New Toyota Corolla makes a style statement (pictures)

The Toyota Corolla has a long history in the US market. It is a bread-and-butter compact economy sedan for Toyota, but a five-year product cycle means updates come only twice a decade. This latest version brings some much-needed modernization to the old stalwart, with an emphasis on fuel economy.

The updated styling of the new Corolla echoes that shown on the Furia concept Toyota unveiled at the Detroit auto show.

The Corolla is only made in sedan format. Its suspension fits the economy car segment, using a torsion bar across the rear wheels.

The side windows look more angular than in previous generations.

The moonroof comes as part of a Convenience package, which also brings in the navigation system.

The LE Eco trim Corolla uses a different engine than the standard models, getting slightly better fuel economy. Likewise, the Eco model uses panels on the underbody to increase aerodynamic performance.

Rather than a curved dashboard, the Corolla presents the driver with a vertical plane, a styling cue reminiscent of cars from the 1960s.

Rear seat space is accentuated by a nearly flat floor, with little intrusion from the transmission tunnel.

Nice notes in the interior styling include a blue accent stripe at the beltline and white stitching in the fake leather.

Although the Corolla has electric power steering, Toyota has done an excellent job of tuning it for a natural feel.

The optional navigation system has a configurable home screen capable of showing navigation, phone, and audio.

Anyone familiar with recent Toyota navigation systems will recognize this destination entry menu screen.

Audio sources are shown as big menu blocks, easy to choose while driving.

Toyota's Entune system gives the Corolla useful connected features, such as Yelp, OpenTable, and Bing local search.

Other apps included in the head unit show sports scores, stock information, and fuel prices, that last being the most useful for drivers.