The 2016 Corolla maintains one engine option for all trims that sports Toyota’s notorious reliability. The LE ECO trim gets a bump in horsepower and is capable of 40 miles per gallon on the highway, making it the obvious choice for shoppers looking for a used long-term vehicle.
Key Points
- Across the five available trim levels, the 2016 Toyota Corolla offers only a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine option.
- The 2016 Toyota Corolla has only one active recall for an airbag issue. There are no active recalls regarding engine issues. Furthermore, only nine owners have filed NHTSA complaints about the engine since new.
- All available trim levels have a combined EPA fuel economy rating of at least 30 mpg. However, the LE ECO trim is the most fuel-efficient, with a combined rating of 34 mpg and the highway rating soaring to 40 mpg.
- Ultimately, the 2016 Toyota Corolla maintains the model’s history in providing an affordable and trustworthy car with an engine that will not leave you stranded on the side of the road whether you’re driving across town or across the country.
Standard Corolla Engine Sports 132 Horsepower, which is Plenty for Everyday Driving, but it’s Certainly no Speed Demon
Obviously, those in the market for a Toyota Corolla generally don’t offer much concern for performance figures. However, most modern vehicles have a bit of punch to them to ensure that drivers can safely get up to speed and keep up with traffic flow. The 2016 Toyota Corolla is no exception.
The engine found in all trim levels except the LE Eco makes 132 horsepower and 128 lb.-ft. of torque. According to My Car Specs, this engine configuration gives the Corolla an acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour in around nine seconds. Though it is certainly not fast, it is plenty for the everyday driver.
Models with this engine configuration see EPA fuel economy ratings as high as 37 mpg highway when equipped with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) option.
However, even the enthusiast-loved six-speed manual variant gets a rating of 36 mpg highway. Finally, the standard-affair four-speed automatic transmission variant scores a 35 mpg highway rating.
LE Eco Trim Offers Better Fuel Economy and More Horsepower but Stays Around the Same Price Point as Fellow Trims
The engine found under the hood of the LE Eco trim level of the 2016 Toyota Corolla is nearly identical to the engine found in other trims. However, while the engine is built with many of the same components, it does differ in one field; compression.
The engine found in the LE Eco trim has a compression ratio of 10.6 to one, while the other trims have a compression ratio of 10 to one. This additional compression in the combustion chamber not only gives this engine more power but makes it use fuel more efficiently.
Though it still isn’t a power monster, it does see an increase to 140 horsepower. The torque, however, drops to 126 lb.-ft. This bump in power decreases the zero to 60 sprint to 8.7 seconds.
The LE Eco trim has EPA fuel economy ratings of 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, giving it a combined rating of 34 mpg overall.
Additionally, the LE Eco trim is the only trim level that meets California’s LEV3 emissions regulations, which are a fair bit more stringent and restrictive than the standard ULEV-II regulations met by all other trim levels of the 2016 Toyota Corolla.
After Five Years on the Road, Few 2016 Corolla Owners Report any Engine Problems, with Only Infrequent Electrical and Transmission Issues Mentioned
According to the NHTSA, the 2016 Toyota Corolla has only one active recall, and it is not pertinent to the engine. Furthermore, throughout the five years, 2016 model year Corollas have been on the road, only nine owners have filed official NHTSA complaints with the engine as the topic.
The earliest NHTSA complaints under the engine category outline electrical failures due to rodents eating away at the wiring harness. Further complaints outline the car bucking and slowing down with multiple lights, including the check engine light, illuminating on the dash.
However, the issues are intermittent and sometimes go away when the car is restarted. Ultimately, this also points to an electrical failure.
Additionally, multiple complaints in the engine category are regarding hard shifting, which qualifies as a transmission issue, not the engine itself.
Out of the nine overall complaints, only one truly highlights an engine failure. A Puerto Rico-based 2016 Toyota Corolla owner indicates that their car overheated in traffic with only 3,200 miles on the vehicle.
2016 Toyota Corolla is a Reliable Compact Car that Offers Outstanding Fuel Economy without Breaking the Bank
With all trim levels of the 2016 Toyota Corolla carrying a used price tag of around $15,000, it’s hard to recommend looking elsewhere for an affordable and trustworthy sedan that will make your stops at the pump few and far between.
The bonus power and fuel economy of the LE ECO trim genuinely make it the most appealing. However, given the reliability and fuel economy across all models, used car shoppers can’t miss when purchasing a 2016 Corolla of any trim level.
Photos: Toyota
