Oh the Corolla, how far we’ve come! I’ll never forget my moms 1986 Corolla, it was white and one of the first cars I remember driving in. My mom loved that thing, and my dad wasn’t a fan of it because of the smaller engine (go figure now Dad is all about fuel economy). But anyways lets get back to the Corolla, a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by Toyota. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla managed to become the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in the world since then. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, surpassing the Volkswagen Beetle.
The name “corolla” is part of Toyota’s naming tradition of using names derived from the Toyota Crown for sedans. The Corolla has always been exclusive in Japan to Toyota Corolla Store locations, and manufactured in Japan with a twin, called the Toyota Sprinter until 2000.
Early models were mostly rear-wheel drive, while later models have been front-wheel drive based. Its traditional competitors have been the Nissan Sunny, introduced the same year as the Corolla in Japan and the later Honda Civic.
The newest 2014 Corolla was unveiled in June 2013. The redesigned Corolla rides on a longer 106.3 inch wheelbase (+2.95 in). Overall length is increased by 3.90 inches or 4.40 inches for the S-grade trim. The drag coefficient has been reduced to 0.28.
Two four cylinder engines are available, the 1.8-liter 2ZR-FE with 132 horsepower (98 kW), and a Valvematic equipped 2ZR-FAE offered on the new “Eco” trim providing 140 horsepower (100 kW). The Corolla will be available with a four-speed automatic, six-speed manual, or Toyota’s new CVTi-S Continuously-Variable Transmission. Long live the Corolla!
