LET'S TALK CARS

Did you know that the word Corolla is not just a science related term referring to a part of a flower(petals) but also means “Little Crown” in Latin? Well if you didn’t know now you know. On today’s episode we are delve into one car I’ll like to describe as a "saviour" to many and I even dare say it is one of the cars to have most sales on the Ghanaian market. It is produced by Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese car company and one of the largest car companies in the world.  

Toyota Corolla was first introduced in 1966 and was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in the world since then. Toyota claims that almost 80 percent of Corollas remain on the road today. The Corolla's traditional competitors have been the Nissan Sunny, introduced the same year as the Corolla in Japan and the later Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer. We are going to focus more on the 2013 model corolla which is very popular in Ghana.

The 2013 Toyota Corolla comes in three different packages with different prices, including the Corolla L, Corolla LE, and Corolla S. The 2013 Corolla offers an ideal combination of value, comfort, and safety. The large number of high-end features makes the car's value impressive, and performance and fuel efficiency also mark strong points. Basically, you can go in for the 2013 model Corolla if you are looking no to spend so much on buying fuel. It is also very reliable

Ok so now I know many have quizzed themselves over the meanings of the meaning of these so let me quickly go through. Any Toyota car with “S” like the Corolla S simply means that particular car or model has a sporty look or has a sporty feel to the driving like it will be faster than the other models in the same range. If it has an “LE” means Luxury Edition and has some feel of luxury and some extra comfort to it.

Exterior

The 2013 Toyota Corolla comes along with very beautiful exterior features. Though it is a saloon car, its body design looks a little sporty because of its curves. The sprayed metal body looks glossy and gives the Corolla an improved look. Exterior features include a remote keyless entry system that functions with a single button. The key can be used to open the tailgate as well.

The 2013 Toyota Corolla is decorated with multi-reflector halogen headlamps with auto on/off and a black sport trim feature, daytime running lights, and fog lights. It also includes a color keyed front grille with chrome accent surroundings, color keyed heated power outside mirrors, and color keyed outside door handles. Chrome appears on the license plate garnish, exhaust tip, and beltline molding. A power moonroof, intermittent wipers, and roof-mounted SiriusXM Radio® antenna also come standard.

The 2013 Corolla comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels and P205/55R16 89H tires. Most of the exterior features are customizable with stylish accessories.

 

Interior

The 2013 Toyota Corolla provides seating for five passengers. The interior dimensions for the front seats include 38.8 inches for headroom, 53 inches for front hip room, 41.7 inches for legroom, and 54.8 inches for shoulder room. The rear seat boasts 37.2 inches of headroom, 43.9 inches of hip room, and 36.3 inches of legroom which simply put makes it very comfortable and roomy for all passengers. front seats covered with fabric feel very comfortable. The driver's seat gets power and six-way adjustment, and the front-passenger seat adjusts four ways. The steering wheel with audio control gives the freedom to adjust music settings without taking attention away from the road.

The Toyota Corolla’s attractiveness is also thanks to other interior features like a 6.1-inch touchscreen. It also has an AM/FM/CD player with MP3/WMA playback capability, six speakers and a USB port with iPod® connectivity and control. Other standards for the interior include hands-free phone capability, advanced voice recognition, and Bluetooth® wireless connectivity.

 

Safety

The 2013 Toyota Corolla adopted the crumple zones system which better protects the driver and front passenger in the event of a crush. These crumple zones absorb force and ensure the safety of occupants. Simply put, crumple zones work like a cushion to take all the force from a crush to prevent the metal on the front of the vehicle from pushing in so much to harm the driver and the front passenger during a crush. Six airbags for the front and rear seats and front and rear side provide standard safety for all passengers. The 2013 Toyota Corolla also offers three-point seat belts for all passengers. The Corolla comes equipped with an automatic tire pressure monitor that warns the driver in the cabin.

 

Luggage Space

Trunk space or the “boot” as we like to call it in Ghana is quite unimpressive as it cannot hold much cargo so don’t go packing so much and when the rear seats are folded to create more space for cargo, they do not fold all the way flat but still gives you some extra room for more though.

 

Speed

The Toyota Corolla pulls 132 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque from its 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 10.2 seconds which translates to it is quite fast for a saloon car.