Wheels: The 2014 Toyota Corolla Is Bigger, Braver and Brighter

Toyota Motor Corporation The all-new 2014 Toyota Corolla. 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — After a wild night filled with bungee cord-suspended gymnasts, women dancing sideways on a wall of aluminum foil and a floating clear-bottomed pool with Argentinian nymphs sliding and squishing inches over the heads of a puzzled, crowd, Toyota on Thursday unveiled its all-new 11th-generation Corolla, the latest iteration of its ubiquitous economical compact.

The car was nice, too — perhaps the debut of a more-courageous, youth-oriented, more-confident Toyota. Fully cognizant that the company had been falling behind its competitors in the affordable-car design wars, Toyota seemed determined to sharpen its image from that of a provider of reliable, affordable and sometimes forgettable machines.

Toyota Motor Corporation No leather trim will be available in the 2014 Toyota Corolla’s interior.

The 2014 Corolla gains about 4 inches in wheelbase, less than an inch in width and has a more-tapered aspect, with the front and rear sections stretched for a more elegant sweep of line and a more aerodynamic shape. The new lines work together well, with the car’s shoulder, trunk and roof lines coming together in a sculptured C-pillar (behind the rear windows) that evokes hints of the Lexus IS250, with just a touch of Camaro. LED low-beam headlights are standard on all models. The LEDs save energy and allow a lower, more tapered front corner for lighter weight, sleeker looks and more-slippery aerodynamics.

The car’s underpinnings are all new, with the wheels pushed farther into its corners for increased interior room, as well as a more athletic stance on the road. More high-strength steel should improve handling and safety performance by creating a stiffer structure, and additional sound-proofing materials in the cowl, dash and fenders will make it easier to hear the Bluetooth Entune sound system.

A new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVTi-S in Toyota-speak), adds a note of fresh technology to the design. Available in all but the lowest base model, the CVTi-S has been programmed with seven discrete virtual shift points, giving the impression of a conventional 7-speed automatic, but with better fuel efficiency. The CVTi-S is a cornerstone of a new-for-2014 LE Eco model, which also features a new 1.8-liter, 140-horsepower engine with Valvematic, a technology that more closely controls intake valve lift and timing. Non-CVTi-S models will offer a choice between a 6-speed manual transmission or the current, conventional 4-speed automatic.

Toyota Motor Corporation The new Corolla features LED lighting.

The LE Eco is designed to receive a 40-mile-per-gallon E.P.A. highway rating, though the actual E.P.A. testing has not yet been completed. Other Toyota models, the L, LE and S, will be powered by the existing 1.8-liter engine, with its current 132 horsepower output.

Inside, the Corolla has been stretched, padded and pulled upscale, with the rear hip point moved back almost three inches. The changes offer improved rear leg room and a flatter rear floor because of rerouting of the exhaust system. Interior trim is tastefully utilitarian, with gloss-black and metallic panels as well as blue, black or amber pinstripe accents. There will be no animals harmed in the Corolla interior: fabric choices are cloth and SofTex, a pleatherlike substance.

With nearly 40 million Corollas sold since the car’s debut in the ’60s, the Corolla is as much a social movement and a vital part of the American carscape as it is a mere automobile. If the past is any guide, we can be reasonably certain that there will soon be hundreds, thousands and then millions of these 11th-generation Corollas everywhere we drive. And because of Toyota’s newly emboldened designers, they could be far less forgettable than the many, many Corollas that have come before.

Toyota Motor Corporation The new Corolla’s rear quarter may display a hint of Lexus.