Ask Me Anything: 2020 Toyota Corolla XLE

[Drew Dowdell]

My wheels for the week are a 2020 Toyota Corolla XLE sedan. This one is well equipped with Toyota Safety Sense now standard, Toyota Entune with Apple CarPlay, Adaptive lighting system with automatic high beams, headed seats, and a JBL Premium audio system. It is rated for 29 city / 37 highway and we'll be putting that highway number to the test. We will be taking the Corolla to Northern Virginia for the weekend to visit family for the holidays. 

The XLE differs from the 2019 Corolla SE hatchback that @William Maley recently tested in that it has the 1.8 liter engine instead of the 2.0 liter. This engine puts out 139 horsepower at 6100 RPM and 126 lb-ft of torque at 3900 rpm. About a 30 horsepower deficit compared to the SE.

 In my initial drive, I found the car to be snappy around town, but things got a little raucous when I went to merge onto the highway. Though it is a CVT, it has a fixed first gear. The fixed first gear does take away from the rubber band feeling most CVTs have. I took the Corolla on a set of twisty roads that I take all test vehicles on and the sedan, while no sports car, felt firmly planted and predictable around the curves. 

One thing that is surprising is the sticker price; $28,084 for a Corolla without even the biggest engine seems quite steep. 

So while I'm loading up the trunk with Christmas cheer, fire off any questions you have about the 2020 Toyota Corolla XLE.

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[frogger]

I'm curious how well the lane keep assist, road sign assist, radar cruise function in their Safety Sense 2.0. 

That's a pretty well optioned Corolla.  Just missing a heated steering wheel and ventilated seats for four season comfort.  Too bad no Android Auto for 2020, I believe the RAV4 got the update.

 

 

 

 

 

[USA-1]

Quick question. If you get going then brake hard enough and get the grille close to the ground does that thing suck up dirt like the Dustbuster it looks like?

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by USA-1

[smk4565]

I had a Camry rental in Florida which granted is straight, flat roads, but it was getting near 40 mpg at highway speeds around 70 mph.  I thought that was rather impressive.  $28k for a Corolla is a lot, a low equipped Camry is that much and probably gets the same gas mileage.

[daves87rs]

My co worker has one..we went out to lunch in it. Have to say I like it in there. Still not a fan of the nose-but car has a nice flow to it.

Let me know how it does on the freeway....

 

[regfootball]

Good design finally for a basic Toyota.  Interior looks good.  Like the amount of features. Although 28k for very little power   Meh.  For this car I’d trade off 30 extra hp and torque to lose 2 mpg

[surreal1272]

My uncle has a 2020 model and loves the lane assist feature (he’s 76 so quite helpful for him). Don’t know how he lives with that CVT but at the same time, he’s not trying to drag race anyone in it. 

[frogger]

Kind of surprised Corolla's in the US are still manufactured in Japan.

14 hours ago, USA-1 said:

Quick question. If you get going then brake hard enough and get the grille close to the ground does that thing suck up dirt like the Dustbuster it looks like?

 

Consumer reports could compare 2020 Toyota and Chevrolet to see which brand has the most suction capacity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, frogger said:

Kind of surprised Corolla's in the US are still manufactured in Japan.

 

Odd...since no more NUMMI, no more US made Corollas?  I figured they had moved them to another NA plant...

[USA-1]

2 hours ago, frogger said:

Consumer reports could compare 2020 Toyota and Chevrolet to see which brand has the most suction capacity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consumer Reports? HA! Nobody should trust them to even buy a good vacuum cleaner with the most suction capacity let alone a vehicle. 

[regfootball]

10 hours ago, surreal1272 said:

My uncle has a 2020 model and loves the lane assist feature (he’s 76 so quite helpful for him). Don’t know how he lives with that CVT but at the same time, he’s not trying to drag race anyone in it. 

there was a camry driver in front/side of me the other day, about that age, weaving all over, driving like badly drunk but likely just they couldn't stay in the lane themselves anymore.  I suppose those lane keep assists will help those people.  I thought i was going to get hit a few times.

[ocnblu]

I'm sure it stays on message.  It's kind of unflappable that way.  Expensive though.

[occupant]

The adaptive cruise in my last Corolla (17 LE, no options, Uber lease) was pretty good at slowing down when cut off, getting back up to speed after the road clears, and holding speeds as low as 28mph. The most irritating issue with it was driving along city streets with cars parked on both sides and the slight curve when the car would get very upset. Also, in cold weather, the windshield might fog or ice over the sensor up top lighting up the dashboard like a Christmas tree and disabling the systems. Has the new system improved over the old one? 

I was able to get 34-36mpg in mixed mostly rideshare driving with the old CVT, and about 38 in straight highway driving at 60-65. Does the fixed first gear improved the city mileage much? I imagine it won't affect the highway numbers at all, though.

[Drew Dowdell]

4 hours ago, occupant said:

The adaptive cruise in my last Corolla (17 LE, no options, Uber lease) was pretty good at slowing down when cut off, getting back up to speed after the road clears, and holding speeds as low as 28mph. The most irritating issue with it was driving along city streets with cars parked on both sides and the slight curve when the car would get very upset. Also, in cold weather, the windshield might fog or ice over the sensor up top lighting up the dashboard like a Christmas tree and disabling the systems. Has the new system improved over the old one? 

I was able to get 34-36mpg in mixed mostly rideshare driving with the old CVT, and about 38 in straight highway driving at 60-65. Does the fixed first gear improved the city mileage much? I imagine it won't affect the highway numbers at all, though.

The adaptive cruise control till get you all the way down to zero and allow you to creep along at low speed in traffic. If it brings you to a full stop, you need to tap the gas pedal or the resume button to go again, but after that it will just follow the car in front. 

I got 36 on the way to Virginia and 34 on the way home (more uphill than down).  The weather wasn't cold enough for the windshield to fog over, so I didn't get a chance to test what you are describing.  The fixed first gear only really makes initial take off feel less rubbery than a traditional CVT, but you get out of that first gear pretty quickly.