Used 2016 Toyota Corolla Consumer Reviews
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Uber on!
Bought this car for Ubering. Lots of rear seat leg room and comfy attractive interior is popular with passengers. Ride quality is good. Acceleration is adequate to the task. Not quick, but doesn't feel dangerously slow. Will get out of its own way so to speak. A little thrashy accelerating from a stop, but smooths out and nicely quiet once cruising speed is achieved, though rough road surface noise is transmitted to the cabin. The radio is great. The touch screen is easy to use and the sound quality is quite good for a car in this price range. It can deal with all 7500 songs on my iPod easily and allows intuitive control from the touch screen. (My Ford Sync radio in my F150 runs out of memory limiting features). Back up camera is nice to have. USB port is nice, allows my iPod to be controlled from the touch screen, but charge rate could not keep up with my Android LG V10 phone running Uber Partner, Sherpa Share and Google Maps. Luckily the 12v socket with a 2.0 charger can, but there is only one. I like the LED headlights, but the high beams are halogen. Fuel economy is as good as advertised, maybe better. Easy to drive, tight turning radius. Being in it for a full day is comfortable too. Overall a great inexpensive competent commuter car with values and features above its pay grade. I am happy with my purchase. Sept. 2017 UPDATE: 39,000 miles later. Replaced the tires. Probably would have gotten 41,000 but the labor day sales were too good to pass up, and the rains are coming. The Corolla continues to soldier on, trouble free. It is an easy car to live with, an easy car to like. I would buy this car again. March 2018 UPDATE, at 47,000 miles. The USB port cannot reliably index 7500 songs on my iPOD. It kept erroring out so I am using an add on Sirius radio instead. I Uber and Lyft less than I was, but the car continues to hold up well. I've had over 2000 passengers and the Corolla soldiers on. I continue to have it serviced it when the service light comes on. Literally nothing has gone wrong on this car. I wish it had more than 1- 12 volt power plug. Telescoping visors would be nice too but I found an aftermarket solution. Average fuel economy has stabilized around 32-34 mpg. Not as good as a hybrid, but you can still buy a lot of gas for the price difference. The newer models have some safety enhancements that would be nice but I still find this car easy to drive, and easy to like. September 2018 54,000 miles The Corolla feels like it will live forever. I've retired from Uber and Lyft so the car is not being driven as much. Fuel economy still averages 33.5 which is better than many cars out there. I will say after 2500 passengers the interior is showing a bit of wear, but considering, it's still looks good. I'm getting antsy for a car with some performance handling and accelleration, but is the expense really worth it when the traffic is generally so bad? So for now I'll keep driving my Corolla. It is still easy to live with, inexpensive to buy, and cheap to own. March 2019 56,000 miles. My last update, I traded it in yesterday. I still say of you are looking for a reasonable reliable and economical to own car that is pretty well made, the Corolla is a good choice. This is my last update.
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Great car! Great value!
First I want to say thank you to everyone who writes reviews. As a person who doesn't know too much about cars I really relied on the honesty of the consumers to help to choose my new vehicle and here we are :) So I wanted to make sure that I pay it forward and write a review in hopes of helping someone in their car buying decision. Pros: Trusted name, cost/value, mpg, tech features, safety and handling Cons: Shape of the headlights, on low beams it does limit how far they illuminate ahead especially on hills (but I have gotten used to it after a month) high beams are fine And the middle console is a little smaller than I'm used too (which is really no big deal I just need to stop storing so much junk in my car lol) Overall love this car feels great knowing I didn't have to compromise quality for value and this is an upgrad from my 2002 honda accord.
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Still a Great car for the price!
I'm very impressed with the latest generation of Toyota Corollas. The interior styling and quality has vastly improved over previous generations. The handling is very good for an economy 4Dr Sedan and the back seat legroom is fantastic. I'm 6'1" tall and I can sit comfortably in the back seats without my knees hitting the front seats. Head room is not an issue. Visibility is great, the blind spots are very minor in this car. The S Plus package I purchased comes standard with Bluetooth, voice controls, USB, Back Up camera, paddle shifters, stiffer struts, allow wheels, front fog lights, electronic mirrors + defrost, and a 50/50 cloth/vinyl interior. For the price I think you get an excellent vehicle. This Corolla is about the same size as the Camry, it's not even close to the traditional Corollas of the past. Ride comfort is superb, the seats are very comfortable for long trips. Road noise is fairly low and acceptable, but it's not of course as good as a Lexus or Cadillac. The touch screen radio is intuitive and easy to use/navigate. The climate controls are also basic and easy to use, this is a plus in my opinion. Sure you don't get lots of the latest bells and whistles with this car, such as active parking assist or lane change notifications, but that's not something I care about or want. For the price of this vehicle I'm very impressed, it's a great value. What you get with this car, in my opinion, are the essentials. You get your hands free, you get your keyless entry, you get your HD radio, you get excellent headlights (night visibility), fuel economy, safety, handling, cargo space (big trunk for a small car), and passenger space. On top of it all, you get Toyota Reliability. Parts/maintenance are very low/affordable. Choosing this vehicle was a simple choice for me. The only other vehicle I would consider at this price point is the Mazda 3. They are very close to each other in terms of price and options. But I felt that overall the Toyota offered a better value both in the short and long term. Update: 6/22/2020 The Corolla is still running like a champ. One common issue has arisen, there's an annoying front suspension creak that has developed. It appears to be linked to either the front sway bar end links or lower A-arm bushings. Also, if you own one of these, make sure to service the fluid in the CVT. Toyota claims lifetime fluid (never needs to be changed), but that's bull. My preferred auto-shop recommends 15k fluid service intervals, if you're doing mostly highway/freeway, then 30k should be ok. Another issue I noticed is poor paint adhesion around the front fenders at the hood body line. The Blue Crush Metallic paint is literally flaking off the primer layer. I'm not sure if this is common or not among Corollas with this color, but without a doubt a paint defect. I'm really surprised that Toyota's QA didn't catch this. I would remove half a star if I could because of this. Update 6/23/2023 My Corolla is still running great. I've been handling my own fluid services on the vehicle. The paint issue is really bugging me, I've discovered that anywhere on the car that clearcoat was not applied, the blue pigment layer just wipes off. The two major problem areas are under the rear trunk lid (around the sealing surface) and everything under the hood. This has irritated me to the point where I may contact Toyota (even just to vent), but I doubt they will offer any assistance as I'm out of the Warranty period. This is clearly a manufacturer defect. Paint should not easily wipe off the car (like a thin layer of wax) from simply drying the panel with a microfiber after a wash! Again, only areas not covered in clearcoat have this issue.
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It is what it is, and it's pretty GOOD!
First, I am a car enthusiast, and when I purchased my second Corolla, I knew I wasn't buying a sport sedan. My first Corolla was a 2012 S, and was last on my list for what I wanted to buy. It did everything well enough and had the rear space I was looking for in a compact. Power was good, it could have used another 20 or so horsepower, but I wasn't looking for a drag racer. The 2016 Corolla S Plus is a big step forward for the model. Overall, there is more usable room in this generation Corolla than the previous, not counting the substantial improvement in rear legroom, which was one of the qualities that drew me to my first Corolla. Interior materials and overall look, feel and finish are very good. The manual "sport" seats are very comfortable, and have good support. As far as the CVT transmission goes, it is better than most (in the S Plus trim) out there, equal to the Honda. In lower trims, feels very different and tends to keep a steady RPM for acceleration. In the S trim, the CVT has a Sport mode which simulates gear changes which works very well, giving a crisp response for each "shift". When not in Sport mode, and if one keeps a light foot on the throttle, it will go into Eco mode. Eco tends to hold RPMs, although not as bad as lower trims, and "feels" like a slipping clutch in a manual transmission when the CVT "shifts gears". Initial acceleration is soft, but once under way, acceleration is more than adequate for passing and getting up to highway speeds. One of the biggest improvements to the Corolla, mechanically, are the rear disc brakes. These are only available on S Plus and S Premium trims, and well worth any extra expense. The lower trims (L, LE and LE Eco) tend to drive and handle with a bland feel, but the S trims are more sporty and feel different, not any roll or wallow. There are other good cars out there, try them all before you make a decision, but the Corolla is not as bad as some try to make it. Update - After a year of ownership, I am still satisfied with my purchase. I have seen a best of 41 mpg on the interstate at a fairly steady 80 mph speed, which must be a sweet spot of transmission gearing and engine efficiency as slower speeds (70 to 75) tend to drop hwy mileage down to 39 mpg. In the city, I haven't seen below 33 mpg. As previously stated, this is not a sport sedan, but I have driven it on the "Tail of the Dragon" US Hwy 129, and had to pull over for only 2 cars, both highly modified Miatas. The Entune touchscreen is responsive and quick to load and immediately switches to the backup camera when put into reverse. Overall, still a very good choice, and with a high resale value, an intelligent buy. Update 1/12/2020 - My Corolla has just seen a little over 20k miles (have company vehicle), and still feel it is a great choice. I would purchase again. Only oil changes, no other service needed. Update 1/13/2021 - Still a great car, a little over 25k miles, no problems. Update 1/14/2024 - The Corolla sacrificed itself on 7/31/2021 to save my and my wife's life in head on collision with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, after the Jeep crossed the centerline.
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Outstanding value for low cost!
This is my first new car in ten years and compared to what was available in it's class back then this car represents an outstanding value for under $20k. All of my Toyotas outlast any other make of car I've had, which has brought me back to Toyota for the Corolla. My preference leans toward great mileage and a taught suspension and the Corolla Eco does not disappoint. I don't need power since most folks just mosey along in heavy traffic here. What I'm particularly impressed with is the tight and predictable handling of this little car. I've driven a lot of recent model cars, such as the Mazda 3 and 5, Honda Accord, etc and I think the Corolla Eco is the best deal out there. My one complaint is I'm a tall guy and the seat travel isn't quite enough for me. Just 1 inch more would be a huge plus for me. But for short trips I'm not fussing. This car is a pleasure to own and drive. I keep my cars for 10-15 yrs so I'm a very picky buyer. 1yr update: Still very impressed. Good car.
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