A staple of Canadian life, Toyota’s Corolla is about as bread and butter as cars get… well, at least it is in base CE mode. When I slipped into my tester’s LE trimmed cabin, however, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.

The seats weren’t leather, an option now available on S and XRS models and strangely not with the LE, the most luxury-oriented model in the lineup, but the fabric quality was very nice. The dash featured some Lexus-like wood, although faux instead of the real deal. Nevertheless it gave the Corolla an upscale demeanor unlike so many other cars in this class, and its gloss finish is ideal for the Corolla buyer which would likely aspire to a Lexus ES 350 if money allowed.

Then again, a lot of Corolla buyers drive one by choice. I remember flying back from the previous 2005 Corolla launch program five years ago, and just happening to sit beside a successful clothing importer, Deborah. She was on her third Corolla over some twenty years. She made Lexus money (on her way to Hong Kong in Business Class no less), but there was no way that anyone was going to get between her and the most reliable, safe, easy-to-drive little car, the only new nameplate she’d ever owned. There is more to luxury than just top-tier features, quite obviously.

And to that end, the Corolla doesn’t disappoint. After all, S and LE models now come standard with stability control, probably the most important new safety feature since airbags. Base CE models can get stability control too, with the Enhanced Convenience Package. What’s more, the little Lexus wannabe can also be ordered with a Navigation Package on LE models, as well as a new moonroof.

Other than these updates, the Corolla is identical to last year’s car which was totally redesigned for model year 2009. Not a bad thing, as it looks like a mini-Camry, and the Camry is easily the most attractive of its progenitors. My LE model came with the Corolla’s most fuel-efficient powerplant, a 1.8-litre four-cylinder that’s good for 132hp at 6,000 rpm and 128 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, and more importantly 7.5L/100km in the city and 5.6 on the highway with the standard five-speed manual, making it one of the most fuel efficient non-hybrid four-door sedans available. A four-speed automatic is also available, and actually the only transmission offered with my tester’s LE trim level.

A larger more energetic 2.4-litre four is also available, with a five-speed manual or a five-speed auto, but only in the sporty XRS model. It makes 158hp at 6,000 rpm and 162 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, and will cost you a bit more at the pump with a 9.5L/100km city and 6.7L/100km highway rating if driven with fuel economy in mind. Regular fuel is all that’s needed too, normal for this class but nevertheless a cost saver worth mentioning.

The $20,965 LE comes pretty loaded off the rack, with such features as the woodgrain trim I mentioned earlier, power locks with keyless entry, power windows, cruise control, air conditioning, variable intermittent wipers, 16-inch alloy wheels on 205/55R16 all-season rubber replacing the 15-inch steel wheels with covers on 195/65R15 all-season tires, fog lamps, a tire pressure monitoring system, a six-speaker audio upgrade, and cool looking Optitron primary gauges. Exclusive to the LE, that keyless entry system gets a proximity sensing remote plus pushbutton start/stop, while the car also gets premium-like automatic climate control. And by the way, all of these features are added on top of the $15,260 base CE model’s heated power mirrors, tilt and telescopic steering column, fabric bucket seats, 60/40 folding rear seat, four-speaker CD/MP3 audio system with auxiliary input jack, and more.

Incidentally, two sport-oriented models are also available, one for show the other adding the go. The $20,085 S doesn’t come with all of the equipment an LE does, such as the standard automatic transmission, but adds a lower front valance, side skirts and a deeper, more aggressive rear valance, plus black headlamp surrounds, cloth sport seats, stainless steel scuff plates, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with ancillary audio controls. The go-fast $22,350 XRS upgrades the engine to 2.4 litres, as mentioned, plus 17-inch rims wrapped in 215/45R17 all-season shoes add more grip, four-wheel discs give better braking power and sport bucket seats wrap around the backside to better hold driver and front passenger in place during aggressive maneuvers. A power moonroof is also part of the XRS package, as are nicer looking metal dash trim pieces.

While the XRS is an impressive upgrade, most Corolla buyers opt for the LE’s comfort-oriented trim level. Just the same, the Corolla is a well set-up car with good road manners for the compact class. It hasn’t been designed to go head to head with a Mazda3 or Mitsubishi Lancer from a handling perspective, but you’ll probably be delighted in how well it takes to the corners, and it’s more comfortable to live with than the two cars mentioned, delivering a more comfortable ride.

From a practical perspective, the Corolla is nice and roomy front and back. Its trunk is pretty good too, at 348 litres (12.3 cu ft), which is par for the course in this class.

On the safety front the Corolla offers standard front, side-thorax and side-curtain airbags, making it amongst the safest in a segment that normally charges more for side-curtain airbags, if offered at all. Anti-lock brakes are also standard, also unusual. And traction control, which was standard on all but the base CE model last year, continues forward with the aforementioned stability control, also standard on all models above base.

Toyota warrants the entire Corolla for three years or 60,000 km, whichever comes first, and the powertrain for five years or 100,000 km. Yes, it’s not the longest warranty in the industry, but from experience I’ll tell you that I’d rather have a Corolla off warranty than a lot of other cars with two years of full bumper-to-bumper coverage left. Obviously entry-level consumers feel the same too, being that it’s certainly not an issue when it comes time to buy. Since its introduction in 1966 the Corolla has found its way into 33 million homes, making it one of the most popular cars ever built.

And where it’s built is another reason to buy a Corolla. That is if supporting our economy matters to you. It should, as it indirectly supports us all when Canadians are working, even if you don’t live anywhere near Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario assembly plant.

All in all, the Corolla is an easy choice in the compact segment if you’re looking for good, reliable, safe transportation that is also good looking and fully featured. Resale values are high, and entry prices reasonable. Need I say more?