Overview

The Toyota Corolla has been completely redesigned for 2009. The compact affordable car offers a quiet ride, generous cabin, refinement and reliability. The all-new 2009 Toyota Corolla appears lower and sportier with its A-Pillar and C-Pillar pushed out to increase the angle of the window glass and improve its aerodynamic performance. The addition of a telescopic steering wheel improves the Corolla’s quickness and driving position.

Engine and Performance

The base engine for the Corolla remains unchanged –it is still a 132 horsepower, 1.8-liter, four cylinder engine. The option is the more powerful 158 horsepower 2.4-liter. While the two engines come with a five-speed manual transmission, optional automatic transmissions are offered on both engines. The 1.8-liter gets a four-speed transmission, while the 2.4-liter gets a five-speed.

Body and Styling

The Toyota Corolla is built for five, which it can accommodate with ease. Cloth seats are standard, with leather seats being offered as an option. Although this year’s dashboard has become more polished and comes with a new instrument panel, the cabin remains unchanged from last year. Among the standard features for the interior are a CD stereo, air conditioning and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel. Optional features are a moonroof, a six-CD changer, a navigation system and power windows and locks. The changes carried out for the exterior are cosmetic. These include new headlights and bumper and a grille.

Safety Features

Standard safety features include driver front airbags and front passenger airbag; full-length front and rear-side curtain airbags; active front head restraints; three-point seatbelts with adjustable shoulder anchors for driver and front passenger; four-wheel anti-lock brake system with electronic brake-force distribution; direct tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS); anti-theft system with engine immobilizer; lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) and a child restraint anchorage system.