1999 Toyota Corolla CE from North America - Comments

Absolutely nothing. Toyotas are built to last, and this one has not disappointed me.

This car is SO smooth! They're engineered for comfort and reliability, and definitely deliver in both of these areas. The acceleration is smooth and constant; the ride is impeccable and soft; the engine is quiet and dependable; the seats are comfortable and ergonomic.

I've driven it on two lengthy road trips since I've gotten it, and I'm amazed how easy it is to drive. My old car was an Oldsmobile with a 3.1 V6, and it was a very visceral machine. The Corolla is so civilized in comparison. The power steering is heavily boosted, making for a very clean feel when you steer, and even the steering wheel itself is comfortable to grip. The factory stereo isn't quite as good as the Cutlass's, and I've had a devil of a time finding the proper place for the driver's seat, where it's comfortable for me to reach the pedals, but not have to lean forward to grab the steering wheel. I found that spot in the Cutlass immediately, but I'm still working on the Corolla.

The only other major problem is that there's almost no space in the backseats. I rarely carry passengers, and have only had more than one passenger once. That time, the guy in the backseat had to sit with his legs across the backseat, because there's literally about a foot of space between the back seat and the front seat. Again, though, I'm comparing the car to the Cutlass, which was a full-size. Any compact car you buy, doesn't matter what kind, will have a minuscule back seat.

The fuel mileage on the Corolla is unreal. I've logged almost 40 miles per gallon twice since getting it. The flip side of that is that the Corolla is not an acceleration machine, but you don't buy this car because you want a race car. The Cutlass had GM's venerable 3.1 V6 in it, which generated mountains of low-end torque compared to the Corolla. The only time I really notice the difference is when I have to pull out across a busy street and the Corolla doesn't quite have the oomph below 4000 RPM that the Cutlass had.

Speaking of RPM, it's also worth noting that my base model Corolla has no tachometer! Since it's an automatic transmission, that's not a big loss, and I believe the upper-trim packages do have a tach. The thing that surprised me is how quickly I got used to not having one. I watched the tach in the Cutlass all the time, but with the Corolla I didn't even notice that it had no tach until I had owned it several days (I'm not the most perceptive fellow sometimes) and now I've totally forgotten what it feels like to drive with one. That's fine with me; one less thing to have to worry about or keep my eye on.

In conclusion, I love the Corolla. I love everything about it: the looks, the handling, the sound, the ride comfort, the gauge placement, the way it feels when you sit behind the wheel. It's not for everyone, but if you want a compact passenger car that gets great fuel economy and delivers the best ride you've ever seen, this might just be the car you're looking for.

Heaven???I don't think I would go that far.