1999 Toyota Corolla Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Toyota Corolla:

It may not attract much attention, but the Toyota Corolla is an excellent choice if you want reliable, durable, comfortable transportation.

-- New Car Test Drive

...performance is lively and fuel economy -- always a prime Corolla virtue -- is high: an estimated 30-32 in the city and 36-40 on highways.

-- Carpoint.com

More features are standard this year, and even the lowly CE comes with air...a CD player, power steering, power mirrors, an outside temperature gauge, 60/40 split-folding rear seats and 15-inch wheels.

-- Edmunds.com

...this new ninth-generation Corolla is an evolutionary model that carries on Toyota's tradition of producing a robust small car that acts as a great introductory model to the Toyota family.

-- New Car Test Drive

The car exhibits an overall refinement that's noticeably enhanced in contrast to the previous model's.

-- Road & Track

What reviewers liked least about the Toyota Corolla:

... we still think the look is attractive but, in typical Toyota fashion, not very exciting.

-- Edmunds.com

Even a digital clock is extra on a VE, which gets the plainest interior fabrics. It's hard to imagine anyone but fleet customers will go for a VE without air conditioning and a radio.

-- New Car Test Drive

It's too bad that, while significantly improved, the new Corolla sedan has an awkward appearance.

-- Carpoint.com

Its engine keeps the Corolla from dominating the class.

-- The Car Connection

Toyota Corolla Comparisons:

Chevrolet's Prizm has different styling but uses the same front-drive platform and mechanical components as the Corolla...

-- Cars.com

The Corolla rides a 97-inch wheelbase and measures 174 inches long - just slightly shorter than the Ford Focus and Honda Civic.

-- Cars.com

Since its 1968 introduction, Toyota has sold roughly 17 million Corollas. (Volkswagen takes top honors for selling roughly 21 million Beetles.)

-- New Car Test Drive

Acceleration is certainly on par with or better than most other economy cars, and the ride is smooth.

-- Edmunds.com

Engineers proudly note that Corolla standards of panel fit...now match those previously adopted for Lexus interiors.

-- Road & Track

...at 178.3 inches long overall, the new Corolla is actually 3.7 inches longer than the Civic and a scant 0.8 inches longer than Nissan's Sentra (which has a 99.8-inch wheelbase).

-- The Car Connection

Best one-liner about the Toyota Corolla:

One of the blue-chip models in the small-car segment...

-- Cars.com

Toyota's long-lived sedan delivers an impressive blend of frugal fuel economy, refinement, reliability and durability.

-- Cars.com

Top-line safety and refinement for a bargain basement price.

-- Edmunds.com

...there's nothing second-rate about this little chariot.

-- New Car Test Drive

It's totally appropriate to describe this new Corolla as a baby Camry, which, in turn, is in a baby Lexus. That's not a bad pedigree for any car.

-- New Car Test Drive