Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Toyota Elevates Expectations with the Surprising 2014 Corolla



Building on 47 years of success and close to 40 million sales in the world, the 11th generation Corolla is a dramatically styled, sleeker, more dynamic Corolla that will change consumer perceptions of this iconic compact.

The new Corolla’s exterior design builds on the “Iconic Dynamism” theme seen on the athletic Corolla Furia Concept at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in January.  The new Corolla builds on the styling momentum seen in Toyota vehicles launched in the past year, which has produced more expressive vehicle designs.  With the new Corolla’s stronger exterior styling, it is clear that Toyota’s brand and product direction will emphasize more compelling styling executions that will appeal to current Toyota customers while also attracting more youthful buyers.

The Corolla’s design theme dictates a more advanced, modern-looking vehicle with a longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs, resulting in an athletic stance with greater presence.  More pronounced flared wheel arches, and the impactful simplicity of cleanly sculpted surfaces, help lend the Corolla an exterior elegance.  When viewing the profile, there is a sweeping character crease in the body’s sheet metal that spans the length of the sedan and accentuates the integrated door handle design. The 2014 Corolla’s exterior form tapers towards the front and rear of the vehicle to emphasize the wheel arches, with a longer, faster sloping roofline that blends into a shorter rear deck to lend the sedan a sportier image.

The new Corolla’s athletic character is complemented by a broad range of styled alloy wheel and wheel cover options ranging from covered 15-inch steel wheels to 17-inch alloy wheels.  The new Corolla will also offer three new exterior colors.

The 2014 Corolla’s interior matches the visual impact of the exterior and adds a new level of refinement.  The passenger cabin features a clean, horizontally oriented dash panel design that adds to the interior’s sense of spaciousness.  The instrument panel and surrounding areas are finished in premium materials with piano black surfaces, metallic accents and decorative pin-striping to help elevate the compact car experience.  Exquisite texture graining and soft touch material covers the top of the dash panel and key touch points in the cabin.  Adding to the cabin’s elevated tone, Corolla offers a choice of seat-covering materials in premium fabric or available SofTex™ material.   Attention to detail is demonstrated in the ornamental stitching spanning the length of the dash panel and the shift boot that adorns the center console’s shifter lever.   Sound insulation has been strategically placed along the fenders, cowl, and behind the dash panel to reduce noise entering the cabin helping occupants enjoy Corolla’s available audio systems and connectivity features.

The premium interior extends to the rear seat as well.  The new Corolla’s longer 106.3-inch wheelbase creates a more spacious interior, with a rear seat area that is 2.95-inches longer than the previous model, to offer outstanding rear leg room.

The 2014 Corolla will also offer a new LE Eco grade that is differentiated by a more efficient 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter engine with Valvematic technology; improved aerodynamics; and low rolling resistance tires.  The Corolla Eco-badged models will achieve an estimated highway fuel economy rating of over 40 mpg thanks to the new Valvematic engine combined with a newly developed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).  The Corolla L, LE, and S grade models are all powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine with intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i) that produces 132 horsepower. 


Article and image courtesy of Toyota.

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