Size, price and features for the price. I leased so reliability wasn't much of an issue. I have a '15 LE

My other options were a 2014 Focus SE and a 2015 Cruze LS. I also considered the Dart but it was too expensive.

Cruze I discarded due to lack of features and the salesperson was horrible. Focus I discarded because the rear seat space was almost non-existing, and it lacked a rearview camera.

I considered a Civic as well and I liked how it drove, but dealership didn't bring the price down enough.

What I like:

CVT is smooth, especially on the highway, no need to "downshift" to pass and the revs are super low, fuel economy is great, stock radio is pretty good and it has a pretty big screen, I love the climate control, and it's pretty nice, interior is super big and the material quality is good.

What I don't like:

Lack of power from start (once it revs up at higher speeds it moves good enough) and lack of refinement at high revs, the Focus I drove had a super smooth when floored, and had plenty of power, this one not so much, lack of auto headlights, only one power outlet (I run a dashcam, so I need to unplug it when I need to charge my phone.), sound quality from the stock speakers is pretty subpar.

Any questions please go ahead and ask.

 

I also went to the Honda dealer first. They would not come down on the Civic. I got a Corolla for thousands less and love it. The CVT works great, it handles well in hot and cold weather. I live in an area where we have highs from 105 to 10 (like now)

I checked out the Cruze and Focus also.

You get the long term reliability, safety, a good ride, a low price....etc. I think Honda has a "slightly" higher resale value, but not much. All said, the two cars are very close in almost all areas. My last two vehicles were Toyota so I went with them. No problems with any Toyota cars or trucks I have ever had. (except batteries)

 

For me, its price (of course...), long term reliability and safety. My other question is did you get what you expected?

That's 3 in 3 for Corolla, as far as I'm concerned !

Considered Civic (but friends have had trans issues) , Mazda3 (fun, but crampy and noisy) and Cruze (a glorified Saturn Ion as far as I'm concerned, no thanks). But all had a price premium for equivalent equipment.

You have to consider the Corolla for what it is : a quality econobox. It's not the best of anything but it does everything very well. Quiet (except for some road noise), silky smooth and very fuel efficient CVT (but if you are the type that see the gas pedal as a two position on/off switch, you might not like the sound. CVTs are mainly conceived for gradual accelerations).

The LED headlights really are a big +.

I went LE Eco base. To me the LE level is the best value. The S looks great and if you want the fancier equipment (sat nav, paddle shifting, softex seat, big alloys) great, but to me they weren't worth the price premium. I'm cheap !

 

New to the forum here and hoping to get some insight from owners because I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Corolla.

Awesome! Welcome to TN!:grin:

I guess the easiest way to ask my questions is to put it this way. What were your key reasons for buying one?

Price, reliability, mpg, design were the main factors. At the time when I got mine, the corolla was the only car with standard led headlights which was great. IMO the design improved greatly from past gens, and the price and reliability sealed the deal. Another plus is the fact that the back row passengers get a lot more leg room than they do their competitors.

For me, its price (of course...), long term reliability and safety. My other question is did you get what you expected?

Absolutely, month to month payments aren't bad by any means. With the current gas prices, I pay less than or equal to $20 every other week. No reliability issues, although one issue I have is the quality of the paint, it seems to chip off easier than previous gens. In terms of the engine and transmission though, it's still running fine.

We're also considering the Civic, but I think reliability is a bit of an unknown factor with that car.

I can't blame you the new civics are nice too, if they were around two years ago, I might've got one of those. Honda has a pretty good reliability record as well. They're trying out a new turbo engine, if you were looking at that, it seems like it'd be lots of fun.

tl;dr if you do decide on the corolla it will be a great purchase, hasn't disappointed me yet

 

reliability
exterior and (much improved) interior style
real world mileage
general ride and comfort

last, but not least, a 6 speed manual that is properly geared for highway cruising. for me the 6 speed gives me the fun when i want it and the composure when i need it.

 

I own a 2011 Corolla (bought it with 15K on the clock, just crossed 70K). Biggest issue I have had is replacing a battery and brakes. You really can't go wrong with a Corolla. The only downside is it is a car built to take you from A to B, meaning it is not much fun (unless you visit the aftermarket, as I recently started doing). However, it does this job better than any car. MPG, reliability, features, you name it. Over the cars you've mentioned, choose Corolla 10 out of 10 times. Amazing vehicle.

 

I was after MPG along with reliability and price in that order. As to MPG yes better than I expected. I was hoping for mid 40's and I am averaging around 50. As to reliability I cannot say as it is new with only about 6000 miles on it. Give me about 10 years and I will let you know. As for price yes I am satisfied with 16208.00 out the door.

 

I'll give you some opinions that haven't been mentioned ...

Corolla is currently my first choice if I were to replace my current 2002 Ford.

I actually like the re-designed 2016 Civic dash, but the Honda CVT is new and having some recalls already and the turbo is new. While the Corolla CVT is new to North America - it is NOT a new design for Toyota.

I also considered the Dart - but there are too many initial problems and quality issues on the Dart forum.

My strong runner-up would be the Ford Focus, but the Corolla is much easier to wrench on if I need to. (My son has a 2012 Focus.) For example - on the Corolla, the alternator is right in front of me with a single belt to get to it, and I think just a mechanical tensioner that doesn't break down. On the Focus, there is a stretch belt for the air conditioner that has to have a special tool to remove and has to be replaced if removed, and then you get to the serpentine belt and then access isn't that easy.

Toyota's option and design philosophy also works out better for me.

The other thing that killed the Focus for me is that I don't want a manual and don't trust the Focus DCT. For 2016, I can get a conventional automatic, but to do so, I have to get a turbo and I don't like the wheels as well on the Turbo package. Also - if I got the Focus, I would want the cold weather package with heated seats and wheels - inexpensive option but uncommon.

That creates another drawback for the Focus in that I would probably have to special order one to get what I want. The ATX Focus is new for 2016 and there are still 2015's on the lot - so now is not the time to buy. June would not be bad, but by then the 2017's will be just around the corner. If I like the 2017 better, it will be too late to really cancel my order, but if I wait until the 2017's are introduced and don't like the 2017 design, they will not be making 2016's for me to order.

OTOH - with the Corolla - if I wait for the 2017's and don't like it, I can scoop up a discounted 2016. For that matter, the 2015 in the LE was the same as the 2016, and the 2014 would only give up rear seat cupholders ...

 

I assume you are not talking about a 2017 corolla. that wont be a new model until the 2019 model (mid-late 2018 release).

 

It's actually a general comment ...

With the Focus - even if it isn't a complete redesign, there will probably be some features on the 2017 that I either like better or worse than the 2016.

On the Corolla - if they don't do a mid-model refresh, the 2017 will be the same as the 2016, and I can just get either one (probably the 2016 as it will be cheaper and I keep cars long enough that depreciation won't be an issue). OTOH - if the 2017 Corolla is re-designed, I have the option to go either way: If I like the 2017 better, I just wait for it, if I don't like it as well, I just scoop up a remaining 2016.

 

I was coming from a 2007 Dodge Caliber and was going into my car shopping with the mindset of anything but Dodge. My very first car I owned in 2004 was a '96 Nissan Maxima GLE. Talk about a life lesson on my decision to trade that in for a Caliber, but that's another issue.

Why I bought the Corolla - 2015 Corolla S w/ Technology (Canada)
The Corolla offered the most value for is price point. I initially wanted to get a vehicle in the $22,000 - 25,000 range, but ultimately decided to increase my max price point based on finance options available. I got everything I wanted without compromise with the Corolla. Some main points I was looking for were rear leg room, heated side mirrors, backup camera, comfort, style, and reliability. And the Corolla nailed it.

What I looked at but didn't purchase:

Honda Civic
This was the first vehicle I looked at. I generally liked it with the exception of the dual tier dash display. I found it odd during the test drive of having to essentially adjust my eyes to three different levels, the first being looking forward while driving, the second to glance at my speed, and the third to see all other information normally displayed on the dash. I never discussed pricing with the salesman as I didn't want to waste their time when I planned to test drive all vehicles in this class.

Mazda 3
This was the second vehicle I looked into, and instantly was drawn to the exterior design. I enjoyed how it drove, and the rear leg room seemed reasonable. I went to a friends house who owned one to test my youngest with her car seat to check leg room, etc. The Mazda 3 was at the top of my list, but I knew I was going to have to make a compromise on some of the "extras" features I "wanted" rather than "needed" given the price points between models.

Nissan Sentra
Nice car, offered plenty of leg room, but the interior felt cheap. For that reason I didn't consider it any further after the test drive even though pricing seemed reasonable.

Hyundai Elantra
This too went to the top of my list. It addressed my needs and wants all at a reasonable price. The only question I had was long term reliability, but Hyundai does offer a standard warranty longer than most manufacturers.

Kia Forte
In short, it is the Elantra with a different design. One bonus feature, which came across as rather soothing was the vented drivers seat. It was a rather hot day on my test drive, turned on the vents, and I got some nice cool air on my tush! The car slotted along side the Elantra on my list.

Ford Focus
It drove well, but was quickly removed from my list when I looked at the rear leg room after I adjusted the drivers seat. It was practically non existent!

Subaru Impreza
I was impressed with this vehicle, and was giving it strong consideration.

In the end, most vehicles met my "needs", but only a few addressed my "wants" within packages I could afford. Wants such as leather, and other extras not available in the low to mid models. I started looking at the MSRP and invoice prices of the vehicles based on my desired packages, and my list was dwindled down to Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia offering a solid value for the cost. It was a difficult decision between those three vehicles, but I really felt confident in Toyota on the "quality and reliability" requirement.

I plan to keep this vehicle for at least 10 years, if not more. I financed it for a 5 year term at 0.49%, so I will have a good period to enjoy without car payments. That too was a major factor in my decision as I had gotten used to no car payments over the past 3 years.

 

Toyota North American CEO said the next generation Corolla will be a 2020 model and be built on the TNGA architecture.

However, the current model went on sale in 2013 as a 2014 model.

Toyota isn't going to let the Corolla go 6-7 years without a refresh. And considering how heavily they refreshed the Camry, I'd say the Corolla will get a very heavy refresh soon.

As for why I bought my Corolla. I was in the mood for a new fuel efficient car one day and the only nearby dealers were Toyota or Nissan. Nissans are awful, so Toyota it was. That's really it. Had there been a Mazda dealer nearby, I likely would have gone with a Mazda 3 Grand Touring.

 

Having you been living under a tree?

The Civic has been on the market for awhile, probably second to the Corolla, and it has a pretty good reputation as well, so I don't know how you would say it is unknown since Toyota and Honda are both up there in the reliability standings...unless you are just weary about the all-new 2016 model, which now has a CVT much like the Corolla. Many buyers in this world will either buy the Civic or the Corolla.

 

What about the base 1.8 2ZR-FE engine from 2009 which is still in the 2016 Corolla, and is still plagued by camshaft timing gear and head gasket/cylinder deck problems? That means I'm getting a 2016 Honda Civic LX coupe 2.0 i-VTEC with dual VTC, and 6 speed manual transaxle.

Engine Architecture and Features: http://news.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=8705-en

 

Plagued? problems? this engine has been so good and reliable even Lotus pick up this engine for their cars, needs un update, yes, but Toyota will not replace this engine until they will find a better and reliable engine than the predecesor

 

Civic vs. Corolla ...

Several of the older gen Civics (2000-2005-ish) had ATX problems around 60K miles. They have a history of ATX problems although we had a 1994 that we bought with 150K miles and drove to 212K before the head gasket blew. The new Civic is a CVT which I think is new for Honda and there have already been several recalls, as opposed to the Corolla CVT which is at least 10 years old but new to the North American market.

I haven't heard much about the 2ZR-FE cam timing or head gasket problems, but there are plenty of them available with over 150K miles - http://www.cars.com/for-sale/search...dSegId-mkId-mdId-yrId&pgId=2102&sf1Nm=miles&sf1Dir=DESC&sf2Nm=price&sf2Dir=DESC (ignore the typos in the first couple of entries.)

 

I had a 2015 Corolla S Plus and traded it in for a 2015 Civic EX.


Both have things I like over the other but for me the deciding factor was the interior of the Civic.

I loved the blue lighting in the Toyota plus the seats. The LED headlights were awesome and the best thing going for it for me. I just felt that the interior of the car looked and felt like there was not any planning. I would liked to have seen the center stack angled a bit to the driver which would have been nice when driving. I took my Corolla on a 1300 round trip drive and it did good, I made 38MPG average. I will say the CVT to me, was not very well done. I found it reved a bit more than it should have to pick up speed and at times seemed to have "slip" where it would all the sudden rev up and then back down. I bought the car with 10 miles on the clock on Dec 29th 2014 and traded it in on Aug 3 2015 with 16800 on the clock.

I bough the Civic, love the interior as well, liked the angled center stack, seats are comfortable enough. in 6 moths I have put just under 8000 miles on it but with no road trips. Only thing I wish it had was the LED head lights.

All in all you wont be disappointed with a Corolla, I just felt it was not thought out for driver comfort much and it was a personal preference to me. I would own another though.

 

I will say the CVT to me, was not very well done. I found it reved a bit more than it should have to pick up speed and at times seemed to have "slip" where it would all the sudden rev up and then back down.

The Corolla's CVT has fake shift points to make it seem like a conventional ATX. Good or bad I guess. I think it worked well, but I can see it hurting efficiency, etc.

As TigerHeli said, those are the fake shift points and I also believe they hurt efficiency somewhat. That's to counter the "drone effect" many don't like.

Granted it's not everyone driving style but with gradual instead of "hard" accelerations you don't encounter those fake shift points and gain the smoothness and efficiency those units are mainly designed for.

Despite a longer experience than Toyota-Aisin (2000) Honda's CVTs (1995), in Civic and Fit versions have had recalls in NA and, on a larger scale, in Asia (much like Nissan-Jatco (1992)). In both cases, they modify the firmware to compensate a design flaw so I guess that too might affect their performance (like the firmware recall affecting Honda's hybrids performance).

CVTs are simple in design but require perfect execution. So far so good in the Corolla. Fingers crossed !

 

The Corolla's CVT has fake shift points to make it seem like a conventional ATX. Good or bad I guess. I think it worked well, but I can see it hurting efficiency, etc.

 

There's a simple solution to all the CVT concerns. Forget the CVT for now... Just get a 6 speed manual.

 

First off - I'm not concerned about the Corolla CVT. I am somewhat concerned about the Honda CVT or the Ford DCT.

Secondly - that doesn't work that well either. I either have to get an L (which gets me 15-inch hubcaps that I could replace, only 4 exterior colors, only gray interior, no cruise or intermittent wipers (which I could add), no keyless entry (which I could add) and no auto climate control (which I can't add), or an S Plus with dark interior that I don't want, sunroof that I don't want, and keyless ignition that I don't want.

 

Yes, it's very different with the Canadian version of the Civic LX which is much better equipped than in USA.

 

Okay - I was talking about the MTX in the USA Corolla, but there are significant differences between the USA and Canadian Corolla models as well.

 

Why? 2016 civic is a better car..

 

Personally, the 2016 Civic nose looks ugly to me. Not sure if Plasti-Dip could fix it or not - couldn't hurt, but ...

 

Why? 2016 civic is a better car..

Not everyone is the same... For me, the body style of the Civic doesn't appeal to me anymore, the trim with the turbo doesn't have a stick shift and having a turbo just brings up long term reliability concerns. It may be a good car to someone else but it's not for everyone.

 

The Si has yet to come out, and that will appeal to the tuning crowd, and that's probably why turbo Civics now in showrooms don't offer a manual because those wanting one will buy Si or Type R.

Regular Civics appeal to those wanting basic transport, and the Si and R will be for those F&F types :grin:

We all still wish Toyota would come out with a really potent Corolla (XRS or not) that can compete with the GTI, STs and company, but they're too busy building trucks and other vehicles that make them more money.

 

Hold it, here's the refreshed 2017 Corolla spy shots.

Looks like it will going to have a LED high beam as well. New wheels and a possible LED tail lights just like the refreshed RAV4.


http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/07/toyota-corolla-refresh-spy-shots/#slide-3760922


.

 

Hold it, here's the refreshed 2017 Corolla spy shots.

Looks like it will going to have a LED high beam as well. New wheels and a possible LED tail lights just like the refreshed RAV4.


http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/07/toyota-corolla-refresh-spy-shots/#slide-3760922.

Not good - supposed to look like the Mirai which is pretty ugly.

I'll reserve judgement until I see it unmasked, but initially, I like the 2016 version better.

 

I have a 2016 S special edition, love it. All my driving to work is on the interstate. The mpg is awesome. Rides great, handles great and is very comfortable. Cant go wrong with a Corolla. My wife drives a 2011 Honda accord, she loves it. Its a nice car, I don't find it to be as comfortable as my car though, I also find it feels very heavy while driving it. If that makes any sense.

 

Get a Corolla

Get an LE or LE+ Don't waste time on the LE eco. The "S" is there if you want a LITTLE better looks and a stiffer ride.

 

Don't waste time on the LE eco.

Just curious on your rationale behind this one. 4 extra miles to the gallon highway is plenty reason to keep it in the running imo. From a cosmetic standpoint you also get the same options as the LE. That's not mentioning the extra hp the FAE produces vs. the FE, although it can be considered negligible. All in all, the claim could be made that the LE Eco has the best value for its price.