The all-new 2008 Toyota Corolla offers a lot of bang for your buck compared to other compact cars! See why as MT Senior Editor Ron Kiino gives us his take on Toyotas latest offering.
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00:11 Just drove the all-new 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS.
00:15 Compared to its predecessor, which wasn't that fun or
00:18 lively to drive, this new car is much better.
00:20 The 2.4 liter engine in this XRS, it's very quick.
00:24 It's easy to trip the tires.
00:26 It's far quicker than the old Corolla.
00:28 It's 60 in the quarter mile.
00:30 As far as styling, I think Toyota really
00:32 missed the boat there.
00:33 They had a chance to really step outside the box, push
00:37 the envelope, and they didn't.
00:39 I think this car looks too much like its predecessor.
00:42 You see it coming down the road, and you're not sure
00:45 whether it's the new one or the old one.
00:47 The interior of the new Corolla is far
00:48 better than before.
00:50 It's roomier.
00:50 The materials are nicer.
00:52 That said, we still think the materials could be a little
00:55 richer, they do feel a little cheaper than some of the
00:58 competitions.
00:59 Overall layout is simple and straightforward, but there are
01:01 some hard bits that aren't quite as nice.
01:04 Center console against your leg, for instance, can become
01:07 a little bothersome, especially
01:09 during spirited driving.
01:10 Overall, I would say this new 10th generation is much better
01:14 than the previous car.
01:15 It's bigger, it's roomier, it's quicker, it handles
01:18 better, it's more fun to drive.
01:19 Is it a success?
01:21 I think for Toyota, it will be.
01:23 There's no question that they will sell a ton of these new
01:25 Corollas.
01:26 People buy it because it's a Toyota.
01:28 But I think Toyota could have done more with this car.
01:30 They could have made the styling fresher or different
01:35 than the previous car.
01:36 The handling could be crisper.
01:38 Compared to the competition, the Corolla stacks up very
01:41 well, and it offers one of the biggest engines at 2.4
01:44 liters, good power.
01:45 It's grown in size, so a larger interior, has a huge
01:49 trunk, and it's got a lot of space.
01:52 It has a huge trunk.
01:53 This particular model offers 17 inch wheels, sports
01:57 suspension, four wheel disc brakes.
02:00 You can get nav, you can get leather.
02:02 So on paper, it's a contender.
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