2018 Toyota Corolla

As one of the best-selling cars in the world, the Toyota Corolla is a compact sedan known for being an affordable and practical vehicle. It comes in six trims: The L, LE, LE Eco, SE, XLE, and top-choice XSE. The base L carries a sticker price of around $18,500, with the XSE topping out at just over $22,000 for exterior and interior styling upgrades to the XLE model.

All come in a sedan body style, and most are powered by a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine making 132 horsepower and a continuously-variable transmission (CVT). Exceptions include the LE Eco, which is tuned for fuel economy and ironically offers slightly more (140) horsepower. There’s also the “sporty” SE model and its 6-speed manual transmission.

Changes to the 2017 model year carry over to the 2018 Toyota Corolla, including revised styling inside and out, a larger infotainment touchscreen, and considerably more standard safety equipment including forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, low-speed automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and adaptive cruise control. Driver and front passenger lighted visor mirrors XLE and SE trims include a leathertrimmed steering wheel

Since 1968, the Toyota Corolla has roamed U.S. streets as a mostly dependable, very affordable, and pretty predictable car. To be sure, over the years the styling has improved and the Corolla has grown out of its initial 1.1-liter, 60 horsepower engine. But the basic argument has remained steadfast: The Corolla is dependable bargain, but not really very fun to drive. However, with significant safety upgrades starting with the 2017 model year, it’s now safer than ever, with new features and an Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety+ Pick award. 132 HP 1.8L Inline4