Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

The first thing I noticed about this car was how quiet it is, I mean seriously quiet, you can barely hear the engine and there is no wind or road noise to speak of.

The dashboard is very well designed and made of very high quality materials, if I had one gripe I think the seats are a touch too firm, but they are superbly supportive and have an infinitely adjustable ratchet system to get super comfy.

ABS with EBD, numerous airbags plus a very high quality CD player come as standard as do electric windows, mirrors, air con, fuel computer etc...

Another surprise was the ride and handling, which are simply superb, especially in bad weather it is unflustered by strong winds, heavy rain and shrugs off flooded motorways as though there is no water at all. You can chuck it into corners and the steering weights up nicely and the car offers loads of grip, it really is a sorted chassis. I can take bends at a much higher speed than I could in my 200SX, it really inspires confidence.

Performance wise its not going to set your world alight, but you get used to it, I guess it has 0-60 of about 11secs, but a lot of usable power through the rev range. The fuel consumption is nothing short of spectacular, around town I get around 36-56mpg and on the open road anything from 48-60mpg, it makes me wonder why buy a diesel Corolla, aside from the extra torque it isn't that much better on fuel plus it sounds like a tractor at idle.

I have read a few reviews mentioning niggles with UK built Corolla's, mine is Japanese built and really is perfect, I think its worth stipulating a Japanese built one when you go to the dealer, they usually have a selection in stock.

All in all I can't recommend this car enough.

Faults:

Nothing mechanically has gone wrong with the car so far.

Around 28,000 miles a filter had to be changed behind the glove box. It was a filter for the air conditioner.

The car has been tapped on the rear bumper from other drivers in my apartment complex and the paint flakes off very easy. My mother was also involved in an accident and hit in the front and a majority of the paint was chipping off.

General Comments:

Definately a car that is easy to drive. The steering is very predictable. The controls are easily accessible for the driver.

The engine compartment is very "roomy" with plenty of space to fit your hands.

The trunk has a good amount of space for items.

The stereo system is great for a stock system.

Problems I've seen with the car are the visibility of the windows in the car. They are somewhat high and small. The rear headrests can intrude vision when backing up at times also. I almost backed up into a Civic in a parking lot because the headrest block my whole vision of it.

The rear seats are also quite small and can be cramped for taller people.

The driving pedal doesn't have much of a range to control the throttle.

I also received free oil changes from Toyota, but its pointless as it normally takes 2+ weeks to make an appointment to get it.

Overall it's a great economy car and will fit the needs people will usually need in this car class. Awesome gas mileage also! I average 26 miles a gallon.

Would definitely suggest an new XRS for those who are more interested in tunning and performance.