2017 Toyota Corolla – Will New Looks and Standard Safety Keep It Competitive?

Toyota adds value to the 2017 Corolla, but competitors are pulling ahead.

The 2017 Toyota Corolla will be the company’s 50th model year for the nameplate. Having sold about 43 million of the cars since it was introduced in calendar 1966, the Corolla is one of the top-selling cars of all time. For the coming year, Toyota is making modest changes while the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra are getting much more serious about the segment.

Most obvious to shoppers for the 2017 Toyota Corolla will be the redesigned headlights and front fascia. The new look continues to bring the Corolla and Camry closer in appearance, and that isn’t a bad thing. The much bolder black grill may be. Although bold works at Lexus, we are not sure it will in showrooms where families look for a value car.

More important than the looks of the Corolla will be the addition of a rear-view camera to the base model and Toyota’s forward collision prevention system with emergency auto braking on all trims. In this segment, Toyota is the only brand that offers this important safety system, which IIHS proves can reduce rear-impact crashes by 40%. Unfortunately, the Corolla’s “Marginal” score on a key crash test last year negates it from earning the top safety pick plus designation from IIHS – unless it is changed and retested.

Toyota will introduce a 50th anniversary Corolla with the custom color, Black Cherry Pearl, shown in our image above. Like all special editions, this one will have key options like nav included.