Toyota Elevates Expectations with the Surprising 2014 Corolla
06/06/2013
Toyota
Building on 47 years of success and close to 40 million sales in the world, the 11th generation Corolla is a dramatically styled, sleeker, more dynamic Corolla that will change consumer perceptions of this iconic compact.
The new Corolla's exterior design builds on the "Iconic Dynamism" theme seen on the athletic Corolla Furia Concept at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in January. The new Corolla builds on the styling momentum seen in Toyota vehicles launched in the past year, which has produced more expressive vehicle designs. With the new Corolla's stronger exterior styling, it is clear that Toyota's brand and product direction will emphasize more compelling styling executions that will appeal to current Toyota customers while also attracting more youthful buyers.
The Corolla's design theme dictates a more advanced, modern-looking vehicle with a longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs, resulting in an athletic stance with greater presence. More pronounced flared wheel arches, and the impactful simplicity of cleanly sculpted surfaces, help lend the Corolla an exterior elegance. When viewing the profile, there is a sweeping character crease in the body's sheet metal that spans the length of the sedan and accentuates the integrated door handle design. The 2014 Corolla's exterior form tapers towards the front and rear of the vehicle to emphasize the wheel arches, with a longer, faster sloping roofline that blends into a shorter rear deck to lend the sedan a sportier image.
The new Corolla's athletic character is complemented by a broad range of styled alloy wheel and wheel cover options ranging from covered 15-inch steel wheels to 17-inch alloy wheels. The new Corolla will also offer three new exterior colors.
The 2014 Corolla's interior matches the visual impact of the exterior and adds a new level of refinement. The passenger cabin features a clean, horizontally oriented dash panel design that adds to the interior's sense of spaciousness. The instrument panel and surrounding areas are finished in premium materials with piano black surfaces, metallic accents and decorative pin-striping to help elevate the compact car experience. Exquisite texture graining and soft touch material covers the top of the dash panel and key touch points in the cabin. Adding to the cabin's elevated tone, Corolla offers a choice of seat-covering materials in premium fabric or available SofTex(TM) material. Attention to detail is demonstrated in the ornamental stitching spanning the length of the dash panel and the shift boot that adorns the center console's shifter lever. Sound insulation has been strategically placed along the fenders, cowl, and behind the dash panel to reduce noise entering the cabin helping occupants enjoy Corolla's available audio systems and connectivity features.
The premium interior extends to the rear seat as well. The new Corolla's longer 106.3-inch wheelbase creates a more spacious interior, with a rear seat area that is 2.95-inches longer than the previous model, to offer outstanding rear leg room.
The 2014 Corolla will also offer a new LE Eco grade that is differentiated by a more efficient 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter engine with Valvematic technology; improved aerodynamics; and low rolling resistance tires. The Corolla Eco-badged models will achieve an estimated highway fuel economy rating of over 40 mpg thanks to the new Valvematic engine combined with a newly developed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Corolla L, LE, and S grade models are all powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine with intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i) that produces 132 horsepower.
While the new Corolla has taken the exterior and interior to new levels, the model remains committed to delivering world-class fuel economy in the compact segment. The Corolla LE and S offer a newly developed continuously variable transmission (CVT). This new advanced transmission, named CVTi-S ("i" for intelligent, "S" for shift), helps increase the Corolla's fuel economy and provide its smooth and efficient power transfer. It has also been engineered to offer improved drivability and mitigate the "rubber band" feeling associated with traditional CVT's under acceleration. The new CVTi-S has been engineered to strike a balance between addressing fuel economy targets and higher level of drivability to meet consumer tastes.
Within this compact transmission, the size disparity between the CVTi-S' small and large internal pulleys has been maximized to provide the widest possible range of gear ratios to improve acceleration and fuel economy. The new CVTi-S fluid-pump design helps reduce parasitic loss at high speeds, and the transmission's software creates discrete sequential shift points to help CVTi-S operate with character similar to a traditional automatic transmission during acceleration. The Corolla S offers a manual-mode shift gate in the console shifter, or steering wheel paddle shifters, allow drivers to affect fast, sequential "shifts" through 7-speeds with the CVTi-S with "gear" change shown in the instrument panel's TFT display.
A six-speed manual transmission is available on the Corolla L and S grades. Drive modes that offer recalibrated throttle, transmission and steering responses are available on the Corolla LE Eco and Corolla S. For ECO drive mode on the LE Eco, the initial throttle inputs are less sensitive to help encourage more fuel-efficient driving and eliminate sudden starts. On the S grade, the SPORT mode software helps make the accelerator pedal feel more responsive to input along with CVTi-S shifting logic that enhances acceleration feel. In SPORT mode, Corolla's electronic power steering is programmed to offer a more positive steering feel.
The 2014 Corolla unibody makes extensive use of lightweight, high-strength steel to help keep vehicle weight below 2,900 pounds in the interest of fuel economy. In addition to improved collision performance, such construction also gives the Corolla's structure increased rigidity to optimize chassis and suspension performance, giving the new car a more responsive and engaging driving experience.
The 2014 Corolla is the first compact car equipped with standard LED lowbeam headlamps, and all models are standard equipped with eight airbags, and Bluetooth(R) hand-free phone and audio-streaming connectivity. The Corolla will be available in four trim levels (L, LE, LE Eco, and S) that offer a wide range of popular features to help distinguish each trim level.
Some of the available equipment includes the following:
Touchscreen audio
Apps accessible through the audio head unit
Smart Key/ Push-button start
Power moonroof
Back-up monitor
SofTex(TM) Seats
Available Paddle shifters
Rear deck lid spoiler
The 2014 Corolla will elevate the consumer's experience for the world's most popular sedan with modern, expressive styling, a more premium interior experience, improved fuel economy and performance, and a strong menu of available features. Vehicle pricing, final grade content, and option packages will be made available closer to launch timing.