2003 Toyota Corolla S 1.8L

Summary:

Quality car, inside and out

Faults:

About an inch long section of the weather stripping has come off a bit in the corner of one window. Will have it fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

Toyota really put quality into every nook and cranny of this car. Other manufacturers focus on the most obvious parts (interior, dash) but the second you start poking around you find a lot of shortcuts. With Toyota you could probably stick your head up the tailpipe and notice touches that other car makers gloss over.

I like the quality of the car. I don't believe any manufacturer will give you as good quality for the price as Toyota. The engine bay is very neat, no spaghetti wiring. Plasic is great quality, seats are comfortable. The dash is very will laid out. Doors close with a pleasant muffled thump instead of a noisy slam.

The trunk is enormous. I like the fact that there are not any releases for folding down the seats inside the passenger cabin, and the trunk release by the drivers seat can be disabled. Anything stored in the trunk will be safe if someone breaks into the car.

There are nice touches like an outside temperature gauge, two trip meters, cabin air filter, lots of cup holders, and floor air vents for the rear seats.

The car seems a little high. When I go into someone else's car I really notice how high the corolla sits.

There are some squeaks and rattles from the dash that come and go as the car ages, worse in lower temperatures.

The Air conditioner seems very underpowered, but I hear this is a trend with all newer cars for environmental reasons.

The suspension could be better. It is not nearly as nice as the Camry, but I still find myself going much faster than I think I am. I maxed out the spedo at 180Km/h and the car felt like it could easily handle higher speeds.

The stock tires are garbage. Poor traction in dry, wet, snowy conditions. They are good for only about 30,000Km then they should be scrapped.

The trunk is hard to close, but I have the hang of it now. I haven't met anyone that has been able to close the trunk properly on their first try.

Reverse gear is hard to get into. I usually go into fourth, then reverse, and this seems to work well.

My gas tank cover froze shut once and I had to get someone to pull on the release lever while I pried it open with my fingers.

Gas mileage is excellent. I keep the receipt from every fill-up with the odometer reading written down on it. The car averages about 7.5L/100Km (31mpg) or about 670Km per tank.

Engine power is good. At high RPMs you really get a good kick out of the car, especially for a 1.8 liter.

To sum up, the Corolla is the perfect commuter car. It seats four comfortably and it is utterly reliable. I haven't had a single problem with it yet, and I don't expect to for at least 5 years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd April, 2004

17th Apr 2005, 10:46

I work for a Saturn dealer and have found a quick fix for the closing of the trunk lid. On our lot we have a bunch of ION sedans and one of them in particular had a difficult to close trunk. I remembered things from working at the Honda Civic factory back in 1997, and made some small adjustments to the trunk lid and latch.

The first thing you want to do is be sure the trunk, when closed, is flush with the tops of the rear fenders, and flush against the rear window. If it fits perfectly, go on to the next paragraph. If it needs adjustment, you can either carefully bend it into place by twisting the entire lid, or loosen the bolts holding the lid to the hinges and adjust it that way.

To adjust the latch/striker, open the trunk, fold down the rear seats, and crawl into the trunk from the rear seat are, then lower the lid and make note of where the latch comes into contact with the striker bolt, but don't close the trunk completely. You will likely find the striker bolt is not coming into perfect contact with the latch. Two bolts hold the striker in place, loosen them, adjust the striker, and tighten the bolts. Your trunk should close perfectly now.

I made this repair to that one ION on the lot by using a hammer to bang the striker about 1/8 inch to its left, and now the trunk closes as perfectly as the ION's on either side of it.

This procedure also works for your doors and hood if they are difficult to close, or sagging slightly.

29th Mar 2007, 19:05

2003 Corolla S, 23K miles

I have a problem no one has described. I got the car out of the shop after two days and they could not duplicate the problem. Sometimes I have to try the ignition switch several times before the starter engages.

Also, how can you keep the doors from locking when you get out of the car in the garage?

I have a gravel drive uphill out of a basement garage and I cannot keep the car from digging potholes in the gravel. Any suggestions?

2003 Toyota Corolla LE 1.8

Summary:

I love my car!

Faults:

There's a rattling noise that comes from somewhere in the dash, but it's easy to tune out and it's not constant.

The cover for one of the center dash compartments came half off, but it was covered by my warranty.

The window rattles a bit if I'm driving on the highway with it down a couple inches, but I don't know- that may be how it is with all cars. I've never owned anything other than a Corolla.

These are the only problems I've had as of yet. I love driving my car!

The seats are so comfortable, and it's a good thing, since I drive 100+ miles a day 5 days a week.

It's also incredibly roomy and the trunk space is more than adequate.

My favorite part of the car is how well it handles accelerating around turns.

The only minor problem is that on the highway you can't tell when you're speeding since the ride is so smooth. Sure, that's where cruise control comes in handy, but I've got a lead foot and it feels great to fly past all the other cars. Sometimes I'll think I'm going 75 mph and I'm going 90-95mph.

What sucks is that since I drive on the highway so much, the front end of my car is all chipped up. All the other cars and trucks kick up a lot of rocks and pebbles, and I tend to follow a bit close. But that's my own fault.

The car's also got a great sound system.

The two thing I wish the car had is a sunroof and the ability to open the trunk with the key-less entry.

General Comments:

It's an awesome, reliable car.

It's very comfortable with 6 way seat adjustment.

It was a pretty good deal.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th April, 2004

17th Apr 2005, 10:49

If you wish to protect the front end of your Corolla, there is a product out there I think it is called InvisiBra. It's a thin clear layer of adhesive polymer that works like a regular leather bra, but is pretty much invisible. This will protect your paint from the chips you get on the road, but the layer must be replaced periodically.