Light and lively

stormers to sample. On the other hand, the general run of models is not

intended to be all that nerve-tingling. The Toyota Corolla tends to

suffer from this comparison. Some reports suggest that it is a car which

does no one thing outstandingly well. This is not correct. It sells like

gangbusters.

Although the present seventh-generation Corollas are totally unlike

the first examples of 1966, more than 20 million have been sold overall.

Corollas have been Japan's most popular home-market car since 1970, and

the best-selling Japanese car in Europe since 1988. Excitement is all

very well, but bulk sales make the profits.

I recently covered 3000 miles in two different Corollas. The first was

a 1.3 XLi five-door hatchback at #9799, a fairly sparsely fitted-out car

which shows that the days of bargain-basement prices from Japanese

manufacturers here are long gone.

Early Corollas were cramped, but the latest five-door has a genuinely

roomy bodyshell, especially for a 1300. Although the 1.3-litre engine

feels and sounds harder pressed than the 1.6 in the same body, it runs

very smoothly indeed.

All Corolla petrol models now use 16-valve twin-cam engines with

computer control. The XLi has 87bhp to play with, enough for a 0-60mph

acceleration time of 11.5 seconds, a test-track maximum around 108mph,

and steady-speed fuel consumption figures of 53mpg at 56mph and 40 at

75.

One-up, the suspension felt quite bouncy on some surfaces, but it

flattened out with more people aboard. Some observers criticise the

handling, but there is nothing wrong with it except that it is

unenthusiastic about tyre-bending cornering speeds which would not be on

the agenda for most owners.

The rear wiper has a curious double-bend blade, but it clears a wide

area of the glass. Inside the cabin, the fascia covering was darker and

smoother than in many Japanese cars, while the tweed upholstery and door

trim were neatly done.

After absorbing the advice on how to avoid ''jackrabbit starts'' --

like many Japanese manufacturers, Toyota prints its English-language

handbooks essentially for ex-colonials -- I set off on a much longer

journey in a 1.8-litre three-door GXi.

This is a smarter performer, with a 118bhp engine, a sprint time to

60mph of 9.5 seconds, a top speed just short of l25mph, and consumption

figures of 45mpg at 56mph and 35 at 75. The fuel gauge for the 11-gallon

tank was noticeably pessimistic. I never had to put in more than a

whisper over eight gallons.

There were hardish seats in this car, and a much smaller boot. Still

light to drive, it was a more pleasant motorway car, though with

pronounced tyre roar on coarser-grained surfaces, and using firmer

suspension than the XLi. In this three-door body the rear cabin was fine

for headroom, less so around the knees. Boot space was much smaller.

Upholstery seemed a step up in quality, and the GXi has much more in

the way of electrically operated equipment. The height adjustment for

the headlights was handy, especially as I had made rather a porridge of

putting on the tape to change them for continental dipping.

These were two quite different Corollas, but both light, smooth and

lively enough to drive, as well as properly built and finished. Critics

may yawn about them elsewhere, but their appeal, in terms of reliability

and worldwide sales, simply cannot be contested.