Review: 202x Toyota Corolla LE

Over the last six months I’ve been in the position of having to rent a car several times. Of those times, twice I rented a 202x (twenty twenty-something) Toyota Corolla LE. While it served fairly well as a rental car, it left much to be desired compared to what I ended up buying (a 2024 Honda Civic Sport).

Let’s start with basic accommodations: the seats in the Corolla are very poor for someone of my size. I’m 6′ 4″ tall, and the seat wants to suck me into a pocket much smaller than is appropriate. The seats in the Civic are much better in that they make no assumptions about driver size. There’s no way I could travel interstate distances in the Corolla; it would be too painful. The Civic wouldn’t be any worse to travel in than most any other car. Big advantage to Honda.

The Honda is essentially blacked out aft of the B-pillar. Not so the Toyota. That should result in less heat accumulation when they are both parked in the sun. Advantage Honda.

Instrumentation: Honda has inexplicably gone to an LED-bar gas gauge while the Toyota still has an old-style gauge. The old-style gauge is a good deal more precise. Worse, the Honda fails to have a temperature gauge. They expect you to get along with just idiot lights. I find this particularly frustrating because the display is entirely video. They could have displayed coolant temp without any additional hardware cost. Advantage Toyota.

Engine performance: checking the specs shows that both have 2.0L engines. The Honda has 158 HP at 6500 rpm, while the Toyota has 169 HP at an unknown RPM. But, the Honda engine is rev-happy and fun to drive with the six-speed on my model. The Toyota is paired with a CVT that feels like a large rubber band somewhere between one’s right foot and the road. Advantage Honda, even with the power differential. Where acceleration is concerned, the Toyota might be a bit faster but I’d still rather drive the Honda.

When it comes to handling, the Civic is very crisp and dependable. The Toyota is vague and does not inspire confidence. Definite advantage to Honda. This may be due to torsion bars front (26.5 x 4.5mm tubular) and rear (17mm solid) on the Honda. If the Toyota has any, I’m unaware of them.

The Honda has a feature (if you want to call it that) that turns off the engine at times when your speed is zero, the clutch is out and the transmission is in neutral. The Toyota doesn’t do it. This would be a win for Toyota but Honda cleverly included an “off” button for the feature, so it’s a wash. I suppose this could come in handy if you’re driving through a large desert with insufficient gas, but I don’t find myself in that position with any frequency. Speaking of which, the car should remember how you set it last and stay that way until you change it, but it doesn’t. Each time you start the car, the feature is on until you turn it off. This is how Microsoft would handle the situation; I thought Honda was better than that.

On, to features one can actually use: the Honda has a camera and (I suppose) AI to read it; it remembers and displays the last speed limit sign it saw. This can come in handy. The Toyota has no such feature. Advantage Honda.

I’m still looking for a way (other than stalling it) to turn off the Honda’s engine without also turning off the stereo. In the Toyota, which uses an actual key, this is child’s play. Minor advantage Toyota.

Where Honda is going, you don’t need gas caps; at least, my Civic doesn’t have one. That should preclude losing the damn thing, at any rate. Toyota has no such technology at this time. Minor advantage Honda.

For the fun-to-drive factor, all indicators point to Honda. The steering is crisp and precise, the gearbox works, the engine is willing and the chassis cooperates. The Toyota is an unwilling partner in crime, so to speak. It can be drug to the dance but it doesn’t particularly want to tango. In conclusion, what can I say? I bought the Honda, while I complain about the Toyota.

Toyota’s attitude seems to be that if you buy their lowest-priced car, you shouldn’t expect any better than what they give you. Fortunately, Honda thinks differently. The Toyota makes a decent rental, but the Honda is a keeper.