Used 2021 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT) Consumer Reviews
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Bad fuel mileage
J.L, Saint Paul, MN, 12/22/2020
Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
25 of 47 people found this review helpful
My 2021 does about 38 mpg on highway, but it does a lot less than it's supposed to do in the city( up to 22 mpg) and I'm very disappointed with this car. I wish I could return it.
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Exceedingly mediocre
Adam, Rapid City, SD, 02/19/2023
updated 02/21/2025
Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 12 people found this review helpful
I live in an area where everyone just absolutely loves Toyota's and think they are the greatest thing ever for some reason. My old boss was the kind of guy that would hear about you getting stuck in the snow and say "well you should've bought a Toyota." Bald tires? Nope. It's because it's not a Toyota. And he's not an outlier, plenty other are absolutely preachy about how great they are engineered. Here's my review of a rental I've had for a week. PRO's: Despite having a pretty weak engine, the CVT does a good job keeping it in the powerband when needed Throttle response is quick and snappy, making the car feel more sporty than it is The extra corner windows in the front by the dash makes it easier to see the edge of the road and the curb when turning onto a street The seats are comfortable The interior is basic but looks like and most of the material look like a decent quality The reverse camera seems to operate at a full 60fps making the video appear very smooth CON's: The boosted throttle response to make the car feeling more snappy is WAY overboosted. Merging at about 50% gas pedal position, the computer is commanding 100% throttle open while "short shifting" to maximize power below redline. 100% throttle means moving into open loop, which means the engine is running richer. Which makes the catalytic converter reek of sulfer, and you smell it very strongly in the car and it lingers and follows for a while even at highway speeds. The CVT is very dumb. While accelerating to 65mph at a medium pace, once the car reaches 50 or 60mph, it will suddenly decide to "upshift" despite having never let up on the throttle and you lose all acceleration until you push the gas further down. The throttle is so overboosted, that there is very little difference in acceleration between 50% and 100% gas pedal position. The power steering is overboosted. At parking lot speeds it feels like the steering wheel isn't even connected to anything There is almost zero "return to center" feedback from the steering wheel. I've come closer to a few things on the road than I should have because I expected to loosen my grip on the wheel in a turn and for the road force to "unwind" it back to center but it doesn't. The rear doors don't open anywhere near as wide as they should making it very difficult to put large items in the back. The speakers are hilariously bad. I can't believe they still put speakers this bad in even base model cars today The stereo/entertainment screen is awful. On sunny days you can see light leaking from around the top edge of the casing for the screen. I'm forced to use touch screen features with no alternatives which is an awful design for a driver of a moving car who is supposed to be paying attention to the road. Using USB for songs, there is no way to browse a folder while the car is moving, you can only hit next, next, next, next. The buttons that are on the screen are pointless and I never find myself using them and they look extremely cheap. I also haven't found a way to manually adjust the brightness of the screen and it doesn't automatically follow the gauge brightness. The indicator light for the shifter is too bright and annoying at night The rear head rests are a one piece design so when you use the latch anchors for a car seat, the top anchor strap has to curve around the headrest. The keys are hilariously oversized and annoying to put in my pocket The audio controls on the steering wheel feel very cheap and are hard to locate by touch because they are completely flush with the surface. I keep hitting the bluetooth command button while trying to adjust the volume up. When adjusting the volume on the steering wheel, it's slow to react to a held down press and moves up and down the volume steps much to slowly. When adjusting the volume with the dash knob, it is extremely sensitive and you have to brace your hand to make any meaningful adjustments or it may as well just be a mute knob. The blower motor for the HVAC feels much too weak. It's probably actually because the vent openings are too large, but when you have it on full blast it feels like barely anything at all is coming out. And just a nitpick, but I have to crank the engine to start it longer than any other vehicle I've owned/rented.
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LOVE IT!
Another Corolla LE for me! , Salem, MA, 03/20/2021
Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 7 people found this review helpful
I've only had my 2021 for three days, but I love it. I feel qualified to leave this review because this is the fourth Corolla I've owned, my most recent being a 2018, which I loved, as well. The 2021 has even more features than the 2018, that make driving it a pleasure. So far, the only drawback I can observe is that it idles hard when in park or neutral when the engine is still cold, but as soon as it warms up, it's as smooth as silk. Will watched the hard idle to see if it's a defect, but maybe it's just the nature of the new Corollas. We'll see. The model I bought was an LE. I don't see that as a choice in the drop box below.
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It's a Toyota!
Smokehole, Old Fields, WV, 05/08/2021
Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
9 of 18 people found this review helpful
I bought this car because I got a good price, especially for a Toyota. It doesn't hug the road well on curves and has a bit of a boxy ride, but being a Toyota it should serve well into the next decade. The longevity, gas mileage, and safety is what I was buying.
Best car of the year
Luis, Des Plaines, IL, 08/18/2020
Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
12 of 25 people found this review helpful
This is the best car I ever have. I will love this car until the rest of my life.
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