Peace of mind


Sometimes it is good to receive a strong dose of reality. The World is filled with nice cars and trucks. Let us ponder the Infinity G35, the BMW 3-Series, the Audi A6, the Mercedes B-Class, the Volvo XC90 and the Chevrolet Corvette. These cars are great to drive and to own but they all have one major common flaw: I cannot afford any of them. For the common working stiff, a $30,000 + car, let alone a $70,000 vehicle is more than likely way out of our range. So, where does this leave us average folks? Do we have anything to look forward to? The answer is "Absolutely!". I can easily think of the smart fortwo, the Honda Civic and the Mazda 3 / Ford Focus. What about the Toyota Corolla...?

One car that is rarely recognized as being fun is the Toyota Corolla. To show you what I mean, I have driven three Corollas since its revamp in 2003. Every time I would get behind the wheel, I would think to myself that this car is actually entertaining. I would then go back to my old notes and find out that I had the same thought the last time. Well, I got caught again.

The Toyota Corolla is a benchmark in the auto world. It is the second best selling compact car, behind only the Honda Civic, in Canada with over 40 000 sales per year. Here is my appreciation of the car.

The price range for the 2006 Corolla begins at $15,715 up to $24,445. I tested a CE with the SE package and it retails for $18,885.

Styling

In the looks department, the Corolla is not out to win any design awards. It is also not out to offend anyone or mess with the status quo either. It suits its target market just fine. I felt a weird feeling come over me at one point while walking back towards the car and looking at it: it was as though I was proud to be driving a Corolla because of its reputation, small fuel consumption numbers and the plain fact that it is simply a smart car... or maybe it was just me. Paint application is generally even and panel gaps are minimal and uniform.

The interior of the car is particularly well laid out. Radio and HVAC controls are large and legible. There are plenty of small storage spaces. Cabin volume is good as is the size of the trunk. My only negative comment is about the seats: the lower cushion is short and does not provide a sufficient amount of thigh support. This could become bothersome on a long trip. Otherwise, every position is typically comfy.

The dash materials look and feel good. The quality of the fit and finish is tops for a car in this price range. My favourite part is the matte black center portion of the dashboard.