Photo Gallery:
2014 Toyota Corolla
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
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What we have this week, folks, is one of the bestselling vehicles in Canada, newly designed for the 2014 model year to remove the bland – according to Toyota. This is the all-new 2014 Toyota Corolla in LE CVT trim level with what Toyota calls the “Upgrade Package”, most likely their volume seller.
Car guys like myself and many loyal readers all want sports cars or luxury cars and of course the unicorn of all cars: the manual, all-wheel-drive wagon with a diesel engine for $20,000. But for $20,000 most typical Canadians are buying exactly what you see here – the quintessential Canadian family sedan.
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I applaud Toyota for sending me a car that is more representative of what an average Canadian would purchase instead of the full-jam version. On the surface this vehicle looks to have exceptional value for the dollar. It comes with good-looking 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, a power moonroof, cruise control, air conditioning, automatic transmission, keyless entry, power windows and Bluetooth hands-free calling – heck, it even has a back-up camera.
Base price for this vehicle is just $19,500, and the Upgrade Package adds the aforementioned aluminum wheels and moonroof, as well as fog lamps, wheel locks and a leather-wrapped steering wheel – items I could live without, all for an extra $1,500. This does seem like excellent value.
The LE is powered by a 1.8L four-cylinder Dual VVTi engine and is front-wheel drive. The automatic transmission is new for 2014, replacing the four-speed with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) for better fuel economy.
Toyota’s marketing department has pushed this new Corolla as no longer being boring and dull – this week I’ll be the judge of that.
Pricing: 2014 Toyota Corolla LE CVT
Base price: $19,500
Options: Upgrade Package: Leather Wrapped steering wheel, 16″ aluminium alloy wheels, wheel locks, fog lamps, power moonroof – $1,500
Freight/PDI: $1,520
A/C Tax: $100
As-tested price: $22,620
Competitors:
Chevrolet Cruze
Dodge Dart GT
Ford Focus
Honda Civic
Hyundai Elantra
Kia Forte
Mazda3
Mitsubishi Lancer
Nissan Sentra
Subaru Impreza
Volkswagen Jetta
For more information on Toyota and the Corolla visit Toyota Canada
