Take it away, Noah:

The long-term 2015 Toyota Corolla S tester enjoyed a lovely afternoon in the hands of yours truly. “Oh golly, another Corolla article,” some may say. To that, I add a certain sparkle, pizazz, perhaps a new angle even.

The “Beige” Anti-Car (as coined by senior editor Jonathan Yarkony) worked its magic on my family more than 5 years ago, beating out top competitors (at the time) of the Mazda3, Volkswagen Jetta, and Honda Civic for the valued Shapiro dollars. I may not be a long-time automotive journalist, but I am someone who has put 77,000+ kilometres on a 2010 Toyota Corolla CE with enhanced convenience package (necessary only 5 years ago to have the Anti-Lock Braking System installed).

My daily driver is the enthusiast’s nightmare, but performs admirably for my purposes and has given my family no regrets about its purchase. For $19,500 (MSRP), we got a vehicle that has commuted from home to various jobs, taken us camping in the summer, skiing in the winter, and likely is the sole reason for the success of my near seven-year, long-distance relationship with my girlfriend. Whereas trains, buses, or flights would be inconvenient or expensive, this little runabout has been the sole best purchase my family has ever made.

And five years later, the 2010 Corolla purchased as an economical, second family vehicle has given us no real reason to upgrade: it still drives, delivers economical fuel consumption, has been near-indestructibly reliable, and offers far more feature content than the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier that it replaced.


Thanks to Autos.ca, I have a pretty good idea as to how Toyota’s update to this long-standing best-seller will serve potential new buyers in a very crowded market.

Parked side-by-side, the 2015 Corolla remains inoffensive, yet its bolder fascia in particular imparts a feeling of upscale pretensions compared to my familiar, vanilla-mobile. No longer dorky in proportions, this new generation of Corolla’s styling has found favour with yours truly. Subjective to say the least, it nonetheless can no longer be described as “boring.”

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