2024 Toyota Corolla Sedan and Corolla Sedan Hybrid Review: The Quintessential Commuter
SUVs might be taking over, but passenger cars still sell, the Toyota Camry being the most popular one with over 290,000 local sales in 2023. Other cars that breach the 200k mark are the Toyota Corolla, Tesla Model 3, and Honda Civic, with the Hyundai Elantra also selling strongly; collectively, these cars found more than a million buyers in the USA last year. The Corolla is sold in sedan and hatchback formats, the former also offered as a hybrid. The halo Corolla is the exciting 300-horsepower GR hot hatch, which we review separately. Such variety is perhaps part of the Corolla's continued success, since it's not a stand-out car in any particular sense. The 169 horsepower on tap from the default engine sounds sufficient, but performance is mediocre at best. The 138-hp hybrid is even slower, but has adequate electrically assisted bottom-end grunt and offers excellent gas mileage. Still, the latest Civic has moved the game on, driving better than the Corolla and feeling plusher inside. We're not sure it's a clear victory for the Honda, though.
New for 2024
The Nightshade Edition trim with a blacked-out theme and bronze wheels returns to the 2024 Corolla sedan range, with the Hybrid Nightshade also replacing last year's Hybrid Infrared Edition. The sedan's XLE trim is discontinued. Other than that, the alterations to the 2024 range are limited to a few feature changes. XSE and XLE trims - and the SE Premium package - gain a wireless charging pad, while blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is added to the SE Convenience package. Last of all, the starting price of the 2024 Toyota Corolla increases by a modest $350.
2024 Toyota Corolla Sedan and Corolla Hybrid Price: Which One to Buy
Starting with the gas trims, the price of a new Toyota Corolla Sedan in base LE format kicks off at $22,050 MSRP. This is followed by the SE at $24,490, the Nightshade at $25,490, and the XSE at $27,250. New Toyota Corolla Hybrid trims start with the Hybrid LE at $23,500, followed by the Hybrid SE at $25,940, the Hybrid Nightshade at $26,940, and the Hybrid XLE at $27,250. These hybrid LE, SE, and Nightshade allow you to upgrade to all-wheel drive at a cost of $1,400. An additional destination fee of $1,095 applies to all Corolla prices.
The Corolla isn't the best car in its class, so we'd be tempted to opt for a Civic if we're going to shell out close to $30k. The Corolla makes the most sense as a high-value buy, so we'd go for the SE sedan with its nice 18-inch wheels, sportier appearance, push-button start, leather-trimmed steering wheel, and more refined multi-link rear suspension setting it apart from the LE. For $530, you get blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and still come out at $25k.
LE |
SE |
XSE |
---|---|---|
Base |
High-Value Buy |
Most Features |
$ 22050 |
$ 24490 |
$ 27150 |
2.0L I4 (169 hp/151 lb-ft), CVT automatic, FWD |
Based on the Sedan LE, plus: |
Based on the Sedan SE, plus: |
16” steel wheels with covers, LED head- & taillights |
Black mesh grille, sports rocker panels, 18” alloys |
Power tilt/slide moonroof |
Cloth upholstery, automatic climate control |
Multi-link rear suspension |
Heated front seats |
Eight-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, six-speaker audio |
Sports seat with sports fabric inserts |
Leatherette upholstery, eight-way power driver’s seat |
Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 driver-assistance suite |
Leather-trimmed steering wheel |
Seven-inch digital gauge cluster |
Push-button start |
Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert |
Interior and Features
The interior architecture is modern, with a high-mounted touchscreen, but features are thin at LE level, with only the top trims getting power seat adjustment.
On the inside, the Corolla offers about what you'd expect from a modern Toyota, which is to say, solid materials, a durable feel, various soft-touch surfaces on the most-touched parts of the dashboard, and a high-mounted center touchscreen. There's cloth on the manually adjustable seats and you only get leatherette, seat heating, and a power driver's seat at the top of the lineup. Interior space is good in the sedan, with a roomy second row. With a ground clearance barely exceeding five inches, you step down into the Corolla, but access is simple thanks to a fairly conventional sedan profile.
Space
The sedan is a more spacious place to spend time than the hatchback, with adequate room in the second row for this class, though it falls significantly short of the Civic and Elantra. Both of those offer 2.6-3.2 inches more legroom. Still, it's not uncomfortable to be a passenger inside the Toyota Corolla sedan, but the competition has now moved comfortably ahead of it on this score.
Cargo
Trunk space isn't up to current class standards either, although at least the hybrid models don't sacrifice any space. The sedan's 13.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats fall short of the Civic and Elantra, which have 14.8 and 14.2 cu-ft, respectively. The rear seat splits and folds in a 60/40 ratio, but no figure for the total trunk volume in this configuration is supplied.
The glovebox and front door pockets are large and can accommodate all manner of loose items, while the front passengers also benefit from two cupholders, a lidded storage bin in the center console, and a few smaller receptacles, including a phone rest that turns into a wireless charging pad when fitted. The rear-seat passengers get two cupholders in their fold-down center armrest and a pocket in each door, but the LE loses out on the other trims' front seatback pockets.
Toyota Corolla Sedan |
Hyundai Elantra |
Honda Civic Sedan |
|
---|---|---|---|
Seating |
5 Seater |
5 Seater |
5 Seater |
Headroom |
38-38.3 in. front 37.1 in. rear |
38.7 - 40.6 in. front 37.3 - 38.7 in. rear |
37.6-39.3 in. front 37.1 in. rear |
Legroom |
42 in. front 34.8 in. rear |
42.3 in. front 38 in. rear |
42.3 in. front 37.4 in. rear |
Trunk Space |
13.1 ft³ |
14.2 ft³ |
14.8 ft³ |
Materials and Colors
In the LE sedan, you get a urethane steering wheel, cloth upholstery, and a choice of three interior colors - Black, Light Gray, and Macadamia/Mocha, the latter option extending the accent color to the dashboard, center console, and doors. The hybrid LE loses the Macadamia/Mocha option. The SE gives you cloth seats as well, but cover the steering wheel in leather; here, you have a choice of Moonstone or Black, with Moonstone on the dash and doors too when that option is selected. In the SE and Nightshade, the Black cabin gets red stitching on the seats and center console and red seat accents.
The XSE comes with a combination of cloth and SofTex leatherette on the seats and a choice of two color schemes - Black or Black/Red with the accent color applied to the seats in the form of stitching and transverse striping on the seat centers. The hybrid XLE comes with SofTex leatherette only, and a cabin in either Black or Macadamia/Mocha. The headliner and pillars are rendered in Macadamia in regular trims but black in all SE, XSE, and Nightshade trims.
Features and Infotainment
The most basic trim level is the LE with its manually adjustable tilting/telescoping urethane steering wheel, key start, regular front seats, and 4.2-inch driver-information display, with the SE being one step up. Above the LE, you get niceties such as a leather-trimmed steering wheel, sports front seats, leatherette upholstery, heated front seats, a power driver's seat, push-button start, a seven-inch digital gauge cluster, and more, either as standard or as an option.
The same basic infotainment system does duty in all trims, with an eight-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM with a three-month Platinum Plan trial subscription, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, voice commands, and a six-speaker audio system. The cloud-connected system is Drive Connect-enabled, which requires a subscription to use features such as cloud navigation, Google Points of Interest, the intelligent "Hey, Toyota" assistant, and Destination Assist. A JBL audio system with an amplifier and nine speakers, including a subwoofer, is optional on the Nightshade, XSE, and XLE trims only.
LE |
SE |
XSE |
|
---|---|---|---|
Heated front seats & eight-way power driver's seat |
N/A |
N/A |
S |
Seven-inch digital gauge cluster |
N/A |
N/A |
S |
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and six-speaker audio |
S |
S |
S |
Nine-speaker JBL audio system |
N/A |
N/A |
O |
Push-button start |
N/A |
S |
S |
Performance
Efficiency is the name of the game and the Corolla does that superbly - at the cost of performance, which is weak in this class.
The 169 hp produced by the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in the Toyota Corolla sounds decent, but it produces only 151 lb-ft of torque and has to be revved to give its best, so performance is not sprightly, with an unsporting CVT automatic the only transmission choice to call on - with front-wheel drive. This is the default engine in every gas sedan, and gives the Toyota Corolla a 0-60 time of around 8.2 to 8.8 seconds, depending on the trim - one of the slowest times in this class. Its top speed is limited to around 115 mph.
The Corolla sedan is also offered with a hybridized powertrain comprising an Atkinson-cycle 1.8-liter four-cylinder and twin electric motors making even less power - 138 hp and 105 lb-ft. The hybrid is available with two drivetrain configurations - FWD or AWD - also connected to a CVT. It's even slower, getting to 60 mph in the mid-nine-second range with AWD. The FWD model takes anywhere from 9.6 to 10.3 seconds, according to independent tests, to do the same job and maxes out at 107 mph.
The CVT in the Corolla uses a torque converter and traditional first gear, so it feels just like a conventional automatic in traffic. Once out of first gear, it hands over to the CVT, which has been tuned with artificial steps to feel like a normal automatic, which it mostly does, usually avoiding the dreaded elastic-band feel and incessant revving that most CVTs are guilty of. Still, with little torque and the maximum power high up the rev band, the coarse long-stroke four-pot visits the upper reaches of the rev counter when you push on, and it's not happy about it. Best to slow down, then, which should be the hybrid's default mode, too, where the electric assistance helps it feel adequate around town. Hoof it and the little 1.8 explodes in a flurry of revs as all 138 hp is called on, but it seemingly generates more noise than motion. The soft springing, languid responses, and comfortable ride of the Corolla discourage press-on driving. It's a pleasingly cossetting sedan, with progressive brakes and accurate steering - just don't expect any fireworks from it, not even from the supposedly sportier SE and XSE trims.
Fuel Efficiency
If the powertrains sound underwhelming, rest assured that you get something in return, and that is excellent gas mileage. Here, the hybrid is the headline act, giving the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Sedan mpg figures as good as 53/46/50 mpg for the EPA's city/highway/combined cycles for the LE and XLE hybrids with the 16-inch wheels and FWD, or 51/44/48 mpg with AWD. The SE and XSE hybrids on 18-inch wheels return a slightly worse 50/43/47 mpg with FWD and 47/41/44 mpg with AWD. The FWD 2.0-liter gas LE sedan with the 16-inch wheels returns 32/41/35.
With a fuel capacity of 13.2 gallons, the gas Corollas should give you a range of between 435 and 462 miles on a tank on the combined cycle. The hybrids have a smaller 11.3-gallon tank, but their superb economy ensures that you'll still be able to get around 497 miles out of the thirstiest configurations, improving to up to 565 miles at their best.
2.0L Inline-4 Gas Continuously Variable Automatic (CVT) FWD |
1.8L Inline-4 Hybrid Continuously Variable Automatic (CVT) FWD |
1.8L Inline-4 Hybrid Continuously Variable Automatic (CVT) AWD |
|
---|---|---|---|
Power |
169 hp |
138 hp |
138 hp |
Top speed |
115 mph |
107 mph |
107 mph |
MPG |
32/41/35 mpg (16-inch wheels) 30/38/33 mpg (18-inch wheels |
53/46/50 mpg (16-inch wheels) 50/43/47 mpg (18-inch wheels) |
51/44/48 mpg (16-inch wheels) 47/41/44 mpg (18-inch wheels) |
0-60 |
Est. 8.2-8.8 sec. |
Est. 9.6-10.3 sec. |
Est. 9.3-9.6 sec. |
Safety
Whether to avoid or survive an accident, the Corolla scores highly, and the TSS 3.0 driver-assistance suite is standard, even on the LE.
Every safety review of the Toyota Corolla sedan and sedan hybrid rates them highly. The NHTSA gave both a full five-star rating. The IIHS gave the 2024 Corolla Sedan mostly Good scores, with only newer tests like the updated side and moderate overlap front tests scoring Acceptable. Still, this was enough to bag the 2023 Corolla a Top Safety Pick award.
The Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 driver-assistance suite is fitted as standard to all trims and includes front-collision alert with braking and pedestrian detection, Proactive Driving Assist, lane-departure alert, lane-keep assist with steering assist, road-sign recognition, all-speed adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is standard on the XSE and XLE trims only and optional on the rest.
LE |
SE |
XSE |
|
---|---|---|---|
Front-collision alert w/ pedestrian detection |
S |
S |
S |
Lane-departure alert w/ active lane-keep assist |
S |
S |
S |
Blind-spot monitoring w/ rear cross-traffic alert |
O |
O |
S |
Adaptive cruise control |
S |
S |
S |
Road-sign recognition |
S |
S |
S |
Reliability
JD Power gives the Toyota Corolla's Quality & Reliability assessment a score of 76 out of 100 - which is average, and well short of the Civic's 82. However, recalls have been few, with the only Corolla being recalled at all in the past three years being the 2023 model for a driver's airbag that may not deploy.
There's nothing exceptional about the 2024 Toyota Corolla's warranty. The limited warranty is valid for only three years/36,000, but the powertrain warranty runs for a longer five years/60,000 miles. As is typical, the hybrid components are covered for eight years/100,000 miles. A welcome bonus, however, is complimentary maintenance, which is included for two years/25,000 miles.
Warranty
Basic |
Drivetrain |
Corrosion |
Roadside Assistance |
Maintenance |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 Years / 36,000 Miles |
5 Years / 60,000 Miles |
5 Years / Unlimited Miles |
2 Years / Unlimited Miles |
2 Years / 25,000 Miles |
Design
The sight of the Corolla won't set your heart aflutter, but it's modern enough in this market segment, though not as daring and bold as an Elantra. Slim LED headlights and a gaping lower grille dominate the front, but the whole effect is a bit underwhelming with the LE's 16-inch steel wheels and frumpy wheel covers. The XLE hybrid sedan also wears 16-inch items, but they're alloys. The rest of the lineup's trims sit on 18-inch alloys with a graphite finish on SE and XSE trims. SE, XSE, and Nightshade Edition trims sporty accouterments such as mesh grilles, side rocker panels, and rear spoilers. Nightshade trims have blacked-out exterior trim and eye-catching bronze alloys. The XSE and XLE sedans come with a power tilting/sliding moonroof. Hybrids are mostly indistinguishable from other trims except for their badging and their Toyota logos that feature a blue background.
Verdict: Is The 2024 Toyota Corolla A Good Car?
The Toyota Corolla has been overtaken in its class by the superb 11th-generation Honda Civic in terms of performance, interior and cargo space, and driving dynamics, so it's certainly not the top-scoring car in this segment anymore in 2024, its fifth year on the market. Yes, it's refined and comfortable and the powertrains are very efficient, but the complete lack of a punchy turbocharged engine alternative will be a deal-breaker for some, as will the low levels of excitement. It seems to matter little to American buyers, who still snap up the Corolla to the tune of 230,000 per year, so as always, the top seller isn't always the best car. Until the Corolla gets a sizable update, we'd opt for the excellent Civic.