Need Some 09 Corolla Opinions

[Snipew4]

I'm looking for a new car and the Corolla is high on my list. I've never owned a Toyota, the reviews I read are all quite positive. I will use the car as my daily commuter, 80 miles round trip mostly highway. I want a reliable car that I can run forever. This is replacing a 98 Saturn with 230K miles.
The 09 LE with ABS, traction & stability control seems a much better equipped value than either the Sentra or Civic.

I would like to hear what anyone driving one thinks.


Thanks

[JennyDee]

My opinion maybe bias since our family have a variety of Toyota models. I can’t offer you a comparison to the Civic or Versa. We have a 2009LE that was purchased in February and it has 9K. What I can tell you is that the 2009LE has more standard features than any of the other earlier models of the LE or CE’s. The side of the seat, curtain, and standard air bags, electronic assist power steering ,anti-lock front brakes, mp3 player input jack just to name a few. The interior space seems to be larger than the earlier models. Might be the door panels and layout of the interior but it has more room that earlier models. Notice that the side windows are smaller with a larger door panel from the exterior look. The electronic power steering has a much different feel to the road and is a plus. I believe it is a new feature to the Corolla, but that technology has been around for awhile. Seats are much more comfortable on long trips than earlier models. Like the feature of the interior lights coming on when you enter or leave the car. The dash layout is easy to view, radio on top, gauges in front of the driver. There is a sensor readout on the dash that monitors the MPG in real-time, so I suspect it is tied to the computer that monitors the rpm and injectors. Not sure, but I believe the 1.8L has variable valve intake and exhaust, which helps to give you better mileage. Ran the mileage check once and got 33mpg. I am sure you could get between 35-36 mpg on highway driving.