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The Corolla is the car that made Toyota a household name. For over forty years, Corolla has meant reliable transportation at an affordable price. The current generation is not breaking this winning formula, and its trying to add a little luxury into the affordable car mix.

The Corolla was first introduced as a small rear-drive subcompact in the late 1960s. In the 1970s the second generation was introduced, and it was the best selling import in the country. Last year, the now front-wheel drive Corolla became the best selling model in the world, with over 30 million sold. Toyota has released a new generation of the Corolla every four or five years, which has now lead up to this new tenth-generation 2009 Toyota Corolla. The new Corolla is slightly longer, lower and wider than the previous generation. It is available in five trims, base, LE, S, XLE, and XRS. Our Corolla XLE is powered by a 1.8 Liter 4 cylinder DOHC engine matted to an automatic 4-speed transmission. The starting price for the Corolla XLE is $17, 550. Our test vehicle is priced at $18,600, because it has the optional goodies including 6-disc CD changer and satellite radio.

Interior



Inside, Toyota’s goal was to create an interior with roominess and improved comfort. The added width gives you more body and legroom. To put it in technical terms, Toyota gave the front a half inch in the front and nearly a full inch in the rear. Even though you lose a half inch of headroom, because of the lowered roofline, Toyota gave the XLE more comfortable seats so that a person of any height could fit comfortably.

The dashboard is black with silver accents. The seams are had to see and the gaps between panels are nearly nonexistent—a Toyota hallmark. Faux wood accents help the dash flow seamlessly into the center console. The center is kept very simple, with as little buttons and knobs as possible. It is surrounded by a wood trim, with chrome accents. This is offered as a standard feature.

The top of the center console has an AM/FM/ 6-CD changer that is Satellite compatible. Bellow is the air temperature control knobs, which look borrowed from the Scion. Like a lot of the new vehicles, the new XLE has a standard auxiliary input to plug in any MP3 player.

The steering wheel is very basic, so basic in fact, that it does not have cruise control as a standard feature. If you find cruise control important, you can still ask for it as an option. Behind the steering wheel is an instrument panel that offers a speedometer, tachometer, fuel and coolant temperature gauge, and an optional multi-information display that offers a clock, outside temperature, fuel-economy, range, average speed and elapsed time.

As part of this Corolla’s more sporting image, the speedometer and tachometer will give a symbolic run through its cycles every time the car is turned on. This is about the only trait the Corolla shares with Corvetts and Ferarris, but it does give the driver a little jolt of performance.

There are a few extra storage compartments in the new Corolla XLE, like the passenger-side dual glove box compartments.

The cloth seats were made for comfort. This means they are good for long trips but not necessarily taking multiple corners. For sportier and leather seats, you need to upgrade to upgrade to the sportier XRS package. This has a starting price of $19,950 but also has over 25 more horsepower.

Overall, the Corolla XLE is more spacious and comfortable in the interior, than it has ever been. It offers plenty of space in the rear for children, and just the right amount of space in the front for the adults.