Originally Posted by supton
I thought those were conventional steering? Missed that detail when I was looking. [Wound up in my '99 Camry, which I think is about the same size, but possibly better. Maybe...] All I remember is, after driving a few, that it was the first car that was just as boring to drive in stick as it was in an automatic. Lackluster in every way. Not that my '11 Camry is better, but I thought the 2010-ish 5MT Corolla was pretty bland, and I found myself preferring the 4AT.
In my daughter's 2005 Corolla LE - it has a 4 speed automatic. I find that automatic, though only four speeds, shifts very well. One of the things I look for is how well it downshifts, say, to second gear, when going around a city-speed corner. The Corolla does it with finesse. Never harsh, never slow to do so.
Also, the shifts are barely perceptible in normal use.
The engine does NOT have balance shafts... and so you CAN hear the extra noise and vibration at the resonant point. However, notwithstanding this - apparently the life expectancy is NOT impacted negatively.
Final comment... I have a 99 Camry with four cylinder and 5 speed manual. I find that car to be one of the nicer ones I have driven... for what it is... cheap, cheap, cheap. The build-quality is certainly NOT cheap. Mine was built in Japan... and the doublesided galvanized body is rust-free. Thin sheet metal... but not as thin as my Mazda6, The Aisin-Warner five speed manual box is smooth as silk, and it is well-geared for the 2.2 litre engine. A way under-rated powertrain combination (for me).
YMMV.