They just eased Covid restrictions here in the Evergreen State, so Ms. D and I decided to do something last night we hadn’t done in ages: head over to our local Mod Pizza and (gasp!) dine in. We pulled our 2013 Corolla into the parking lot next to this near-new 2020 model.
I’m pretty sure it’s a 2020 model because of the “BQU” on the license plate. Washington’s current license plate scheme is three letters and four numbers, a switch they made about 10 years ago after they had exhausted the six-character options. It started with AAA0000 (yes, we’ll do quad zeroes on a plate), and went sequentially from there. BQU means it’s fairly recent, so it could also be a 2021. Whatever the case, when I got out, I knew it was the perfect chance to take a quick comparison shot of two faces separated by 7 or so years.
One thing is for sure, the new Corolla looks pissed compared to our rather sedate ’13. The white car is an SE, so it has a different grille compared to more “ordinary” models, but even the lesser ones have the “angry eyes” of this example. There’s no reason for a Corolla to be angry, of course. I mean, it’s one of the best-selling nameplates in the history of cars. But like an angry white pop star from the suburbs, maybe it needs to cop an attitude to mask the emptiness of its privileged existence. Then again, most every new car/truck/suv/crossover these days sports some kind of scowl. And considering how the last few years have gone, maybe that’s appropriate.
I yell at my kids about this all the time: Parking with the front bumper over the curb stop. With a low car, you risk scraping something. Plus, with a small car, there is no need to pull in that far in the first place.
Well, pulling onto the sidewalk gives that hydraulically lowered look…
Driver also needs to shave his head to give further angry skinhead look…
It looks wider too. Modern cars are getting too wide for our roads in the UK in my opinion. Probably part of the reason towns are full of one-way roads these days. Most small cars used to be five and a bit feet wide, now they’re more like six. That’s another foot and half plus of passing space to find. Not counting the ones parked down each side of the road.
The 2021 is exactly one half inch wider. Looks can be deceiving.
I was wondering about that. Probably a little distortion in the photo, too.
Yes, I did look it up; that thin line joining the headlights does change the perception when looking at those two, but it’s still almost six foot wide. A 1970 Corolla though was just about a foot narrower. Agreed, on average people are getting wider too, though I doubt the interior gains more than about half that extra width thanks to much better crash protection.
It is especially true here in Munich.
Many residential streets used to have the vehicles parking halfway on the sidewalks and halfway on the streets (legally not allowed but widely not enforced). Now, more and more streets have parking ban on one side of street. This way, the vehicles have more room to manouevre when passing each other by driving partially on the sidewalks.
On some streets, there are “diversion spaces” where the vehicles must move into as to allow the public buses to drive through in opposite direction.
A several years ago, there was an uproar about the Bundespolizei busting more and more passenger vehicles for travelling on the narrow left lanes through the road constructions on the Autobahn. The problem was that the left lanes were reserved for the vehicles no wider than two metres. Many newer vehicles exceed that width limit by a couple of centimetres at tip of wing mirrors. The federal transportation ministry revised the rules from 2 metres to 2.20 metres.
Americans (and the Brits for that matter) keep getting wider, so the vehicles do too.
The newer front ends are the automotive equivalent of a person with bad teeth.
The owners don’t have to look at them as often as the rest of us do.
(Probably thought of this as I am scheduled for my dental check-up today.) 😉
I’m thinking the complex architecture of these front ends is going to look pretty bad in a few years after they’re chewed up by road debris, rock chips and plastered with the baked-on corpses of thousands of bugs.
As the chief car washer for my family, I can say you’re absolutely right. My daughter’s yellow ’09 Honda Jazz (Fit) looks worse each time I wash it. Admittedly we live in the country, where debris, rocks and bugs are part of everyday life once you take the road out of town, and yellow shows everything, but it’s not hard to imagine what this Corolla will look like in twelve years’ time. All that honeycomb-ish textured plastic in the bumper/grille/whatever you call it would be a real nuisance to keep clean.
Cleaning was easier when the bumper and grille were chrome-plated metal; you didn’t get the pitting and chipping, and you could use abrasive cleaners you’d never use on paintwork. Still, I had the same problem with my old Cortina; that panel under the bumper was real a stone-chip magnet, and I resprayed it several times over the twentysomething years I had that car.
In retrospect, the sixties American style of a deep bumper and a wide chrome plated grille had a lot going or it. No paint touch-ups required!
This is one of the reasons I like my ’08 Scion xD. It’s black, and despite some of the drawbacks of black paint, bugs and nicks don’t show up much until you get close. Plus, the front is very smooth and minimal, so not too many nooks and crannies to worry about.
Some new cars also have enormous gaudy ugly low hanging grilles… looking like someone gave them a fat lip… but, somehow, some people like that look…
See that face? The Corolla is done taking all of your mean-spirited crap, automotive journalists.
It gets angrier still in the Apex trim, a limited-edition with a factory wing, body kit, and slammed suspension but no extra horsepower and ~90% equipped with CVTs…for the price of a Civic Si. So it’s getting a bunch of mean-spirited crap from automotive journalists and deservedly so.
Ha! The Corolla has never been about sport, of course. The “S” and “SE” models are just window dressing…no extra oomph as is the case with a Civic Si. I always thought it was rather silly to have those trim levels, but I see a lot on the road. I’m perfectly happy with our LE. Reliability and low maintenance costs are what Corollas are really for.
Except for the GT-S, at least in the mid’80’s – RWD, the 16v from the MR2, coupe and hatchback styles, certainly a high point.
The current XSE as reviewed here last year (as well as the SE) does get a slightly larger engine and more power than the rest of the Corolla line. (2.0 vs 1.8).
True. I do remember the sporty Corollas from the ’80s…they were always a niche. In 2013, the S model had the same engine (the 1.8) as our LE. I haven’t kept up with newer Corolla engines, obviously. Looked it up… LE has the 1.8 good for 139 hp (our ’13 is rated at 128 horses, I think). SE with the 2.0 has 169 hp. A bump for sure, but not exactly the 205 hp of a Civic Si.
Not a great comparison, as you can’t get an automatic in the Si, or a stick in any of the other sedan trim levels.
Of course, the iconic AE86. Is iconic a shorthand way of saying ‘they’ve never made such a good one since’?
Has there ever been a seriously sporty front drive Corolla? I’m having trouble trying to think of one. JDM only, I suppose.
Not sure how “serious” it was, but the successor generation to the AE86 also featured a GTS and while front drive this time, supposedly was decent. It was only offered as a coupe though, never as a hatch. It had a bodycolor rear spoiler though! 🙂
The mid-’00s XRS was a pretty sporty FWD Corolla:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15132959/toyota-corolla-xrs-short-take-road-test/
Poseur Performance looks came out in 1970’s… GTOs with 165 HP, etc…
“The Corolla has never been about sport, of course…reliability and low maintenance costs are what Corollas are really for.”
Interestingly, Toyota seems to be dabbling as far into the sport arena as possible without overturning their Corolla reliability & profitability apple cart. The new platform has apparently done wonders for the handling without ruining the ride, they gave up some rear seat volume for a more advanced independent rear suspension, I believe the SE & XSE have slightly firmer suspension tuning, and the manual transmission is back in the SE trim–earning some rather decent reviews.
Where I’d like to see them try to play is in the same arena as the Civic Si and Elantra/Forte GT. Zesty little 200hp sedans with a mid/upper-20s price point that give up none of the practicality of the base models but are a clear step up in power and handling. The Apex doesn’t cut it there despite the cost. I think the Camry 2.5 paired to a manual would scoot such a Corolla around quite nicely but I’m guessing they don’t have a manual transmission suited to that engine. Bring on the angrier Corolla!
If they want to start “dabbling” more into sportiness, I’m all for it, as long as they don’t lose the qualities that make people like me buy Toyotas. But that styling has got to go. It’s possible to make more exciting styling not look ugly. To me, it seems like Toyota is trying too hard to shrug their “dull” image. It’s overcompensation. Maybe they’ll eventually settle into a nice styling groove, but for now I just want to avert my eyes.
It seems to extend no further than dabbling, as per usual with Toyota. The 1.8 in the LE and XLE will probably outlast the sun, the hybrid won’t be far behind, and the dual injection naturally aspirated 2.0L is a very conservative approach compared to turbocharging a 1.5L.
The styling’s a tough one; the face may seem extreme compared to the 2013, but check out Hyundai’s new Elantra for an example of a designer really losing it with an economy car, from every angle. Someone had fun with that one.
We’ve come full circle to the 59 Impala.
The taillights on some of the more recent Priuses are even close to the same shape…
I personally find angry or aggressive looking cars to be a turn off. I think the look of a car reflects the person who chooses it, in a way. Not 100%, of course, as people who buy Camcords or are going to buy them whatever they look like.
I prefer design language that makes me think of a faithful old buddy, like a pet, or that would be considered cute or benign rather than aggressive. I think that’s what’s behind my attraction to all of the old VWs with their simple, happy faces and big round headlights. It’s hard to be angry when you see a vehicle like that.
The ’09 Yaris we used to own was a very pleasant and “happy” looking car. I love Toyotas, but think the styling would at least give me pause were I looking to buy one now.
Most aggressive look I can remember was 1990’s Firebirds with aftermarket hoods with a pair of scoop openings that looked like the flared nostrils of an angry bull… I actually felt a little scared first time I found myself standing in front of a red one…
I also dislike angry front ends, but I wouldn’t call the current generation of Corolla that. I find it attractive, it doesn’t look like an appliance, it looks sporty, unlike the red car. The only thing that I dislike is infatuation with black plastic and wheels, as it reminds me of poverty spec cars from the 80’s and 90’s with unpainted bumpers and missing hubcaps.
I don’t get why do people pull in nose first to park the car? I’ve witnessed so many accidents caused by that way of parking, prior to rear cross-traffic alert and backup cameras becoming available. I even back into my garage, so I don’t run over a school age child or a squirrel when I leave my house.
Yep, styling is so subjective, of course. Our ’13 may not look “sporty” (but perhaps it looks more sporty than the 2003-08 generation?), but the front end of the current model is overly complex and lacks visual harmony. The badge just looks stuck on at the last minute (where are we going to put this thing…oh, here we go!), and don’t get me started on that jutting “Hapsburg” lip!
” Our ’13 may not look “sporty” (but perhaps it looks more sporty than the 2003-08 generation?),
I owned a 2007, and it always looked very ungainly in my eyes. It appeared way too narrow and gawky.
All that maneuvering to back into a tight small parking space in a busy parking lot or on a busy street can also be dangerous… and banned in some places because they don’t want the rear exiting exhaust to burn/kill/pollute the grass.
In Tucson around the University area they have reverse angled parking. You are required to pull past the spot and then reverse diagonally into it. Pulling back out is a breeze as it’s akin to just merging into traffic but backing into the angled spot sure feels odd!
Some parts of Australia require this too, in rural areas. Makes loading the shopping into the back of the ute easy, but pedestrians run the risk of getting a lungful of badly-tuned diesel.
Here’s a comparison of our former 2004 Camry (now owned by our son) and our current 2015 Camry Hybrid. I prefer the older front end, much less offensive if a bit bland. I do take extreme care not to scrape the low front end on parking barriers and have been (mostly) successful.
I really like the grilleless look of Tesla and found on older cars like the 1992 Honda Civic and Ford Crown Vic of the same year.
The ’92-’95 Civic is my favorite generation, at least for styling. And I’m like you…prefer a simpler, cleaner look.
I hope these don’t have those silly rear fender air diffusers/accent lines and the one sided blank exhaust port outlet in the bumper like the Camry. Toyota has been jumping the shark lately. The current Avalon, Prius line and Highlander look pissy too…
I should have taken a picture of the back, I’m realizing now. But we were hungry…
…and it would put you off your food. I understand. 🙂
The new one is actually a little subdued compared to other Toyota’s on the sales floor. It looks like the designers have discovered origami, bends, creases, peaks, valleys and plenty of fake vents and scoops. Pontiac meets Origami? Lastly the 2013 front is fine except for the stupid bobble/bump/nose at the center top of the grille. Is this a muted version of the Bunkie Beak? Did Ferrari copy it?
I think of it as the Pinocchio-nose, with a Toyota logo on the end of it. For a while there it seemed to get bigger with each succeeding model.
Toyota endured two decades of constant and vocal complaints that their cars were all too boring and lacks visual excitement. Now they are getting panned for being too aggressive. Can’t win I guess. Either way their sales are/were just fine so it all seems to work.
Put me in the column of liking the current generation’s styling very much in all the trims…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/new-car-review/curbside-review-2021-toyota-corolla-xse-humble-is-this-juggernaut/
And liking the prior generation as well, if perhaps not in the white color as it was too contrasty, at least at the front end…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/road-trip/rental-car-review-2017-toyota-corolla-se-when-frontier-airlines-completely-screws-you-over-you-can-trust-a-corolla-to-save-the-day/
Before that it just kind of…existed….for about a decade or so. But it’s always a good car which is the most important thing.
I’ll give Toyota credit for trying, but the results are, in my eyes, God-awful. Surely, there are better design solutions than just sticking weird-shaped plasticky bits on the the body and and giving the car those “bad facelift” eyes. Ugh. The rest of the car (at least in the Corolla’s case) is fairly restrained by comparison, in a reverse-mullet sort of way. All-party in the front and all-business in the back.
Toyota design comes off as the analytical sum of all contemporary car designs added up and divided by the total to come out as utterly average, same ten years ago as now. I don’t think the Corolla is any less visually “boring” as it ever was compared to other cars on the market.
Aggressiveness being the only measure of visual excitement is a sad reflection of the state of creativity in the world
“Aggressiveness being the only measure of visual excitement is a sad reflection of the state of creativity in the world”
Amen and amen!
I agree Jim that Toyota was constantly criticized for bland, boring designs before the early 2010s. So when the styling was changed to be bolder, people still complained. I myself don’t like the front ends of most Toyota and Lexus products, but I find cars like the current Corolla, Camry, and Lexus ES to be pleasing from all other angles.
Contrary to popular opinion, I actually like the current Prius — there’s no gaping maw grille and the quarter panels evoke the ’59 Chevy in my mind.
The trouble is, they seem to have gone from one extreme to the other. Their current design language is overly aggressive to the point of almost looking juvenile. Maybe they need to find a competent Italian designer.
Have cars gotten angrier faces these days?
I hadn’t noticed.
The thing that bothers me more than anything outside is what I noticed inside in a rental one is there is this glare inducing super glossy plastic black accent around and below the dash display that without hesitation takes on fine scratches fingerprints and shows swirl marks forever if you neglect to use the exact right right microfiber fabric to wipe it off. It looks pretty and smart in brochures or on the showroom floor but it’s hell to live with if you have even a hint of ocd. Biggest gripe I have on the outside(of which applies to many cars) is the shallow block offs in the “grille” lattice that are clearly visible in any direct light. People talk all kinds of trash on old muscle cars with fake scoops, but at least they usually had real openings to nowhere.
I take the angry exterior cues to be a reflection of the car designer’s mental states. These artistic people thought they got into the car design field to create their dream machines but instead are hampered down by aerodynamics, safety and packaging hardpoints that dictate the vast majority of the shape independent of their artistic input. The best they can do is create a face within the confines, and as a reflection of their broken spirit it isn’t happy.
Those grille blockoffs are nothing new. I remember a friend cluing me in back in middle school days about mid-60s cars having blockoffs in the portions of the grille surrounding the headlights. It’s hard to tell even in a high-quality photo, but this ’64 Impala SS is a good example.
Yeah it’s nothing new but at least on those the block offs weren’t the same finish as the chrome grille (though I have seen some restorations where the whole thing is chromed, ugh!)
Toyota no longer builds cars – they build travel appliances.
“Driving” one is about as interesting as choosing a McSomething for lunch.
They tell you where to go, how to get there, when to service them, and when to call your wife. With autopilot, they don’t even want you touching the steering wheel, using the accelerator or brake. In another generation, they probably won’t even have steering wheels, instrument panels or pedals. Instead, you will get where you need to go through your cell phone.
It will check your blood pressure, take your vitals, send them off to your doctor, send your blood/alcohol results to a police databank, and track your movements via Chinese satellites. Some of us, in the future, will have our skeletal remains puttering around in our computerized electric cars until our Toyissanhynkiaroletford hits a deer and finds our mummified remains buried among the Starbuck coffee cups and McSomething wrappers.
Oh, and that new Corolla looks like my damn Roomba.
They will also display advertisements via “smart paint”. Every autopod will be a rolling billboard.
People will have the option of foot pedals to add some extra charge to the system, at least to keep the I-Eye charged. Car-Pedaling will be a health fad, for “double-plus-good” wellness and such.
Good luck future people.
“Some of us, in the future, will have our skeletal remains puttering around in our computerized electric cars until our Toyissanhynkiaroletford hits a deer”
Provides Ford a whole new way of fulfilling its acronym Found On the Road Dead, doesn’t it?
Interesting that Toyota/Lexus went whole-hog on the 1961 Plymouth front end/grill look. Yeek.
Yes, I’ve noticed a passing resemblance of the Lexus spindle grille to the ’61 Plymouth. Not exactly a kind comparison.
The new model’s sporting a Unibrow !
( I own two of the generation appearing between these two pictured. And, I LOVE them !! ) I have had them both on the local 3 mile roadcourse (after fitting sticky tires and a hefty TRD anti-rollbar on the rear…. available from Toyota). It transformed the car into a real pocket-rocket…. (not as great as my 944 or M030 – 951 because of the fwd aspect ), but still lots of giggles and grins.
To some they may be an appliance, but there is always a cure for that (-;}
I see a ’59 Buick in the face of the new Elantra.
Shades of GMC, circa 1958.
But like an angry white pop star from the suburbs, maybe it needs to cop an attitude to mask the emptiness of its privileged existence.
Lots of angry black pop stars originate from the suburbs from privileged backgrounds. Ludacris (Christopher Brian Bridges) was born in Champaign, Illinois, the only child of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges. He later moved to the Chicago area, where he attended Emerson Middle School in Oak Park. Miles Davis was a son of a prosperous dentist from the suburbs of St. Louis. The list is endless.
Didn’t mean to imply there were no angry black pop stars from privileged backgrounds. I was mostly thinking of someone with the ultimate level of privilege- not only economic status, but also privilege bestowed simply because of skin color. So what do they have to be angry about?
As soon as I saw this article’s title the first thought that popped into my mind is “Put On A Happy Face” from the Broadway musical and later film “Bye Bye Birdie” with Dick Van Dyke singing it. “Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face” is the opening lyric.
Yep, you got it.
Agree with other comments that anger (as opposed to aggressive) is not a particularly good look for cars. It peaked in the late fifties/early sixties (the frequently mentioned ’61 Plymouth being the low/high point), then resurfaced a bit later on the 1969-70 Dodge Super Bee, the FWD Pontiac Grand Prix sedan, and the 4-door Dodge Charger. Now, Toyota’s gotten into it with a vengence. It’s like they took a personal affront to previous criticism and are now in a “You want angry! We’ll show you angry!” mode.
OTOH, ‘happy face’ cars aren’t particularly attractive, either. While the VW Beetle usually gets the nod here, there was the 1st gen “Hi” Dodge Neon and the rather bizarre, Mazda Joker-grin grille.
But my favorite, unexpressive, benign design was the second generation Prius. I once read it described as a nice, anonymous-looking pod and, to me, that description serves its purpose well. Frankly, I wish Toyota had stuck with that design language and simply made mechanical and technological improvements.
I always kind of liked the first-gen Neon, but totally agree with the Mazdas (especially the 3) of about 10 years ago. The stuff of nightmares!
My ’07 Camry is about as bland as bland can be. It has given me great service over the years and I have been very satisfied with the brand and dealer.
It has been such a reliable car that I would like to buy another.
That is if/when Toyota gets rid of that ridiculous open void, bottom feeder look of its front end. If I’m paying that much for a vehicle, I definitely want something other than the “nothing/fugly” look up front. Even if it’s as bland as my ’07.
I really like the current Corolla family. Although I am biased with my 2021 GR Touring. It certainly gets the looks and actually stands out amongst the sea of crossovers.
When Toyota introduced this look on the C-HR I observed that they were stealing the design language of the Kill-O-Zap from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Angry Toyota has not improved with age.