Toyota Corolla Ultima 10th Generation 2007 review

Here's a quandary faced by a growing number of buyers who traditionally have owned a large family car and are ready to replace it with something new.

Do they buy another big six or go for something smaller, which can offer better value for the same sort of bucks?

Spending $29,000 to $35,000 will get them into a new entry-level, Aussie-made, fleet-oriented Falcon, Commodore or Mitsubishi 380 with a limited number of features.

Explore the 2007 Toyota Corolla range

• Toyota Corolla 2007 review
• Toyota Corolla Ultima 10th Generation 2007 review

Yet by sacrificing a little cabin space the same money can get you into a top-of-the-line small car that comes loaded with extras.

With that in mind, this week we look at Toyota's 10th generation Corolla Ultima sedan which, by the way, isn't that small any more, its boot is almost Commodore-size and the cabin comfortably seats four with room to spare.

How much

The Corolla Ultima sells for $31,990, which is a premium price considering exchange rates but this one comes with a lot of standard equipment. If you want a manual, you're out of luck. This one has only an automatic transmission, and a dated one at that.

What you get

This is where the Ultima becomes such an attractive proposition. Toyota says it loaded the car with $6000 in extras justifying the price hike of about $1900 when the Corolla was launched last month.

There's plenty of expected gear for the money, such as cruise control, power windows and mirrors, automatic wipers and headlights (with washers) which switch themselves on when needed, a rear vision mirror which automatically dips, fancy alloy wheels, fog lamps, tinted windows, an alarm and remote opening for the boot.

Then Toyota gave it greater appeal by fitting leather upholstery, a Bluetooth phone connection, automatic air conditioning (with pollen filter), outside temperature readout, illuminated vanity mirrors and better than average six-stack CD audio with MP3 capability.

It has also a whiz-bang keyless transmitter. You can keep it in your purse or pocket and it enables you to unlock the doors as soon as you touch the door handle, or start the engine by pushing a button on the dashboard.

Be warned, though: don't misplace the transmitter. The car comes with only one and they're expensive to replace, although you do get a couple of conventional keys to unlock the doors and turn the ignition the old-fashioned way.

What's missing? Not much, apart from a satellite navigation system, parking sensors or rear view camera.

Safety features

The Ultima scores well here, except it's missing any form of stability control, something Toyota admits it got caught flat-footed on but has promised one will be fitted at the end of next year, when the Corolla facelift is due. You do get anti-skid brakes with brake force distribution and brake assist, front, side and curtain air bags plus a driver's knee bag, three-point seat belts and headrests for all seats.

Design

The Corolla has always been practical but bland. Give thanks that Toyota has discovered there is a word called style after all and this latest Ultima looks just like a smaller Camry. Although still conservative, the car is handsome.

The cabin is comfortable, feels spacious and airy and the layout of controls and instruments is generally good. The only sore point is the design of the speedo; the graphics are far too busy to make checking your speed at a glance a simple task. It may look stylish but, in terms of functionality, it doesn't cut it.

No problems with the generous size of the boot or the many storage bins and boxes. Toyota says the sedan has 29 of them but I could only find 27.

Under the bonnet

The 1.8-litre, four-cylinder with dual variable valve timing drives the front wheels and has 100kW at 6000rpm on tap and 175Nm of torque at 4400rpm. It's mated with a four-speed automatic.

Although it looks all right on paper, the engine-transmission package only just does the job. The Corolla would be a much better car with a 2-litre engine and modern six-speed auto, which is on the cards for future models.

On the road

The Ultima is deceptively roomy, comfortable, quiet and pleasing to drive but it's not quite as responsive as a couple of its rivals.

It does have weaknesses. The electric power steering offers too much assistance, in my book, and while the engine is wonderfully flexible, it needs to be able to cope with the transmission which can struggle under load, hunting between gears. For most of the time, however, this Corolla won't upset too many owners.

It's a car designed for comfort, rather than performance. The standing dash to 100km/h takes a leisurely 11.1 seconds but the car has good mid-range punch, once it drops a gear, for overtaking.

How thirsty

The sedan returned an average of 9 litres/100km for a typical week-long mix of city and highway running on standard unleaded. Toyota's official fuel consumption figure is 7.4L/100km.

Impressions

The Ultima has a quality feel and much going for it. It comes with a premium price and is missing one important safety feature. Power is adequate but the four-speed auto transmission is off the pace.

It is big on comfort, space, badge value and it drives and rides nicely and is roomy.