2018 Toyota Corolla

The 2018 Toyota Corolla is offered in over 6 trim levels, namely L, LE, LE Eco, SE, XSE, and XLE, with prices starting from $18,600 for the base L trim, whereas the topmost XLE trim sets you back by an MSRP of $22,035. Filled up to the brim with features, the premiumness of the same increases as you go up the trim table. For 2018, Toyota also introduces a few other features, such as the leather-wrapped steering wheel for SE and XLE trims, and the illuminated sun visors for all the trims.

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Our recommendation out of the 6 trims available will be the LE Eco trim, as for $19,435, this specific trim offers sheer value for a consumer-friendly price tag. Toyota tunes the engine for maximum fuel efficiency rather than impressive performance numbers. Apart from the standard feature list, the LE Eco can also be had with a number of feature packages, that render it full of charachter.

The 2018 Toyota Corolla is able to deliver 27 MPG in the city and 35 miles to the gallon out on the highway. This is with the base engine configuration and the 6-speed manual transmission setup. When coupled to the 13.2-gallon fuel tank, this will allow you to stretch the Corolla for about 475 miles, which also makes it one of the least frugal compact sedans in the segment.

The 2018 Corolla Eco is further efficient, with it being rated at 29 MPG in the city and 38 miles to the gallon out on the highway with the 16-inch alloys, whereas when you equip the compact sedan with the 15-inch steel wheels, the sedan delivers 30 and 40 MPG in the city and highway respectively. Then there is the Corolla iM hatchback, which gives 28 and 36 MPG in the city and highway when coupled to its CVT unit.

This is one area where the 2018 Toyota Corolla seems to perform to its fullest. With the ability to seat in 5 average-sized adults comfortably, the compact best-selling sedan is known for its practical nature and spaciousness. Cloth upholstery is standard in the base trims, whereas leather upholstery is provided as standard in the top-most trims. Toyota for 2018 also offers a leather-wrapped steering wheel for the SE and XLE trims.

The generous cabin space has plenty of rear room for the passengers to be seated in utmost comfort. It's slight fastback design although takes away from the headroom a bit. The front seats come with a 6-way power-adjustable function, whereas the rear seats are offered with 8-way electrically adjustable. The cabin is filled with plastic, although that's what you would expect for a consumer-friendly price of under $19,000.

The 2018 Toyota Corolla has a 13 cu. ft of cargo capacity behind the rear seats. Moreover, you can also fold down the rear seats in a 60/40 manner, and that makes way for even more space. This is enough for fitting an adequate amount of luggage for your usual weekend trips. The Toyota Corolla also houses a large trunk opening, which further makes the loading and unloading task even easier. 

Some of the interior features on offer are-

• Heated steering wheel
• Sunroof
• Heated front seats
• Eight-way-power-adjustable driver’s seats
• 3-zone automatic climate controls
• Heated mirrors
• Variable intermittent wipers

The 2018 Toyota Corolla gets a 6.1-inch Entune touchscreen infotainment unit. The interface is properly superior and intuitive to use. Adequately responsive in its nature, there is little to complain about Corolla's infotainment system. The buttons too, aid in the overall responsive nature of the infotainment system. On the feature front, Toyota still fails to provide both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, which is a shame.

Some of the other infotainment features on offer are-

• Bluetooth connectivity
• Sirius XM satellite and a navigation app for smartphone use
• USB port
• Six-speaker premium audio system
• Siri Eyes Free voice control system

The 2018 Corolla offers two different exterior designs, reflecting the new model lineup. The L, LE, XLE and LE Eco offer a nose-and-tail treatment that's distinct from the sportier SE and XSE models - KBB

Bland is much more of an acceptable word in this case. The 2018 Toyota Corolla's exterior silhouette is as bad as its performance quotient, which says something about the car, as it is still sold in thousands in the US. Redesigned not so long ago, the 2018 Toyota Corolla still follows the same subdued front end, with the thin grill strip flowing across.

Flowing through the headlights is a subtle character line all the way to the back end. The base trims of the Corolla get 15-inch steel wheels, whereas the higher trims in the lineup get 17-inch wheels. Dimension-wise, the 2018 Corolla fares decently, with a respectable ground clearance, which allows it to wade across small bumps. The 106.3-inch wheelbase also allows the Corolla to have a bigger cabin space.

Some of the exterior features of the 2018 Corolla are-

• Bi-LED headlamps
• Multi-LED projectors with LED accent lights
• 17-inch alloys
• Rear spoiler
• Bumper-mounted LED DRLs

Toyota prides itself in delivering some of the safest and most reliable vehicles from its lineup. The 2018 Corolla is one such offering. The Toyota Corolla received a 5 on 5-star rating from the NHTSA in the crash-tests conducted, whereas the IIHS body also gave it an overall "Top Safety Pick+" rating for its crashworthiness. Plus, Toyota also equips the Corolla with the latest in terms of active and passive safety features.

Some of those features included in the 2018 Corolla are-

• Adaptive cruise control
• Forward Collision Warning
• Lane Departure Warning
• LATCH
• Automatic high beams
• Automatic Emergency braking
• Pedestrian detection

2018 Toyota Corolla vs 2018 Honda Civic

The two best-selling compact cars in the segment go face-to-face in this comparison. To put it into brutally honest words, the Toyota Corolla is no match for the Honda Civic. One of the best performers in the segment, the Honda Civic, manages to put down a maximum of 158 hp from its 4-cylinder engine in comparison to the 132 hp produced by the Corolla.

The only area, where the Corolla manages to inch past the Civic, is in terms of interior cabin space. This is despite both of them having the same wheelbase. Fuel-efficiency wise too, the Corolla just about inches past the Civic, which is respectable.

2018 Toyota Corolla vs 2018 Mazda 3

The Mazda 3 is one of the best performers in the compact sedan segment and is definitely one of the closest rivals to Corolla. The Toyota Corolla might be the best-seller in the segment, but surprisingly the Mazda 3 beats the Corolla in all of the major areas. Fuel efficiency is the only area, where the Corolla inches past the Mazda.

The Mazda 3 compact sedan certainly wins the compact sedan segment exterior design of the year award, as it's too damn near impressive. Coming on to the interior too, the cabin layout of the Mazda 3 is pretty modern and yet practical at the same time.

The 2018 Toyota Corolla is a family sedan that does its duties well enough for the price it is being offered at. Though there are loads of areas where the Corolla lags, such as in the form of the performance aspect, wherein it is the worst performer of the group or on the design front. The competition fares much better in all the important criteria, that a prospective buyer looks for in this segment. We would suggest you wait for the next redesigned iteration of the Corolla, as this one's hardly any good.