Aging Toyota Corolla facing small-car tsunami

[DainBramaged]

When Doug Hacker of Milford, Ohio, began shopping for a small car recently, he figured the model he'd end up buying was a foregone conclusion.

A self-described "Toyota guy," Hacker was inclined to go with Toyota Motor Corp.'s workhorse Corolla.

The venerable compact is the Japanese automaker's No. 1 model as well as the world's best-selling car of all time, with cumulative sales from 1966 through last year surpassing 37 million units.

Well, the spell has been broken, at least in Hacker's case.

After testing the Corolla, he was disappointed by the car's old-fashioned four-speed automatic transmission and the absence of a gas-sipping direct-injection fuel system.

He decided to buy Ford Motor Co.'s 2012 Focus instead.

"I could not believe how outdated everything is," on the Corolla, he says.



Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110217/RETAIL01/110219878/1261#ixzz1EFauanEu

[Initech]

1. I'd buy a 2012 Focus over a Corolla any day of the week.

It's amazing how much Ford has improved in reliability and build quality (love the Taurus SHO and Fusion Hybrid) where Toyota's declined. I drove a Prius and I'd far consider the Fusion superior over it.

[HuckleB]

2. The new Elantra seems to be quite good, and it has far more room than anything else in the class.

Plus, 29/40 gas mileage!

[Initech]

3. I'm heavily eyeing the Sonata hybrid myself. 55 mpg yeah!!

[HuckleB]

4. The Sonata is well done, too.

:hi:

[Sonoman]

5. I was renting a car not long ago and asked what full-sized cars they had.

We have some Toyota Camrys."

Camry, a full-sized car.

My daily driver is a '90 560 SEL. Now that is a full-sized automobile. And it will still reach 145MPH (with one hand on the wheel).

Sonoman