2005 Toyota Corolla Review

The Toyota Corolla -- the world's top selling car -- marks its 35th anniversary this year in the United States and is being sold here for the first time in high performance XRS form to make the car more appealing to young drivers.

The 2004 sedan is the ninth generation Corolla. It was given a major change for 2003 -- also to make it more attractive to young folks in the face of greater competition from South Korean economy cars with lower prices and more equipment.

More than 25 million Corollas have been sold in 142 countries. The car debuted in Japan in 1966, and in America two years later. A large percentage of Corollas are sold here.

The affordable Corolla always has been a conservative economy car with a reputation for running nearly forever with minimal maintenance.

The 2003 model was made sportier and given more equipment and a better interior. But while Toyota succeeded in making that model score better with young motorists, the latest generation Corolla was kept mostly conservative to hold onto older buyers.

The $17,455 XRS is something else again. It's a step up from the rather sporty $14,725-$15,525 Corolla S model, which has such items as a leather-wrapped steering wheel, fog lights and upgraded tires on 15-inch wheels.

The S version, as with all Corollas except the XRS, has a 130-horsepower four-cylinder engine, which provides decent performance. The XRS has a 170-horsepower version of the sophisticated 180-horsepower dual-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine in the racy Toyota Celica GT-S coupe.

However, the XRS engine is more refined and has a broader and stronger mid-range torque curve for better response during average driving.

For hard driving, the XRS engine has a variable valve timing and lift system that produces a rush of power from a high 6,000 to a race-car-engine-style 7,800 rpm. But those high engine speeds will rarely be seen unless the XRS has a long, clear road in front of it.

The XRS gets slightly better estimated fuel economy than the GT-S: 26 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway. After all, this is a Corolla, and there's no way Toyota wants any version of the car to be known as fuel-thirsty. Other Corollas deliver 29-32 mpg in the city and 38-40 on highways.

The 130-horsepower Corollas come with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, but the XRS is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox. It generally shifts well, but is hooked to a light, but long-throw, clutch that isn't much fun in stop-and-go traffic.

The gears are so close together in the shift gate that it's easy to accidentally slip into sixth gear when you want fourth gear, or into fourth gear when you want second gear -- and so on.

Like all 2005 front-drive Corollas, which have mild front-rear styling changes, the XRS has only a 1.8-liter engine. A driver thus must shift a lot with the manual transmission to get the best acceleration. The car does 0-60 mph in 7.8 seconds, making it the first Corolla to break the eight-second 0-60 mph barrier. (A standard automatic transmission Corolla hits 60 mph in about nine seconds.) The small engine revs fairly high at 3,100 rpm at 70 mph in sixth gear.

Accompanying the XRS engine are a sport-tuned suspension with higher-rate springs and shock absorbers. This model has a half-inch lower ride height and wider 55-series tires on larger 16-inch alloy wheels. A more rigid steering column produces less vibration and improves response.

A power steering rack was specially developed for the XRS to allow better steering feedback, but steering is a bit heavy at low speeds.

There's an under-hood engine compartment connecting rod damper from Japanese hot rod parts producer Yamaha. The rod, which will immediately be noticed by car buffs, is mounted between the shock absorber towers and improves ride and handling without causing the XRS to feel harsh, which is a fault of some small high-performance cars.

Special XRS items include very supportive front sport bucket seats, silver instruments and a leather shift knob. There's also a color-keyed rear spoiler, special badging and an "aerodynamic body package'' with color-keyed front and rear underbody spoilers, rocker panel extensions and rear mud guards for a sportier appearance.

The XRS is well equipped because even the base $13,680-$14,480 Corolla CE has a fair number of items, including air conditioning, tilt wheel, AM/FM/CD player, power mirrors and intermittent wipers. The more luxurious $14,890-$15,690 LE adds such equipment as power windows and locks with remote keyless entry.

Newly offered are $655 head-protecting curtain side air bags, which come with front side air bags. A power sunroof costs $750.

The XRS has good brake pedal feel and adds standard anti-lock-disc brakes that help provide short stopping distances. Handling is sharp and the ride is supple.

The subcompact-size XRS offers good room for four 6-footers, and the fairly big trunk has a low, wide opening. However, unlike other Corollas, the XRS doesn't offer a split-folding rear seat to increase cargo space. That's because the fixed rear seat helps stiffen the body structure to accommodate the higher-horsepower engine.

It's not easy making a high-performance version of an auto designed to be a utilitarian economy car, but Toyota has done a decent job here.

2005 TOYOTA COROLLA XRS

Price
$17,455

Likes
Fast. Sporty handling. Roomy. Fairly economical.

Dislikes
Not much fun in city. Lots of shifting required. Long-throw clutch.