Photo submitted The 1983 Coroila sedan and wagon are bigger, roomier and more fun to drive than previous Corallas. Standard equipment includes a driver's side airbag, variabie power-assisted steering, and a full-size spare tire. Anti-lock brakes are a new aption. Toyota Corolla More interior room and improved handling highlight economy car TEST DRIVE “AS RELIABLE as a refrigerator, and just about as exciting,’” is the way one automotive journalist described the current Toyota Corolla. Winner of four CAA Used Car ““Performance awards for reliability and three AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) awards for the Best Vehicle Built in Canada, the four-door Corolla has carned a reputation as 2 dependable, eco- nomical small car. However, per- fermance and handling were never its strong suits. That hasn't stopped the Coroiia from becoming ome of the most popular cars in the world. Since 1967, Toyota has sold over 18 million Corollas, second only to the Volkswagen Beetle {which is still being produced in Mexico). The Corolla is truly a ‘world car,”” manufactured in 13 coun- tries and sold in 130 countries worldwide. The 1993 Corolla is the seventh variation of this popular economy car and is available as a four-door sedan or four-door station wagon. The new Corolla offers a number of improvements over the previous model including more interior room, iwo engine choices, stand- ard driver’s side airbag, available anti-lock brakes and upgraded ride and handling. The new styling could be described as pleasant and contem- porary but not particularly distinctive. When you want to ap- peal to millions of people in 130 different countries, you need a design that doesn’t offend anyone in particular. In that, Toyota has been very successfui, The new Corolla sedan is 4.5 cm longer, 3 cm wider, 3 cm taller and 49 kg heavier than the 1992 model, pushing it out of the sub- compact class into the compact class, The compact class accounts for 39% of all automobile sales in Canada and is expected io grow 23% by 1996, acccrding to Toyota. The Corolla’s larger dimensions address one of the previous Cor- olla’s weak points, minimal rear seat legroom and headroom. The longer wheelbase and taller roof of the 1993 Corolla provide a much roomier feel for front and rear passengers. Two four-cylinder engines are offered for 1993. The base engine is a slightly modified version of last year’s 1.6 litre four-cylinder motor with dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. Toyota managed to squeeze three more horsepower out of it, bring- ing it to 165. This engine is not particularly powerful, but it offers Price as tested $15,178 Base price $14,598 Type four-door, five-passenger sedan Layout transverse engine/front-wheel-drive Engine 1.6 litre four-cylinder, DOHC, 16 valves, electronic multi-port fuel injection Horsepower 105 @ 5,800 rpm front 44 The 1993 Corolla is well-poised, compliant and even, gasp, fun to. drive!¥9 adequate performance when mated with the manual transmis- sion. A new 1.8 litre DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine is available in the LE sedan and all wagons. It doesn’t offer a lot more horse- power (115) but it has much more torque (low-end grunt), a useful characteristic for driving in the ci- ty and pulling out to pass on the Torque 100 Ib-ft @ 4,800 zpm Transmission five-speed man- ual (three-speed automatic) Curb weight 1,055 kg/2,326 tbs Wheelbase 2,465 mm/97.( in. Lengih 4,370 mm/172.0 in. Width 1,685 mm/66.3 in. Height 1,360 mm/53.5 in. Tires P175/65R14 all-season radials highway. It is also more suited to an automatic transmission, some- thing shat the smaller 1.6 litre motor is not. The base DLX Corolla offers an optional three-speed automatic while the LE is available with a four-speed automatic. Both transmissions are very smooth- changing units, but the four-speed See Corolla page 27 Trunk capacity 360 L/12.7 cu.ft. Fuei consumption City 8.8 L/ 100 km, 32 mpg; Hwy 6.4 L/ 100 km, 44 mpg Warranty Basic 3 yrs/60,000 km, Powertrain 5 yrs/100,000 km Inquire about the Curolla at | Jim Pattison Toyota. a |