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[ryannel2003]

I had a chance to look over the new ’09 Corolla today. I gotta say, I was completely impressed with the car. I had seen a new Matrix the weekend before, and I did not like it at all. Very unusual looking, and just not my style. So I go up to the Corolla, the salesman doesn’t even bother coming over to me since I’m at the dealer all the time looking around. He goes inside to get a brochure, and I sit inside the car and take a look at everything. HIGHLY impressed with the dashboard, very much reminds me of the ’00 Camry but much more stylish and better built. All of the controls have a very fluid motion, and have a high quality feel. Something even the current Camry doesn’t achieve. I try to imagine myself driving one, and I would definitely own one. I do have one nitpick however. That is the headliner. For a car as nice as the Corolla, the headliner looks like it was pulled straight out of a Chevy Cobalt. It’s extremely thin, and feels like cardboard at touch. I’ve been inside cheaper cars, and the headliners are much nicer looking. I didn’t have a chance to look at the carpet, but it possible it’s the same type they used in the 9th Generation Corolla, which means it isn’t of the highest quality. I prefer a really thick, plush carpet like my Camry has (you really can’t compare the two cars; my car cost $25k in 2000). Other than that nitpick, the interior is a great place to spend time. I love the fabric choice Toyota used; very high quality, and the seat itself was very comfortable. Much more so than my Camry, which feels like your sitting on the seat. Not in it; but I would have to take it on a long distance to trip to determine how comfortable it really is.

Oh, I forgot to mention this car was a ’09 Corolla XLE in Classic Silver Metallic. Overall though, I was extremely impressed with the car. The exterior looks much classier than the Civic and Mazda3, with the former not aging very well at all. It looks too much like a space shuttle, and an ugly one at that. I love the mini-Camry design, even though I believe the Corolla does a better job with styling compared to the Cam. The sticker for this car was $18,700. Very reasonable since I’ve seen Civic EX’s going for $20k. I think Toyota has done a good job of creating a comfortable, reliable, clean looking sedan for under $20k. I also believe the nagging quality issues with the Tundra’s and Camry’s will not be rampant on this car. Its obvious that the cost cutting (besides the headliner) is not shown in this car, and Toyota spent a lot of time with the design and quality of this car. When it’s time to retire my Camry, I will be looking at the Corolla for sure.

BTW, I did not have a chance to test-drive the car. I’m only 17, so they probably don’t want to risk me driving a brand new car. Completely understandable. If it drives anything like the 9th Generation ‘rolla, I would be impressed.