Driving Experience
Includes acceleration and handling
What Owners Say
"This car has the newer transmission with bands rather than gears. The acceleration is notably poorer than with my previous Toyota Corolla transmission."
Anonymous, PA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"This is a economy compact car it drives just like it should. I have purchased 3 of these 2007,2010,2016 one for each child when they started to drive and to carry them through collage or longer. You will not find a better car in this price range period. No problems with any of them. The 2016 has been improved over the older models and drives great. Stop expecting it to compete with more expensive cars. Camrys, accords, mazda6 etc."
Delayna B., FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"This is a economy car and based on that I set my expectations lower. The handling is competent if not sporty. Steady of the highway. The CVT transmission acts like a CVT meaning more engine noise and sometimes feels like less pwr than you know the motor has. I wish they would drop the CVT and just go with a good 6 speed automatic."
Dave G., NY (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Very quiet engine for a CVT. Always has adequate power on tap. Handles well in all weather and has excellent brakes for the class. Could use more active safety features as available options."
Anonymous, PA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"easy to handle locally and on long distance trips"
Anonymous, VA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"higher than expectant gas mileage. Very comfortable ride"
Roger L., SC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Our Corolla handles very well and has average acceleration. While it doesn't have all of the "bells and whistles" of our 2017 Rav4 we choose the Corolla to drive m most of the time. It just seems "easier" to drive."
Anonymous, CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Good power with infinetely variable transmission is problem free."
Robert S., IN (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Only had it 2 months. Weak acceleration. Hard to see screen in sunlight. Pressure after the sale for optional add-on items & features. Very comfortable, but inside is a little smallish. Large trunk."
Anonymous, TN (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Very sporty, clean lines looks more expensive than it was"
RORY R., ON (2016 Toyota Corolla)"the sports 17 rims and sports suspension makes a huge difference in driving pleasure. but the acceleration is weak yet 34 MPG.."
ABRAM H., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Slow to respond on ramps"
Anonymous, FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"I have gone on two trips with my new car. To the mountains. I was very I,pressed with highway mileage: 40mpg. And the way it traveled up the mountains was impressive. Really love the car"
Anonymous, NV (2016 Toyota Corolla)"I didn't know about it advance, and don't like, the unusual way you have to pull up the manual shift to go into reverse"
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Car feels less responsive to driver."
ROBERT T., ME (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Handling is great. Corners tight and secure. Brakes stop on a dime. Very smooth ride and comfortable."
GEORGE P., MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"It really struggles at highway speeds."
LEAH G., MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Acceleration with CVT is a little difficult to get used to."
CHRISTOPHER A., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"A little more "oomphy-oomf" would be good. It doesn't really accelerate with much gusto, like when merging. Otherwise it's been nice."
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"I feel it has very bad acceleration. I almost have to floor it to get it up to speed from a dead stop."
Anonymous, MO (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Great acceleration, smooth ride over rough roads, firm handling in winds and windy roads. Firm grip on the road. Very quiet,"
CHARLIE S., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Accelerates well, occasional hesitation with CV transmission when easing off gas."
Anonymous, CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"When I floor the gas on rare occasions I feel the engine is sluggish and unresponsive. It would be nice to have better pick up- I am used to my 2000 Honda Civic which had excellent acceleration when needed."
RICHARD K., MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"It could handle turns better. That would be the one thing that would make me rethink buying this car."
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Very nimble and well built"
Anonymous, IL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"the acceleration and handling of this car is excellent"
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Acceleration a little less than my 2014 Camry and a little more bumpy."
A S., MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Corolla is somewhat underpowered, but OK for a commuter car."
Anonymous, VA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Very easy to drive on highway. Handles very well."
Anonymous, MB (2016 Toyota Corolla)"When A/C is on, no pickupwhen getting into traffic. needs larger engine."
Nancy K., MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Before purchasing I read CR's review. I agree in most part. However, in handling and acceleration, I find it is very quick, nimble, and can be driven very spirited with ease. Tires need a bit more grip in turns to truly match what this car is capable of. I enjoy it very much."
Keith W., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"very sluggish acceleration, handles like driving a boat"
Anonymous, IL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Noisy on hiway"
Diane C., RI (2016 Toyota Corolla)"very peppy, gets up and goes"
Anonymous, FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"While I’m not a huge fan of the CVT on our Corolla, the car is peppy enough and after the transmission issues we had with the 2012 Focus we owned for 5 years—it’s a breeze. Handling is responsive and nimble."
J M., FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"It handles fine. It took a bit of getting used to the variable transmission"
Bob M., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Poor acceleration."
J E., TN (2016 Toyota Corolla)"I love everything about my Corolla except for the cruise control. I use cruise control quire often, and on this vehicle it is slow to respond when I raise or lower the control to accelerate or decelerate. My 2009 Corolla's cruise control is MUCH better than on this 2016 model."
Anonymous, KY (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Design of front is awful. Can't see where front of car ends! Hood slopes downward. Have to guess when parking & turning. At least I have rear camera."
Anonymous, TX (2016 Toyota Corolla)"good acceleration and very comfortable to drive. handling is excellant"
Anonymous, FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"lights showing forward,, reverse, park, etc I would like larger to see."
Anonymous, NY (2016 Toyota Corolla)"The acceleration of the car is very good. It handles well in all types of weather. In rain and wind I feel very secure on the road."
Charlie S., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Acceleration is a little slow--I have to really gun it to get on the freeway. Also the right side of the windshield has a big blind spot which has caused me one minor accident and almost another"
Sandra K., TX (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Good acceleration from dead stop and throught driving range we have the S plus package and it handles well"
Willard R., KY (2016 Toyota Corolla)"The cruise control is pathetic The engine is underpowered The transmission is not smooth"
Danny W., NC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Poor accelerations. Excellent handing and braking"
Anonymous, NB (2016 Toyota Corolla)"The 4 cylinder engine and variable speed transmission far exceed what I was expecting."
Anonymous, NC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"The odometer needle sometimes does not move when you accelerate. Undiagnosed problem, never occurs when at dealers service center."
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"It does not accelerate smoothly. It tends to jump forward. However, this may result from the fact that I use the ECO function."
Anonymous, NC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"both acceleration and steering feel good"
Anonymous, AZ (2016 Toyota Corolla)"good acceleration, good braking, good handling, mirror view is limited"
Anonymous, QC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Unremarkable to poor acceleration. Not a fun car to drive but VERY reliable and economical"
Anonymous, FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Light weight and very noisy on the highway"
David G., MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"I absolutely LOVE driving manual transmission vehicles; and, with the exception of my 2016 Corolla not having cruise control - which makes long-distance highway driving a breeze - driving my vehicle is the most fun ever. Don’t like automatics, but finding good manuals is getting more difficult. ??"
Robyn E., AR (2016 Toyota Corolla)"holds well in turning circles"
J A., QC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"continuously variable transmission works well to give good acceleration. car hugs the road when sudden changes in direction have to be made."
C E., ME (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Accelerates quite briskly when needed, suspension is very "present", holds road well."
Anonymous, WA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"This car does not have the quick start up acceleration of our previous Corolla. This is probably due to the new belted transmission but it means a slower pick up when entering traffic."
Anonymous, PA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"it has plenty of pickup for a car this size, and does a great job on the rural roads in our area."
Sam B., NC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Needs more power - acceleration is quite weak."
Richard D., NB (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Steering: the car wanders; frequent correction needed"
Anonymous, ON (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Brakes require too much pressure. When I switch vehicles from the Prius V to the Corolla, I have to remember that it takes more brake pressure to stop in the Corolla."
Carl W., VA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"gas mileage, 33avg., up to 38.75 on trip using cruise, I always use eco mode. mostly highway driving. This car handles well and backup camera is great. The car accelerates well always."
Anonymous, MO (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Outstanding car."
Anonymous, NC (2016 Toyota Corolla)"This car handles beautifully. It corners well, accelerates quickly, and is comfortable."
Anonymous, OR (2016 Toyota Corolla)"I love how the car handles, except for its acceleration when entering a highway."
Barbara M., NJ (2016 Toyota Corolla)"In the beginning OK. Now acceleration is not as responsive."
Anonymous, MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"i hate the CVT transmission"
Dennis T., CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Excellent handing, at least as good as my Maxima or SAAB, reasonable acceleration for a 4-cylinder. You GOTTA get the "S" model with manual transmission."
Deborah G., NJ (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Comfortable and responsive."
George B., MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Adequate acceleration, handling."
Anonymous, OH (2016 Toyota Corolla)"The 2016 Toyota Corolla is a car that is fun to drive in many respects. The engine is strong and responsive while the handling is nimble and fun to drive. Acceleration is above average for a car in this category with the ability to modify the responsiveness of the vehicle by selecting normal driving mode or sport driving mode. The selection changes the shift characteristics of the transmission resulting in improved acceleration in sport mode. The overall performance of this car in acceleration and handling is well above average."
Philip N., IN (2016 Toyota Corolla)"very smooth"
Anonymous, AZ (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Somewhat sluggish on acceleration but good on handling"
Harold T., NJ (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Good excelleration Much better than the Camry"
John B., TX (2016 Toyota Corolla)"The manual transmission offers good acceleration and speed control when needed in city traffic or mountain driving."
L M., NY (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Electronic throttle control still not optimal for smooth acceleration, though much better than with my previous, 2012 model. Both with manual transmission, and both suffer from throttle input lag."
Neil M., MN (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Very smooth engine-transmission."
Anonymous, OH (2016 Toyota Corolla)"It is extremely sluggish when it comes to accelerating especially when attempting to pass another vehicle. The vehicle is very unresponsive when the throttle is depressed."
Anonymous, AZ (2016 Toyota Corolla)"wife like update items , backup camera, automatic A/C"
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"ok but the cruis control doesn't hold a setting and acceleration is sluggish at times"
Joann M., CT (2016 Toyota Corolla)"it has very good pickup and handles well"
Anonymous, NY (2016 Toyota Corolla)"Do not like the CTV transmission - it makes the wrong gearing decision too often - very bad when cruise control is engaged and decending a hill."
Anonymous, FL (2016 Toyota Corolla)"A bit less acceleration than 2014 Camry."
Anonymous, MD (2016 Toyota Corolla)"It is a 4 cylinder car. I gets good pickup and moves well from stop to go. I do not push the car, but I maintain a good speed so as not to have people behind me feel frustrated."
Anonymous, MA (2016 Toyota Corolla)"slow pick-up on acceleration"
Anonymous, CA (2016 Toyota Corolla)
"The CVT takes a little getting used to...as you may be used to waiting for the shift in some instances. It is plenty responsive and quick enough in standing starts or accelerating to pass scenarios."
Michael F., MI (2016 Toyota Corolla)