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2007 Toyota Corolla CE Road Test

They are clones, all painted in their dull monotone colors, with exteriors andinteriors void of any character and produced by the millions. It is a car that's so ubiquitous that it's been wiped so clean from our memories that you probably will never notice another one pass by again. Yes, they're so plentiful that they're almost invisible. I am talking about the Toyota Corolla. It's been around since 1968 and has long been one of America's most beloved and reliable forms of transportation, even if they are somewhat forgettable.

There is no getting away from it; the Corolla is a boring, dull looking car. With the exception of the old '80s and '90s GTS models, every Corolla since has been the poster car of basic A to B transportation. With 2007 being the fifth year of the current design, the modern day 'Rolla has been getting long in the tooth, which only makes it less appealing, or so you would think. Despite lacking the same visual appeal as today's Civic, Sentra, Mazda3, Elantra and Impreza, all having recently

As they say, it's one thing you can count on. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

been refreshed with modern more upscale designs, the tired looking Corolla continues to maintain stellar sales in the small car segment. It could be argued that Toyota has been merely relying on its reputation for reliability to sell cars, and that in this day and age, a car, even an economy car, has to look appealing, reality is that the Corolla holds on to eighth spot, two behind the Civic in total American car sales last year. Go figure.

Of course, not everyone buys a car with the sole purpose of standing out in a crowd. Actually, many would rather blend right in.This said, Toyota has been spicing up its lineup lately, with the popular Yaris, sportier Camry, and very creative FJ Cruiser, so I certainly hope that the next-generation

CE model is the base. No frills whatsoever. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

Corolla, due out next year, will get a little more show with all that dependable go.

Build quality has never been a question with Toyotas, and everything looked fine with the Corolla I was testing, except for the front hood, which stuck out over the headlights and upper grille. Now I'm not sure if this is a production error or if the hood is designed like this to improve airflow, but it was a point of suspicion for me.

If you're not a fan of the exterior design, as I am not, then you'll be equally dismayed with the interior.Not even a two-tone color scheme on the dash to break up the dullness, it's a sight for those who'd rather spend their time enjoying the scenery outside the car. The materials appeared to be durable, however, and the seats are comfortable but offer little support, while sitting extremely high (good for outward visibility).

Not much to see here. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

With the Corolla having received a more aggressive cab forward design each time the car was redesigned, the seating position keeps suffering to the point were I thought I was sitting in a minivan in this latest model. The stereo and center dash area is void of any inspired styling, and all gauges and controls are engineered for ease of use rather than looks, which, when you come to think of it, should be expected.

The CE model I was driving didn't have ABS, didn't have traction control, and it didn't have stability control, which is the norm for this class. It's a car that requires actual driving skill. In turn, it was a great car to drive and allowed me to enjoy exploring its limits. After piloting so many cars riddled with electronic driving aids, I've found that my skills have been getting rusty as of late. So it was refreshing to drive the Toyota. When driving the Corolla, what you see is what you get, and the car will respond magnificently to driver input.

For a car that looks as sporty as

Stereo is a reflection of the rest of the car: simple and easy to operate. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

a wheel barrel, it sure is a little weaponwhen driving becomes more spirited. Grip is abundant, and the Corolla is one a few front-wheel driven cars that has a tendency to oversteer rather than understeer. For the regular driving public, this may not be optimal, but in the right hands it makes the Corolla corner as well as many high performance sports cars.

Then there are the brakes. Nothing special here, no big shiny red calipers, or massive cross-drilled discs. Although when braking hard, one could easily think that high performance units have been installed. A good stiff pedal, which may be a little too sensitive for some, provides extremely accurate and predictable braking at any level of pressure.

The weak point in the Corolla's performance is its power, or rather the automatic transmission's ability to rob power from a decent engine. Personally I would go for a manual gearbox in theCorolla, as the automatic was somewhat sloppy, shifting early and making the car feel more sluggish than it really was. The 1.8L 1ZZ-FE engine is a great little unit that produces good torque. Like many small Japanese four cylinders,

Surprisingly, the Corolla handles very well. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

they need to be revved to get the most out of them, and the 1.8 loves to do just that. Unfortunately the gearbox has its own ideas, and can bring down the car's true performance. Still, the Corolla has to be one of the best handling front-wheel drive cars I've driven. It stops like a Porsche, and with no electronic driving aids it allowed me to enjoy driving again. Truly, it was a car that I had a great time driving, which helped to reduce my displeasure with its styling.

As a Toyota, I know that the build quality is good and the reliability of the car will be top level. The only thing that would stop me from buying a Corolla is the demoralizing looks. With so many other carmakers building cheap economy cars that offer designs full of character and boldness, it would be great to see Toyota follow suit and bring something truly special to this segment. Of course, with the automaker choosing to slow production in order to maintain quality levels, and buyers even willing to wait in order to get one, Toyota could probably continue building this very model unchanged, and sell every single one it can allocate for the American market. It will change, however, so before it does, if you want to fly completely under the radar, the current Corolla might just be your car.

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