Walkaround:

Messing with success is difficult, so after selling more than 30 million Corollas around the world Toyota kept the update conservative. Buyers who seek more edge in styling without giving up the economy and reliability reputation will drift to the Toyota Matrix or over to Scion. Others will appreciate the simple lines. Those same simple lines help keep collision repair prices from extremes, which means lower insurance rates.

Both the S and XRS receive different lower nose and tail sections, the area around the fog lamps bearing a distant similarity to the Lexus IS, and trunk spoilers. It's a look that works better on the XRS by virtue of its larger wheels. It also works best on darker colors because the added panels appear more integrated. Fit and finish both appear to a high level for such an inexpensive car.

The basis for the Corolla also forms the base of the Matrix, and the all-new 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The Corolla is within a few inches of most of its competitors, the Mistubishi Lancer being among the longer and the Honda Civic amongst the shorter. Nissan Sentra is noticeably taller and bigger, but the Nissan Versa is as likely to face off against lesser-priced Corolla models.