So what makes it so special? Besides being quite refined for a car in this class and well appointed, it's just plain reliable. There's something to be said for a car that starts up every morning, rain, sleet, snow or pray tell, shine, gets you to work on time without incident and is ready to haul you back safely, in comfort after a long day. More often than not, all the convenience items keep on being convenient long after the warranty runs out too.

Although not the sexist car on the road, Corolla buyers are drawn to its excellent reliability and refinement. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Sure the Corolla isn't necessarily the fastest car on the block, it's hardly the sexiest from a styling perspective, and doesn't pull stares of envy from complete strangers at bus stops (OK, that last one might be true if driving through Edmonton in the depths of winter), but on the other hand the Corolla performs admirably, is hardly offensive to look at, and slinks through traffic with stealth agility (i.e. without getting noticed at all) - for some people a very good thing.

Borrowing seat frames and overall seat design from the more upscale Camry and Lexus models, the 2005 Corolla's seats have been reupholstered with nicer materials than in the current car. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Most importantly the Corolla is extremely well made. Exterior panel gaps are tight and perfectly parallel, interior fit and finish is of a higher than average quality, while the materials used are better than average. All the seats, both in front and back, are extremely comfortable and supportive as well.

For 2005 those seats have been reupholstered with nicer materials, while the driver gets vertical height adjustment for an optimized driving position. In case you didn't know, and I didn't until a company spokesman told me so don't feel bad, Toyota actually pulls the Corolla seat frames and overall seat design out of its larger Camry sedan, which shares them with the Highlander, Lexus ES 330 and RX 330 models. An economy car sharing parts with a fifty plus thousand dollar luxury SUV? No wonder they're so good.