TOYOTA COROLLA S

The Toyota Corolla subcompact sedan was introduced in 1966 and first entered the U.S. market two years later. Since then, more than 30 million of these cars have been sold, which marks Corolla as one of the best sellers in automotive history.

For model year 2009, Corolla gets it’s 10th makeover — completely restyled, re-engineered, and as always, done right.

Its wide, low profile was developed by Toyota Design in collaboration with styling studios in Turin, Italy. The intended outcome — which was achieved — was a sportier, more aerodynamic car, with increased rigidity (to reduce noise and vibration) and a more comfortable and roomier-feeling passenger cabin, without bloating the vehicle’s overall size. The new Corolla is less than a half-inch longer than the previous version, less than 2.5 inches wider, and about an inch lower in height. Its wheelbase remains the same at 102.3 inches.

There are five available models, all with front-wheel drive: Standard, S, LE, XLE and XRS. All but the XRS have a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 132 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque, and all but the LE and XLE offer a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. LE and XLE come only with the automatic.

The performance-oriented XRS has a 2.4-liter, 158-horsepower four-cylinder with 162 lb-ft of torque.

Corolla pricing starts at about $15,900 for the Standard model with manual transmission.

Corolla has seating for five adults, and rear-seat passengers aren’t horribly pinched.

There’s still room left over for a nice big trunk. To use the Larry Lark Stupid Standard of Measurement, it can accommodate four golf bags.

Standard features on the base model include air conditioning, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, intermittent windshield wipers, power steering, power mirrors, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, 60/40 split folding rear seat, and a four-speaker, satellite-prepped stereo system with CD player.

My tester, an S model with automatic transmission, adds vehicle stability control with traction control (there’s a cut-off switch), fog lamps, chrome exhaust tip, six-speaker sound system, front and rear spoilers, and sport-style front seats, tires and wheels.

The tester was optioned with a JBL sound system with all the current technology trappings, a power moonroof, and a Sport Package that delivered power windows, remote keyless entry and more.

The 2009 Corolla expands on what has been praiseworthy about the car for a long time: a carefully crafted, high-quality small sedan at a reasonable price and with good fuel economy.

The inside of my test car looked painstakingly put together — no glaringly cheap materials or disconcerting gaps where pieces are supposed to come together. I did wish for some stowage space between the seats, but it’s one of the sacrifices on the more economical trim levels.

Interior noise is subdued for a car in this class, and the ride remarkably civilized. The S’s seats are way above average in comfort, and the fabric upholstery’s quality is up there with them.

The engine did a fine job, but struggled on steep hills — standard procedure for a four-cylinder, and not hard to tolerate when fuel efficiency is 27 mpg city and 35 highway. Nothing but praise for the automatic transmission, which handled those steep hills with complete cool, never running back and forth trying to get into the right gear.