According to Toyota, the Corolla is our country’s best-selling compact and second only to the ubiquitous Camry in overall sales. At preview time, Automotive News had the Corolla on track to sell about 400,000 cars for 2007. In 2006, Corolla sales were only 272,000. How might we account for this impressive jump in sales? Well, we might add in the Corolla-based Matrix, which is what Toyota does. That way, it can eclipse the Honda Civic, which should sell about 340,000 cars that actually resemble each other.

That quibble aside, the good news is that the 2009 Corolla does not look as if it came from Vanilla Motorworks. The stylishly aggressive new look is the product of Toyota Design in collaboration with unnamed styling studios in Turin, Italy.

The new Corolla is more than two inches wider, less than one-half-inch longer, and nearly an inch lower. Of more interest to drivers, the front track is two inches wider and the rear track is increased by almost three inches. It is a pleasant driver for an entry-level car, which is to say it is unemotional and straightforward. The car is available in enough permutations and trim levels to assure that, like satellite television channels, there is one for just about everyone.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this review of the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 29