alloy wheels either looks acceptable to me.

That is, unless it’s the Corolla S. The S is the sport version of the new Corolla. It’s entirely an appearance package. The engine and suspension are identical in all 2003 Corollas. Back in 1984 I drove a rear-wheel-drive Corolla GT-S coupe with the first low cost 16-valve engine offered in this country. That car was a ball to drive. Even in S trim, the current Corrolla is not that car. Maybe that’s why it’s just an S and not a GT-S?

At any rate, I personally feel that the body kit that distinguishes the S looks plain silly on this car. The sill extensions make the already too tall bodysides even taller. Since the wheels aren’t any larger—even if they were larger—this just makes the car’s proportions even more awkward. Also, the spoilers and sill extensions simply look wrong on what is clearly a car designed for utility.

The interior is more tasteful in the S, with its charcoal color and extra shiny bits, but the exterior is too high a price to pay for the nicer interior. In the LE, which I drove, you get wood that is obviously plastic and fabric that looks and feels like something you’d find in a Buick from the 1980s. So there’s no real way to win here. Well, I imagine getting the optional leather in the LE would at least eliminate the cloth. Then again, people seeking a little luxury car might actually like the cloth. But wouldn’t they also like leather better?

The rest of the interior is styled in a conventionally tasteful manner. Nothing gimmicky. Just clean lines backed up by materials that are clearly a cut above the competition in quality.

Accommodations

The seats are fairly comfortable, if clearly still a bit economy in construction. The front seats don’t offer much lateral support, but you won’t need it. More on that later. The high driving position and expansive glass provide excellent visibility. At least when the headrests are all the way down. When they’re raised, they block the view rearward, especially over the left shoulder. The major weakness of the driver’s seat is that it does not go back very far. Although my inseams are only 30 inches, I could drive the car with the seat all the way back—something I cannot say about many cars. People over six feet in height might wish the seat went back further.

This does leave decent legroom for rear seat passengers. The rear seat is fairly high off the floor, so it offers decent thigh support. The Ford Focus does better, but many larger sedans do worse. Getting in could be easier. I hit a raised flange along the back edge of the door opening each time I got into the rear seat.

Trunk space is good for a compact. The rear seats fold down for more capacity, though the resulting floor isn’t flat.

On the Road

Only one engine is available in the Corolla, a 130-horsepower 1.8-liter four. Now, the engine I enjoyed so much back in 1984 was a 1.6-liter producing 112 or so horsepower, so this engine should feel at least as special as that one, right? Well, there’s this little thing called mass. That Corolla was a few hundred pounds lighter than this one. The gearing was also shorter. With more weight and taller gearing, 130 horsepower at 6000 RPM doesn’t feel terribly quick. It’s adequate, nothing more, nothing less.

And I drove the car with a manual. The shifter has moderate throws and feels more substantial than some I’ve driven lately, but isn’t terribly slick in operation. “Vague” pretty well describes it. Basically, the manual is for economy, not sport. It does achieve on this level, earning a 32/40 EPA rating. Only the Civic comes close in this class of car.

I’ve driven this engine with the automatic in the Corolla-based Matrix. Performance was also adequate in that vehicle, though the engine seemed rougher and noisier than it does in the Corolla. I suspect that the Corolla has more sound insulation than the Matrix.

Altogether, either powertrain will do well for how most people drive. Noise and vibration are low enough that they don’t take away too much from the refined character of the rest of the car (though Honda’s four tend to do even better here). People who like to push a car, however, will not be satisfied.

Frankly, I tried to push this car hard, to test it out, but it just didn’t feel right. The Corolla very clearly communicates how it should be driven, and that’s calmly. Push it hard into a turn, and a fair amount of body lean and understeer subtly encourage you to back off. Not so much of these that the chassis feels poorly balanced or tippy. It’s pretty subtle. A Lexus LS 430 is like this, too.

The steering is properly weighted, and provides some road feel, but isn’t quick or sharp enough to feel sporty. To get the S’s nice leather-wrapped wheel in the LE, get the leather package.

The ride is very smooth and quiet for a small car. The longer wheelbase certainly helps here. A Lexus rides even smoother and quieter, but 2500-pound cars don’t get better than this one. Most people who buy a Camry for a smooth, quiet ride would probably be satisfied with its smaller, cheaper sibling.

Pricing

A Corolla LE with alloy wheels, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, side airbags, and the rear seat heat ducts (why are these a $70 option?) lists for $16,175. The typical dealer discount brings this down to about $15,300, according to Edmunds.

A sunroof is $750 more. Leather (after deducting $250 for the cruise control included above) adds $800 without the sunroof, $650 with it. Since this car leans towards luxury, I personally recommend going all the way and getting these. This brings the price to $17,825, $16,800 after discount. For an automatic, add another $800.

The Corolla’s arch-rival is the Honda Civic. A Civic EX sedan with side airbags lists for $17,770, and as with the Toyota dealer’s tend to knock off about a grand. The price seems similar, until you notice that the Civic is not even available from the factory with leather or alloy wheels. So the difference is actually about a grand. I haven’t driven a Civic other than the Hybrid, so I cannot say how the cars compare. I suspect it’s a bit more fun to drive, but doesn’t feel quite as luxurious. Since other compacts are quite a bit of fun to drive, the Civic might be in a tight spot.

A Saturn ION with leather, sunroof, ABS, and side airbags lists for $17,715, and dealers don’t discount these. The Saturn is peppier, but its steering feels strange, the rear seat is uncomfortable, and the interior looks and feels cheap. Doesn’t seem worth an extra grand.

I’m very fond of the Ford Focus SVT, but have not driven a non-SVT Focus. Reviews I’ve read suggest it handles very well but like the Corolla has only adequate pep. A Focus sedan equipped like the ION and Corolla lists for $18,210, but the typical dealer discount and a $1,000 rebate bring this down to about $16,500. So a few hundred less than the Corolla. The Focus doesn’t have a great quality reputation, unlike the Corolla. So while I’m inclined to prefer the Focus for its edgier styling and sportier handling, I’m also wary of its reliability.

The Mazda Protégé is also known for sporty handling, but also for decent reliability. In sedan form it doesn’t appear to be available with leather. With sunroof, CD changer (comes with the sunroof in a $690 package), ABS, and side airbags the Protégé lists for $17,480, $16,800 after the typical discount. So it’s a touch pricier than the Corolla.

Finally, in the bargain aisle we have the Hyundai Elantra GT. I’ve driven this car only in hatchback form, but as a sedan it should behave similarly. The Elantra GT even with its standard leather looks and drives much more like an economy car than the Toyota. It is a bit sportier, but not enough to warrant the GT label in my mind. Leather and side airbags are standard. With the sunroof and anti-lock brakes package, the Hyundai lists for $15,819, and the typical discount brings this to about $15,000 even. So about $1,600 under the Toyota. That’s a decent amount of money, but the Korean car’s higher depreciation will more than wipe out this savings in the long run.

Overall, the Corolla appears to be very competitively priced. If you like the car, the price probably won’t steer you elsewhere. It seems high to me, but the others (except for the Koreans) are just as high or higher.

Last Words

For people wanting a refined, comfortable, economical, and reliable compact sedan with a touch of luxury, this is the one to get. A bit more torque might be nice, but those fuel economy numbers are hard to argue with. Overall, the Corolla is a far better car than the abysmal Toyota Echo.

I would not rate the S so highly, as it suggests a much sportier driving experience than this car delivers. That car I’d give two stars for false advertising. The LE, given it’s different mission, gets four. Almost five. But even people more interested in luxury deserve more sporting handling in a compact car. They could also use more convincing wood trim.

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Amount Paid (US$): 16,175
Model and Options: LE, alloys, ABS, side airbags, cruise control