new cars be looking nice

 

Got a chance to see one of these on way home yesterday at Toyota.

Overall 3 stars out of 5: I only sat in it, did not drive it.

First the good:
Front end is really good looking in person
Better interior design than in the pictures
Materials are good (not better than the outgoing Corolla iM) but at least on par
New electronic parking brake
Really nice seats, seems like they are F-Sport seats from a Lexus model
Power lumbar support
Nice soft touch materials
Japan made which was a total shocker and completely unexpected
Composite rear hatch is light

Now the bad:
Horrible rear design hatch IMO, looks really stupid
Not much rear cargo space compared my our current Matrix, above point causes this issue
Cost cutting is present (for example, front door rests have more soft touch than rear) Old iM had soft touch on front and back doors for example
Rear seating does not have much leg room
B-rated rated tires for traction (huge disappointment)
No sunroof
No digital spedometer
Tablet style dash will get dated very quickly
Really expensive IMO, this was a Canadian spec model and total MSRP was $26,752.5 (before taxes)

So overall, while I did like it, I was not at all blown away by it. The interior was good but not great. I am tired of hearing the TNGA B.S. crap, this thing is supposed to be "sporty" but Toyota is giving you B-rated tires for traction. Even the lame auto journalists claim its fun, and sporty and blah blah. The rear is in an IRS but so was the outgoing iM.

There used to be a time where Toyota offered value in their smaller car segment, honestly, I am not seeing it here. This was quite the disappointment.

 

I like the bright blue paint job.

I don't know I if mentioned it before (don't remember)....but this appears to be the same car as the former Scion iM, with perhaps some equipment and trim changes.

 

It is all new and completely redesigned.

 

Yes....perhaps I should have been more specific. I meant that the American-market Corolla hatchback, in general, comes from the Scion iM....which, itself, came from earlier Corolla hatchbacks before Scion was formed.

 

 

I am sure its the same thing with Ford, Chevrolet, Honda, and Hyundai.

 

Corolla Hatch has a lot better interior quality than before, and is likely best in class with that. But it is not going to be better than a Lexus that is $10k more expensive...

 

Saw one of these today for the first time in the wild and not at a dealer. Car looks so much better on city streets among cars. Looks much wider as well. The tablet screen is just massive sitting next to it in traffic. I think we would trade in our Matrix form one of the these. Sad no sunroof is available. But it is made in Japan

 

looks more like a last gen civic

 

Well, maybe it is time to treat yourself. You haven't had a new vehicle for awhile. And, though there is no question that the Matrix/Vibe is a good product (after the Suzuki SX-4 was dropped from the U.S. market, the Matrix/Vibe was tied with the Subaru Impreza for my top recommendation for an inexpensive AWD vehicle), I think you will like the interior and cabin of the new Corolla a lot more......the Matrix had a rather odd-looking dash and shift lever.