Used 2023 Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla has a long track record as a good value in compact cars. It’s a practical car with excellent fuel economy and consistently good safety and reliability ratings. The Corolla gets a refresh for 2023, with new front and rear styling plus updated safety and infotainment features to keep it competitive with compacts like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Mazda3. It’s also dropped the old 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine in favor of a 2.0-liter engine, which is now standard. There are also hatchback and hybrid variants of the Corolla, which are reviewed separately.

We’re pleased that the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine is now the standard powerplant in the Toyota Corolla. The old 1.8-liter engine, which was discontinued this year, was hard to recommend since the 2.0-liter unit is both more powerful and more fuel-efficient.

This 169-horsepower engine has more than enough muscle for the daily drive, but it’s still not as exciting as the sporty variants of the Honda Civic, Mazda3, and Hyundai Elantra.

Most trims of the Corolla are tuned for comfort over performance. The ride is compliant, the seats are comfortable, and it’s hard to find fault in how it drives. It gets a little sportier in the Apex Edition models thanks to the lowered sport-tuned suspension and a sport-tuned exhaust.

The interior of the Toyota Corolla is a pleasant place to be. The seats are comfortable, and there’s adequate space in the rear seats for a car this size. It’s worth noting that the Corolla sedan has more rear-seat space than the Corolla hatchback.

The Corolla gets a little nicer inside in the upper trims. The upper trims get SofTex faux leather seating rather than cloth, and you can get features like a wireless charging pad, JBL audio, and a 7-inch driver information screen.

As for cargo space, the trunk is a little small, even for a compact car. It’s fine if you don’t need a ton of cargo room, but if you’re looking for a small car with a lot of space, consider the hatchback variants of the Corolla, Mazda3, or Honda Civic.

The exterior of the Corolla gets a refresh for 2023. The front and rear fascias are new, and it has stylish LED signature lighting. The SE and XSE models get a new rear diffuser and 18-inch gloss graphite-colored wheels.

The Apex Edition models get a sporty appearance package with unique wheels, a lower stance, a black/bronze body kit, a sport mesh black grille, and a rear spoiler.

The size of the Corolla is in line with other compact sedans in this class. Its dimensions are similar to the Honda Civic, Mazda3, and Nissan Sentra.

1. Standard 2.0-liter engine
The new standard engine in the Corolla is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, which is a nice upgrade over the outgoing 1.8-liter engine. The new standard engine makes 169 horsepower and returns up to 40 mpg on the highway, making it a perfect fit for the Corolla.

2. Toyota Safety Sense 3.0
The new standard safety tech suite in the Corolla bundles many desirable features. It has automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, and automatic high beams.

3. 8-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia
The standard 8-inch screen in the Corolla is loaded with features like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual Bluetooth phone connectivity, and over-the-air updates.

4. Great fuel economy
An impressive fuel economy rating adds to the value proposition of the Corolla. The standard 4-cylinder engine is rated at 31 city/40 highway/34 combined mpg. No matter what the gas price is in your area, the Corolla has lower fuel costs than most of its rivals.

5. Apex Edition
The Apex Edition adds style and performance to the Corolla. It comes with the same base engine as the rest of the Corolla lineup, but it has a lowered, sport-tuned suspension, a sport-tuned exhaust, and an appearance package that conveys its sportier nature.

6. Intelligent Assistant
This optional feature on the Corolla adds a cool piece of modern tech to this compact. Just say, “Hey, Toyota,” and the infotainment system acts like a smart speaker responding to voice commands. You can use it to get directions, control the audio, change the temperature, and more.

The Toyota Corolla used to come standard with a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine, but that’s been dropped for the 2023 model year. The standard engine is now a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder rated at 169 horsepower. It’s also good on gas, returning up to 34 combined mpg. The old 1.8-liter mill was a bit underpowered, so we can’t say we miss it.

Every non-hybrid Corolla sedan has front-wheel drive (FWD) and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine
169 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm
151 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 31/40 mpg