First Impression: 2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco- More Than Meets The Eye

2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco Front

The 2014 Toyota Corolla has been redesigned inside and out to give it a more modern, updated look, but when it arrived in my driveway in its Brown Sugar Metallic paint it wasn’t that exciting. They can call it what they want, but it’s brown. What it lacked at first glance though, it completely made up for when I opened the door.

The thing about this car is that it’s not a luxury automobile, and that’s okay. You’re not buying this because you want to drop $70K on a living room with wheels. You’re buying this because you want a solid, dependable car that’s fuel efficient and maybe even a little fun.

That Brown Sugar Metallic paint job on the 2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco I’m testing definitely fits the solid and dependable image, but inside it surprises you and let’s you know that fun is also definitely on the list. It looks good. It looks really, really good in a way that you just wouldn’t expect from a car that comes in at $19,510.

2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco Interior

The cloth seats are monochromatic with multiple textures that look and feel good. There’s a dash of metallic trim, lots of piano-black accents, and a beautiful dash that wraps around creating a cockpit-like feel.

This all gave me high hopes for the fun-factor when I turned on the engine and I was not disappointed. It might get 30/42 city/highway for a combined 35 MPG but it drives with all the zip of something that’s happily guzzling gas. Yet it doesn’t. You’ll be cruising past the pump more often then you stop.

The 2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco is a surprise with both it’s beautiful interior and it’s fun-to-drive factor, even in Brown Sugar Metallic.

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.