Toyota Corolla Review (2001 to 2007)

Quick Summary

The Toyota Corolla is a car of which owners can be proud, if not overly excited. It was also quite an unusual range insofar as the 'halo model' designed to boost the range's image – the T Sport – is probably the least convincing of the lot. The best buy is definitely the more powerful diesel and quite possibly the unsung Verso mini-MPV variant. Whichever model you choose, expect matchless reliability and commonsense design. Excitement may be in short supply, but the Corolla more than makes up for a slight lack of charisma in other areas. It's a car that rewards you over time; a car that impresses you with small touches betraying a manic depth of engineering. If you know cars you'll appreciate quite what a solid used buy this Corolla represents.

Overall:

Models Covered:(3/4/5dr hatchback/saloon/estate/Verso mini-MPV 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 petrol, 2.0 diesel [T2, T3, T Spirit, T Sport])

CAUSE AND COROLLARY

The Toyota Corolla was for a very long time something of an enigma. How could this car land the title of World's Best Selling Car whilst at the same time being thoroughly dull? The 1997 generation Corolla started to put a bit of substance behind the sales, but it wasn't until the Mk 10 model appeared in late 2001 that Toyota genuinely had a car to be proud of. With excellent build quality and a range of top-notch engines, the Corolla put up a worthy challenge to cars like the Ford Focus and the Honda Civic. With three and five door hatches, a saloon, a compact estate as well as Verso mini-MPV models, four trim levels and six engines to choose from, choice isn't a problem for Corolla buyers. Used car buyers benefit from Toyota's peerless reputation for reliability and a market that hasn't quite realised what a great car the Corolla is.
Used Toyota Corolla for sale

History of the Corolla

It has long been a Toyota tactic to carpet bomb the market with Corolla variants and the Mk 10 car was no exception. Bar perhaps an open-topped roadster, Toyota seemed to blanket every possible corner of the family hatch sector possible with the Corolla from three-door hot hatch right up to five-door mini-MPV. What was different this time around was that the Corolla was a genuinely attractive car, a car which needed to appeal to both private buyers and the increasingly demanding corporate user-chooser.A new system of model designations was introduced when the car first appeared in late 2001. Out went the usual S, GS, SR and GLS trim levels a number of old Corollas had campaigned with and in came a ladder that went T2, T3, plush T Spirit and dynamic T Sport. Four petrol engines were offered starting with a 96bhp 1.4i, followed by a popular 110bhp 1.6-litre powerplant. Two 1.8-litre engines were offered, either in 'conventional' 133bhp guise or in manic 189bhp T Sport tune. A pair of D4-D diesel engines were also offered in either 90 or 110bhp form. Verso mini-MPVs hit the dealerships first, quickly followed by three and five door hatches with estates and saloons hot on their heels.Summer 2004 saw a major facelift brought to bear across the Corolla range. A 89bhp 1.4-litre D4-D diesel replaced the 2.0-litre D4-D engine with the same output and styling revisions served to freshen up the exterior. The larger teardrop shaped headlamps were the most prominent addition.The 189bhp T Sport model never really caught on in the face of competition from exciting alternatives like Honda's Civic TYPE-R and in 2005, Toyota introduced the 215bhp T Sport Compressor to try and redress the balance. The Corolla dynasty was ended early in 2007 by the arrival of the Auris family hatchback.
Used Toyota Corolla for sale

Toyota Corolla Road Test

Body stiffness is massively superior to that of this car's baggily shopworn predecessor. Although the Corolla can't deliver the aggressive handling of a Ford Focus of this era, it nevertheless cosies up to the Golf and the Fiat Stilo in the go/stop/steer department. Somewhat disappointingly for such an otherwise clean-sheet design, the engines were lifted from the existing Toyota team sheet. A 97bhp 1.4-litre opens negotiations, followed by a 110bhp 1.6 and a 135bhp 1.8. For the first time in years, performance enthusiasts had a Corolla worthy of their wedge with the 187bhp 1.8-litre flagship T Sport version or the 215bhp T Sport Compressor which arrived later. Those looking for a decent diesel are well served by two variants of the 2.0-litre common rail, offering up either 90bhp or a perky 110bhp. The more powerful oil burner was upped to 120bhp with a 1.4-litre diesel taking over as the entry-level option.The T Sport is worth a look if you can't get along with a Civic Type-R and can't stretch to a Ford RS Focus. The five-door option also means it can double up as viable family transport. The 1.8-litre powerplant is smaller than the 2.0-litre engine fitted to the Civic and despite its flatter feel, it generates a higher specific output, breaching the 100bhp per litre mark that's such a benchmark for quality normally aspirated sports powerplants. Honda are slightly irked at being pipped to this by Toyota, but the fact remains that the Civic will hit 60mph in 6.8 seconds and the Corolla, well, it can't. A combined fuel consumption figure of 34mpg is some recompense, but you don't buy a car like this to watch the pennies. The later 215bhp Compressor model is quicker still but will be much harder to come by.
Used Toyota Corolla for sale

Buying a Toyota Corolla

The Corolla forged a reputation for monotonous reliability and while drivers of old Corollas may well have hoped in vain for a broken timing chain or an electrical fire to interrupt the car's clockwork tedium, there's no such issue with this version. As long as the service records have been properly adhered to, it's difficult to imagine a more trouble-free car in its class – a testament to both Toyota and the workers at its Derbyshire factory.
Used Toyota Corolla for sale

Toyota Corolla Typical Pricing

Prices for the most common hatchback Corollas start at £5,000 for a 1.4-litre T2 three-door on a 51-plate with the five-door car commanding an extra £175. An equivalent year T3 will hover at around £5,300 for a three-door car with a T-Spirit five-door fetching nearly £6,100.If it's choice you're after, the big selling 1.6-litre model probably offers the richest pickings. These open at just under £5,500 in T2 three-door trim ranging up to £9,700 for an 04-plated five-door T-Spirit. Add £700 if you don't fancy changing gear yourself. The 1.8-litre T-Sport will command a sticker price of just under £7,000 again on the 51-plate. Diesel versions of the Corolla are well worth tracking down with both engines well up to snuff. Expect prices to start from £5,800 for a T2 with T Spirits priced from £6,800.If you need a little extra utility, the Verso mini-MPV is a very worthwhile choice. Underrated by many car buyers who instead opted for cheaper Xsara Picasso and Zafira models, the Verso starts at £6,400 for a 1.6-litre T2 with 1.8-litre power costing from £6,900. The pick of the Corolla line up is arguably the 90bhp Verso 2.0-litre D-4D with prices starting at £6,800 on a 51 plate.
Used Toyota Corolla for sale

Toyota Corolla Parts

(approx based on a 1.6 five-door T3) Although pitched a little above what you'd expect to fork out for Vauxhall or Ford spares, Toyota's parts pricing policy has come under the microscope of late with the result that many prices have been frozen or reduced. A clutch assembly will cost in the region of £130, whilst an exhaust is around £330. A new starter motor retails for around £150, although a replacement headlamp will be in the region of £200. Repair costs have been kept down with a consequent effect on insurance premiums.
Used Toyota Corolla for sale