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2022 Toyota Corolla - current model year update - via rental


trinacriabob

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Lately, I've been getting the category of car that I selected during the on-line rental process.  That means I haven't been upgraded in a while.  For a rental while away in May, and for a very good price in these crazy times, I was given a new Toyota Corolla base model.

Pros:

- the legendary reliability

- the engine was a 2.0 L 4 cylinder, but there is a base 1.8 L 4 cylinder; also, Toyota has really cleaned up its engine bays and everything is easy to identify and reach

- the fuel economy, with the CVT (also in cons) delivering better fuel mileage, per the EPA ratings, than the 6 speed manual option

- it's a car that a driver becomes familiar with very quickly, for the most part

- the instrument cluster is very logically laid out; you get to keep your speedometer and set the square display at the right of it to display the speed digitally, which I prefer and use

- the climate control is simple to use and the infotainment center (also in cons) has some interesting features, such a graph of how it is faring in fuel usage - some stretches of highway when easing up on the pedal might go to 60 mpg, or higher, while in-town stop and go might not even get to 20 mpg.  Overall, I was getting about 35 mpg in mixed driving

- the car is very nimble

- decent legroom up front for adults

- a good sized trunk

- ergonomically comfortable seats, with the rental car having interesting two-tone gray cloth seating 

- a grouped interior pull tab trunk AND fuel door release cluster, and easily reached by the driver, which is a big plus, with some cars costing over $35,000 not having one or having deleted that feature

Cons:

- it's not the quietest car and tire drone intrudes into the cabin

- the CVT feels like what driving a golf cart might be like, even though I don't golf; and there is supposed to be a "launch gear"* (the sensation of a 1 : 2 automatic shift), but I didn't feel it and I was looking for it!

- the "laptop left open" look of the infotainment center is not appealing and it also looks oversized for the size and type of car

- some of the settings via the stalks or steering wheel controls take a little bit of time to set up, even though the basic dashboard is very user friendly once on the road

- rear set legroom is better suited to children and smaller adults; for more rear legroom, one would probably have to opt for the Camry

- the front grille is unbecoming and the wimpy sideways teardrop rear taillamps don't look as good as some rear light assemblies from recent past models

- the silhouette is more jellybean like than angular, but that's a matter of personal taste

* term used by a Toyota salesperson at a major dealership I went to and at which there was a paltry new car inventory

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Overall, I'd give this current Toyota base model a solid "B," even though it would fetch an "A-" for reliability and economy.

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Photos forthcoming

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"Photo collection"

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Everybody likes recent Toyota front grilles (not!), but kudos for an identifiable front bumper "strip" lurking behind it

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The styling is generic and jellybean like, but safe, with this base model having wheel covers

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This car has had better rear taillamp treatments in the past than the current model; I don't know why so many rental cars have FL plates, wherever you may be!

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The main instrument pod is intuitive and user friendly

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I like the speedometer AND digital MPH display, as well as the always on "distance to empty" readout;  the 93 degrees F was without the "real feel," which pushed it up over 100 degrees F!

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I don't like this big infotainment screen jutting upward, except for the bar graph with the mpg

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Kudos for excellent trunk space for this size of car

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This is the front of the cabin viewed from the driver's door; the seats were fairly comfortable and the two-tone gray interior was more interesting than a standard black one; the more "modern" parking brake feature is in the console, but the storage box itself is a little narrow

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This is the front of the cabin viewed from the passenger's door; the fit and finish for the the seating, the console, the dashboard, and the switches was about average for this type of car

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The rear of the cabin is decently sized for this type of car, but taller passengers may find it confining

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End of photos

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