I have seen others post their reviews here after renting a vehicle, so I would like to contribute one of my own.
I spent some time in Las Vegas last week and lucked out when Alamo let me have a almost brand new 2017 Toyota Corolla SE for the week.
The SE trim is a sporty version, so it has the fancy wheels, paddle shifters, and some light tech package upgrades. Backup camera is standard along with many safety features that I wasn't expecting to find in a rental car.
Physically, it's a Corolla. Not much has changed since these became appliance cars back in the 90s, but I think that's the entire point of this car. It's simple, straight forward, and adequate in every aspect.
The powertrain is an inline-4, FWD, paired with a CVT.
Pros:
Cons:
My mixed city/interstate driving resulted in just shy of 30mpg, which is exactly on par with mfr estimates. I suspect that MPG will improve slightly once the engine has been fully broken in, as seems common with Toyotas.
Seating seemed ample enough for 4 adults, but I think the weight would put a lot of strain on the engine/trans.
Pictures:
I spent some time in Las Vegas last week and lucked out when Alamo let me have a almost brand new 2017 Toyota Corolla SE for the week.
The SE trim is a sporty version, so it has the fancy wheels, paddle shifters, and some light tech package upgrades. Backup camera is standard along with many safety features that I wasn't expecting to find in a rental car.
Physically, it's a Corolla. Not much has changed since these became appliance cars back in the 90s, but I think that's the entire point of this car. It's simple, straight forward, and adequate in every aspect.
The powertrain is an inline-4, FWD, paired with a CVT.
Pros:
- HVAC controls (for fan speed, zone selection) are up/down toggle type switches. While not as intuitive as rotary dials, it's easy to use this type and it looks a lot cleaner while saving space.
- Ride quality is quite good for such a small and light car. I suspect that models with less-sporty wheels will ride even better due to more sidewall area.
- The dashboard, while plastic, is molded in a very stylish way that I wouldn't expect in an economy car. The faux stitching is a nice touch, even though it's just molded into the plastic.
- The AC in this car will freeze you if you aren't careful. I wasn't expecting such strong cooling in an economy car, but it seems that Toyota finally figured out how to compete with the domestic makers on HVAC capability.
- The seats are surprisingly supportive with pronounced side bolsters. The combo of pleather and cloth with accent piping looks quite nice.
- I didn't do anything under the hood, but the engine bay looks simple and easy to work in.
Cons:
- Some interior dash/trim pieces are glossy piano black. Even the most careful owner will be unable to avoid making scratches, and smudges are easily visible.
- Entune system buttons are capacitive touch. Big no no to me because you have to look away from the road to press the button properly. I even had an odd occurrence where my radar detector power cord was able to 'touch' the buttons.
- CVT programming is odd at times. Under seemingly random circumstances, the engine will seem to want to rev very high and hold the revs there.
- I could only find a single 12V power port.
- The infotainment LCD display is almost too 'vertical', resulting in an odd viewing angle of the backup camera video (washed out effect that is common on any LCD).
My mixed city/interstate driving resulted in just shy of 30mpg, which is exactly on par with mfr estimates. I suspect that MPG will improve slightly once the engine has been fully broken in, as seems common with Toyotas.
Seating seemed ample enough for 4 adults, but I think the weight would put a lot of strain on the engine/trans.
Pictures: