2005 Toyota Corolla XRS test drive

This writer's daughter was driving a Toyota Crown back in 1968 when the Toyota Corolla replaced it in the U.S. market. The Crown, like some other Japanese cars, seemed to last forever--or at least until the body rusted off it. The Corolla promised even more. It promised the body would stay in one piece for years. The wife bought one soon after. It lasted and lasted. Prices: US $17,455 base; as tested, $19,853.94. Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles.

First Glance

Here's a bit of trivia older drivers might answer incorrectly: Which car model has sold the most in history? Model A? Nope. Model T? Nope. VW Beetle? Nope. Toyota Corolla? Bingo. Worldwide, the Corolla is the top seller of all time. It was first introduced into Japan in 1966 and came to the U.S. in 1968. Within five years, it was the second best-selling car in the country. And this was a time when Detroit Iron was mostly big, V-8-powered icons with names like Chevelle SS, Road Runner and GTO. But with a gas crisis in 1972 and insurance rates on muscle cars rising, many Americans were ready for a smaller, much less costly to operate car. The Corolla filled the bill as Detroit stumbled to downsize cars that choked on newly mandated pollution controls. Today, the Corolla is in its ninth generation and for 2005 the Corolla XRS is the hot news. With its lowered stance and a wing on the rear deck, this one isn't as invisible as other Corollas. It promises to deliver more driving excitement--and thanks to a retuned 1.8-liter four-cylinder borrowed from a Celica GT-S, it does exactly that. Yet it also returns 26 mpg in town and 34 mpg on the highway (using premium gasoline), sells for under $20,000 and seats four.

In the Driver's Seat

As with many models from Japan, the Corolla has grown over the years. If you remember, not long ago the Toyota Camry was a compact car. Then Toyota increased its size and it became a mid-size car. The Corolla was a subcompact. When the Camry moved to mid-size, the Corolla grew to become a compact car. That's the case today. It's not too small, not too big. Compact it is. Enter the four-door sedan and notice how high you sit in the manually adjustable driver's seat. There's a good view in most directions but the front hood slopes too sharply out of sight. A driver sees only the windshield wipers. Two problems result: the road movement can create nausea at the apparent close distance; and a driver can't tell where the front of the car is. Now get ready for another shock. There are window cranks here! A coworker of mine who fears power failure should her car plunge into water would appreciate these. Most folks won't in a car that costs just under $20,000. Our tester also had an optional sunroof packaged with essential side air bags. The sunroof/safety option was $1,400. That's a pity. These need to be separated and priced that way. The side air bags are needed; the sunroof is suitable only for tall dogs.

On the Road

The real news with this Corolla is its hopped-up engine. The 1.8-liter with 170 horsepower begs to be revved high and driven hard. A stiffened suspension system on the XRS model adds handling prowess to this performance package. The only transmission available is a six-speed manual, with gearing that jerks passengers around if shifted less than judiciously. It's very close ratio and you'll shift frequently. The drivetrain is front-wheel drive, which doesn't help performance driving. But torque steer is fairly well controlled in hard launches or coming out of a corner under full acceleration. A very real problem, however, is that the high-revving engine--which feels like a supercharger kicked in from 7,000 to 8,000 rpm!--buzzes everything on the car. The vibration is atrocious. In the tester, audible vibrations in the interior began at just under 4,000 rpm and continued from that point up. Every passenger heard it and commented on it. All tried to locate the source of the vibrations. No one did. The engine just shakes this compact body to pieces. Without these high revs, you might as well save thousands and forego the XRS model. If I owned this car, it would be back in the shop until that buzzing was gone.

Journey's End

Imagine a flow-through exhaust system on this one. The 2005 Toyota Corolla XRS reminded me of the Honda S2000, which is very easy to drive slowly around town, but becomes a screaming banshee at high rpm. Same here. Only the sound from this high-revver is too muffled. Get some flow-through on this and it'll sound like a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle going through the gears at midnight on a back road. The 2005 Toyota Corolla XRS has a lot of promise. What it has going for it is the Toyota reputation that says this is the most reliable compact car made. Many consumers will value that. And it does provide a real kick from that variable-valve timing engine. It handles well. But that buzzing vibration is a real annoyance. And no way can this XRS keep up with a similarly priced Dodge SRT-4. It also has competition for young buyers with the new Scion offerings. So I don't expect this particular model to sell all that well. Those who buy it will like it. Those most interested in bang for the buck will covet the SRT-4 or another fast and furious little import. Sounds strange to say about a sub-$20,000 car, but this Corolla XRS is a bit too costly for what you get.