2003 Toyota Corolla CE from North America - Comments

The all-new Toyota Corolla has many changes from the other generation, but I remarked some problems:

-Low quality plastic

-Strange noise from dash

-Low quality tires

-Non sporty transmission and drive.

But the car runs 800 kilometers with 45 gasoline liters with smooth drive.

Good car, I recommend it to everybody who has at least 18000 $CAN to invest in a car who has one of the best reputation in the market.

800km on 45L is a bit optimistic, it's more like 600 km on 50L and that's if you light on the pedal.

800 km to a tank of gas? I get 360 km maximum to a tank with my 04 Corolla which is the same as the 03. Is all your driving done on freeways? Most people do mixed. I was absolutely shocked at the lousy mileage with this car. I am wondering if yours is so much better, whether mine is indeed a lemon. Unfortunately the dealer does not care once you buy the car. I am about ready to buy a Hyundai, seriously... my old Pony got 425 km to a tank and it was a smaller tank than the Corolla...I am very disillusioned with all the advertised promises about Toyota.

I agree with the first comment - 600kms to the 50L tank is about right. I drive highway and city, and I get around 550 per tank (04 Corolla) and I've been told that the mileage gets better after the first 5000kms - and the car only has 3000kms on it. There is nothing wrong with Hyundai either, but I still think they have to prove themselves. Flashy cars that look like Jaguars, are just looks, and we will see how they hold up over time. A buddy of mine has a 89 Corolla with 417,000kms and drives it everyday, and has no problems with the car, even original clutch. It's a prov en car, Hyundai has yet to produce such a car, and the pony for sure is not one of them.

I have an 03 Corolla and in the winter I get 8L/100km which works out to 625km on a single tank of 50L. In the summer I get around 670km. I commute to work and back every day about 30% city, 70% highway driving.

I have an '01 Corolla and have been watching my gas mileage very carefully. I get 13 km per litre in the City and about 15-16 highway. That means I get about 650 km per 50 litre tank.

My car is the previous generation, but I think has a very similar size engine - 1.8 litres.

The idea that someone could get 850 km on a tank is extraordinary hard to believe.

My daughter was in her third year at med school and needed a car to last through her fourth year and then into four years of residence - she did research and found that the Corolla was what we could afford and a car that would be reliable. She found a used Corolla with about 5000 miles at Rusty Wallace Toyota Dealership, Morristown, TN and she bought it and bought a warranty for 36000 miles. She has had it a little over a year and in that year many things have happened. First the air conditioner went out and she had it fixed, then the bottom half of the engine went out and the Dealership replaced it - took two weeks to get the car back because it took the Dealership that long to get the parts. Then the right rear wheel bearing had to be replaced and now the left back window has a problem and won't work.. Does anyone have any suggestion of what I can do to get her car replaced? I think it will continue to have problems because it is just one of those problem cars. Her comment was - "this was the car that was not suppose to have problems." I really need help - does anyone know of any thing that can be done to have Toyota replace this car. O Wolfe.

It would really be partially a question of how long she has had the car and how she has maintained it whether you could get Toyota to replace the car or not. Also since the vehicle was purchased used could come into an issue. I would want to look into the history of the car before you owned it, Where did it come from how was it maintained, Was it a rental? Any accident history? I am employed by a Toyota Dealership and don't often see a lot of used corollas with only 5000km on the lot especially if the vehicle is a new model year vehicle or a year or 2 old model. Most newer used low millage Toyotas are generally Company Cars, Demonstrators or Rentals. If it was privately owned previous I would want to try to find out the history as to why it was traded in. If the vehicle was a rental it should have been disclosed to you, at least in Canada it is law that it is Disclosed, often rental vehicles get driven very hard and are often abused.

Our 2003 Corolla CE is a pretty good car, although fit and finish is lacking compared to older Toyota models. The windshield was improperly installed, causing a tiny rock chip to crack the window almost to the top of the windshield. The seals have come apart in the back doors, leaving gaps and a handy spot for rust to start. The smaller middle dash compartment door flopped open and it seemed as though the plastic door had become too big for the hole. Other than this, the car gives excellent mileage, our record being approx. 870km to a tank. It has high ks. as my husband drives over 100kms. a day. We are happy with the engine and performance, just not chuffed with the finish on the inside.

I just had a rear wheel bearing replaced in my o3 corolla s. including parts labour and taxes the bill totalled 608.00.the bearing itself cost 421.00.could someone out there verify that was a fair and reasonable charge.thanks, bruce (moxie36@yahoo.com)

My 04 Corolla gets around 800 - 850 km on a tank of gas driving highays, about 500-600 on city streets.

My wife and I have had our 2003 Corolla for over three years and it now has 98K kilometers (60K miles) on the odometer.

This car belongs primarily to my wife and has been very reliable. The car is very efficient on fuel and the automatic works very well. A good driving appliance.

My annoyances with the car are as follows:

1) The driving position: Although I am only 5’10” I find the driver’s leg room insufficient. I have to keep my right knee and ankle at a weird angle and off to the side to maintain a light throttle foot and drive the car at highway speeds. Even with the seat all the way back, my legs are splayed to each side of the steering wheel and I develop cramps in my legs. With the seat all the way back for leg room the steering wheel is to far away, very frustrating and uncomfortable. For this reason alone, if we are going on a trip out of town together we will take my car despite the Toyota’s tremendous fuel economy.

2) Both front windows rattle: This continues even after adjustment. The rattling will stop if roll the window up and down a couple of inches two or three times.

3) Suspension compliance: I find the front suspension to have “stiff knees”. What I mean is that the suspension seems too stiff to absorb small bumps and irregularities which gives the car a very “busy” ride.

As I said the car has been good, but the above would prevent us, me anyway, from buying another until my annoyances with the Corolla are addressed.

I consistently get 40 mpg/400+ miles/tank in MIXED driving with my '03 le automatic. this includes speeds to 70 mph to and from town, and on in town freeway.

On longer trips, my mileage DROPS to low to mid 30s mpg. mainly 'cuz its hard for me to cruise slower than 70-75-80!

I just bought an '03 Corolla CE 5 spd manual with 55,000KM on her, and I found out AFTER purchase (I had test drove it in the pouring rain, my own fault...), that the right rear wheel bearing was gone. It's ironic, because I had read the reviews on this website, and they had mentioned that the rear wheel bearings were prone to premature wear, but I dismissed them to remote instances, given Toyota's record for reliability. (I know this firsthand, as my last vehicle was a 1988 3.0L 4x4 pickup with 260,000KM on her before she died).

To make a long story short, ToyMoCo wanted $450 for the hub assembly, and $200 labour; I picked up the (after market) hub assembly for $150 and installed it myself. I now know that I'm a fool for dismissing other owner's experiences as isolated incidents...I'm just grateful it wasn't something very costly. Otherwise, my Corolla runs awesome, with GREAT fuel economy. I spend about $25 CAD per week as opposed to $50 for my old truck.

Concerning highway fuel efficiency and MPG/KPG and assuming the fuel and air filters are good; the rated fuel efficiency of most cars is dependent upon using the highest octane gas you can buy at the pump, and averaging 50-70 miles per hour on the freeway.