Comtemplating 2013 "S" Purchase

G

germinator

New Member
#1
#1
Hey Fellow members:

I need some input. My 2010 Accord Coupe (4cyl 190hp) is due back on lease by April 2013. I'm thinking about a 2013 Corolla "S" as a live in one of the boroughs of NYC and would like something smaller.

Acceleration: A lot of the reviews on line state the 1.8 (132hp) automatic transmission has weak acceleration compared to a Sentra or Civic and is not exactly quick when it comes to accelerating on a short highway ramp

Braking: Several reviews stated braking distance and pedal travel was longer than civic's, sentra's, and Elantra's

Paint: Previous posters said the car was prone to chipping and the finish was not durable..especially in the gray/silver family.

Input as to these concerns would help me determine if I should consider the Corolla or stick with the Aaccord.

Thanks.
 
C

corolla_mike

New Member
#3
#3
Tough call. My '09 S has several features no longer available on the '13 models.

If I had to buy a C-class car today, I'd look at the Honda Civic, Subaru Impreza, Volkswagen Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, KIA Soul, Nissan Sentra, Scion tC, or Mazda 3. The Ford Focus is too cramped inside, and the KIA Forte is dated--although the new one will debut soon.

Unsure when the 2014 Corolla will debut, but it is in the works. If a Corolla is what you want, I'd wait for the 2014 model, rather than sink money in the 2013 version.

If you just can't wait on the next Corolla, I strongly suggest you get the Corolla LE. Why? Because the seats are far more supportive in the shoulder area in the LE than in the S model, as the seats in the S have absolutely no shoulder support whatsoever. And even though the ground-effects panels and rear spoiler look good on the S, the spoiler blocks the view out of the back window, and its rocker-panel trim juts out so much that you simply cannot keep from brushing your pant legs on them (road dirt) when getting in and out of the car.

If you don't want a Corolla LE, but still want a Toyota, then get the Scion tC (made by Toyota). It has a hatch in the back, and you can haul a lot of stuff back there, if that is important to you. Has the 2.5 hp 4-cylinder in it, too, which will get you down the road just fine. Comes with or without a spoiler, and its glass roof is way awesome.
 
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C

CorollaGal

New Member
#4
#4
I had a 2010 Corolla S, sadly I totaled my car last month. I ended up getting a 2013 Corolla S. I absolutely love my new car. I think the seats are more comfortable than my 2010.
 
M

mmanjin

New Member
#5
#5
We got a 2013 Corolla LE last week. My wife and I are quite impressed with it and like it a lot. The seats are very comfortable it handles great and has built in navigation, bluetooth for hands free calling and satellite radio. You can even browse the internet on the central display via your smartphone. Sweet. I have heard that the S model has a stiffer ride than the LE. I would suggest you give a 2013 S and LE a test drive and decide from there. Oh and we also got 0% financing for 5 years through Toyota which sealed the deal for us.
 
S

Sythos

New Member
#6
#6
I think you will like the Corolla. I have had only one complaint about mine and wrote a novel on a different thread about that.

As a former Sentra fan (owned three but can't stand the look on the current model), and a regular driver of a Civic a few years back I can give you some ideas. My brother drives a 2003 Accord, but I have only driven it once so I can't compare well except for noise.

Acceleration
- It is on par with standard Sentras and far better than all Civics except the SI, but not as quick as the SE-R I used to own. The HP is about the same but the real factor is that the Corolla and the Sentra have setups that produce much better torque at 'reasonable' RPM's around 3000-4000. For the Civic you have to get up near 6000 to get the same type of pull. The Corolla is faster 0-60 than what most magazines give it credit for as I have tested it multiple times both from a full stop and a rolling start. I drive an automatic due to some left knee issues and it is fine, so I would assume the manual is better.

Braking - hard to compare as many factors come into play. Let's just say I have never had any problems. The ABS kicks in a tad too easily for my taste, but the stopping distance is fine.

Paint - I love the Barcelona Red (mostly because everyone has burgundy that is just too ... purply), and I have no fading or chipping at all. Still near mint condition despite parking it outside in the Georgia heat and under some trees during the evening that produce sap like nothingI have ever seen before.

Some other notes

Noise - Corolla is definitely more quiet than the Civic at normal speeds due to less engine noise. It's a close call with the Sentra but I think my old Sentra was a tad more quiet. The Corolla was actually very quiet for the first year or so but I am now starting to hear more road and wind noise (standrad stuff, nothing whistling). I think the rubber used for the door seals is not the highest quality and it may be weakening and causing the extra noise.

MPG
I drive mine fairly hard on a 17-mile one way commute with 34 lights. So a bunch of stopping and starting. It still gets 28+mpg. On a few highway trips I have been 32-34mpg depending on the speed. It loves 70mph or so, but at 80 it starts to suck down the gas a bit more. Mine is stock Corolla S with standard Ethanol 10% type gas found at most pumps these days.

Radio - Decent but the amber light simply cannot be seen during the day if you have sunglasses on for driving. At night it is a soothing color, but so annoying during the day. Very low AUX volume comes thru, so when I plug in my phone for tunes I have to remember to turn the volume way down when I leave or the CD will be blasting when I turn it on.

Ride quality - The seats are snug on an average size person. If I were any bigger and the side panels on the seats would be annoying. They are very comfortable for short trips though I did notice a lack of good support on longer trips.

Handling - Love it. Even with the OEM tires it handles well and doesn't get too soft on hard cornering. There is very little lean (Sentra had much more). I am sure it will get better when I throw on some Toyo Proxes. That being said, the Honda Civic is hard to beat for handling from my time driving it.

Hope this helps.

When I test drove it the only car that came close was the Cruze and the Altima, but I refused to support the bailout and the Altima is really in the Camry class. The 4-cylinder Accord was ok, but it just didn't have enough pull for some reason (underpowered for the weight or bad tranny match, not sure). I didn't way to pay for the V6 Accord but it was nice. The 4-Cylinder Camry was the only really close competitor. That 4-cylinder in the Camry just worked better than the one in the Accord, but I decided to go with the better MPG and lesser cost on the Corolla.

I love my 2011 Corolla S. I had some trepidation about coming over from the Sentra SE-R and stepping down on the engine, but for value based on performance and cost I am very pleased.
 
Scott O'Kashan

Scott O'Kashan

Super Moderator
#8
#8
To the original poster; you made this post, (your one and only post), way back on January 9, 2013, 48 days ago and you've had six people be kind enough to take their time to respond to your question. However, you seem to have just totally vanished. What gives?
 
T

thrilled

New Member
#10
#10
I bought A 2013 A year ago today.5 speed manual.Um it's ok except the rpm's don't seem to go down as fast as I think they should when I'm shifting.Other than that no problems.
I could use more power.What are ya going to do with A little 4 cylinder?
 
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