Further Impressions
2014 Toyota Corolla LE Plus Four Door Sedan
On a recent 3,340 Miles round trip from Texas to California on vacation I was even more impressed with the Corolla.
The cruise control was set for 65 MPH and the speed was maintained even on some fairly steep upgrades in New Mexico and Arizona. The engine speed rarely increased from a constant of about 1,800 RPM on the tachometer.
The seating and legroom are far more comfortable and a bit more legroom in front than in the previous mid-size car. There is an appreciably noticeable larger amount of more legroom in the back seat. The front seats are especially more form fitting and give better support and comfort than anything in previous cars.:yes:
The interior appointments seem to be bit more upscale, too. It is admittedly one of the areas of subjective opinion, but I really like the layout of the dash and instrument panel. The back-up camera is a real help in backing out of a parking space or from the garage to the driveway.
Blue tooth cell phone connection is a nice feature, too.
The styling is not all that bad, just about the same as all the current compact cars. You can mistake the Corolla for a Camry or even a Lexus ES from a distance. The "Super White" is noticeably brighter than other white cars.
There are many other features which really seem to me that I actually upgraded in going from a mid-size car to a compact car.
Main big point has been the gas mileage. I have gone from a fairly constant 20 MPG in town - 30 MPG on the road on the mid-size car to a constant 30 MPG in town -40 MPG on the on the Corolla .Curiously enough, the "fill up checks" on the trip always came to just about an even exact 40 MPG.
Only little complaints were that that the engine tends to over-rev if you are descending a steep slope. But tapping the brake or dis-engaging the cruise control takes care of that and the over-revving is taken care of if you just go back to the ancient method of controlling the speed with the accelerator pedal
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I do notice that the "Average MPG" reading seems to be a bit higher than the actual MPG checks on the "fill ups." :no:My theory is that maybe the "Average MPG" is the average of a certain number of recent MPG's rather than the overall MPG between "fill ups." Of course the "Instant MPG" readings constantly vary with 99.9 MPG on downgrades. I did notice some fairly constant reading of 45 to 50 MPG readings on straight level stretches on the Interstates at a constant 65 MPH.:huh:
Other criticism, if you can call it that. The specs on the luggage space say 13.0 Cubic Feet -vs-16.00 Cubic Feet for the mid-size. However, all of the usual luggage- 1 Large suitcase, 1 Medium size suitcase, 1 large roll around suitcase, a large garment bag for slacks, shirts and coats, shaving kit, several assorted bags and cartons of soft drinks fitted in nicely with some space leftover. I haven't measured carefully, but I think the luggage compartment may be just a bit shorter in depth -front to back-might be the difference in the volume measurements. :huh:
So far, my opinion is that I have actually upgraded for a car with a nicer and more comfortable interior without a loss from going to a compact from a mid-size without giving up anything but gaining a lot. And it is a lot more nimble in the parking spaces and the added economy too boot. With the 30-40 MPG in town and on the highway and gas now at $1.75 per gallon it has gotten a bit cheaper to drive, too.:laughing: