Allow me to get the Bad and the Ugly out of the way before we get to the Good of the 2026 Toyota Corolla:

The backseats can get a little ‘precious’, especially on trims with the hatchback, even if you do stick to your diet of mostly veggies and proteins.

And to call this year’s Corolla ‘exciting’, especially its interior or acceleration, would be slightly inaccurate IMHO.

But at a starting price of around $23K US and mileage in the city of at least 30 mpg, if you are trying to buy new (which I always encourage when possible), the 2026 Corolla (sedan or hatchback) should be on your short list.

The Corolla has been around well before I had jet black hair and thought I was bisexual – and well before Irene Cara dominated the pop charts with hits like Fame and Flashdance.

It has always been popular with groovy, struggling types like me who needed an affordable car to get them to the grocery store and to mom and dad’s house for a good, solid dinner of Mexican American food – and to do laundry.

True, it has lost a lot of its luster over the generations.

Yes, the backseats have always been a bit snug and, yes, we have gotten larger as Americans.  Whereas in the 20^thCentury, we could easily climb into the backseat with the ease of someone acing the Presidential Fitness Test, nowadays we all struggle just to tighten the lids on our water bottles (hey, I call it ‘good living’).

Standard features are a tad minimal, to include automatic climate control, push-button start and Apple CarPlay / Android Auto.  But you also get Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, an excellent package of safety features that includes great stuff like pedestrian detection, lane-tracing assist, road sign assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

I tested the Corolla in Dallas, one of my favorite cities in Texas and one that has so much more than just the JFK Book Depository and the JR Ewing Ranch (if you are a foodie, wow, are you in for a nonstop treat).

To drive in Texas, you have to be alert constantly and keep your screens updated, but truly with this year’s Corolla, maneuvering in traffic is a (sugar) snap! (peas) (yes, I went there, sorry).

The gasoline-only version gets as much as 34 highway / 40 city for mileage and these days, that is impressive. For hybrid Corollas, you can get a combined mpg of up to 50. Front-Wheel Drive is your only option on petrol-only Corollas, but on hybrids, All-Wheel Drive is available on higher-end trims.

Based on what I know (and I just assume I know a lot), most LGTB2SQIA+++ types live in urban areas where parking is at a premium and our living spaces, by the square foot, ain’t cheap.  While the thought of having a nice big SUV or truck is, well, nice, it’s not practical.

Having a nice, simple, reliable, affordable car to help us get through our fabulous lives on a daily basis is imperative.

The Toyota Corolla has been there ever since Jimmy Carter and Earth Wind and Fire were topping the charts (actually, a bit longer) – and there is good reason for that. 

Reliability and familiarity are so important to longevity. Good taste and the promise of a better tomorrow have a lot to do with it as well.

But don’t take just my word for it.  Test drive the 2026 Corolla.  I always encourage everyone to test drive a car before you buy it to see how you like it. See how it feels.  Make sure it’s what you want before they get the security code to your credit card.

I don’t care how easy it is, I would like to strongly discourage you from ordering a car online.  This isn’t like ordering a pizza.  If the pizza is crap, you can throw it out and start over.  But if the car is crap, you are stuck, no matter what the seller promises.

Make sure you know what you are buying.  Get in, make sure it all fits, know what it is before you say, ‘I Do’.

And above all else, be sure to talk to your partner (or your parents if they will be part of the transaction) first.  Honesty is always the best policy.

Especially when Benjamins are involved.