Ironically, in photographs the new Corolla looks bigger than it does in real life and could easily be mistaken for a Camry or even a Lexus. It has similar ovoid headlights and a rakish yet curved shape that is in keeping with the newest Camry and Avalon as well as the Lexus ES 300.

Fairly thick A-pillars at the front and C-pillars at the rear give the car a solid look. Likewise, the Corolla has fairly hefty looking bumpers, which add to the car's substantial appearance. Although the new Corolla has 15-inch wheels (compared to 14-inch wheels on the previous Corolla), it could do with larger wheels and tires that would fill out the wheels wells more effectively. The Matrix comes with 16-inch wheels as standard and 17-inch as optional so it seems like it would be an easy upgrade that would improve the car's looks.

At the rear the Corolla has a fairly high trunk line in keeping with the car's high belt line. The rear taillights match the shape of the headlights nicely. Part of the taillight module is actually mounted in the trunk lid. This is fine except that the design causes the trunk lid to be narrower than it might be.

The doors have reasonably wide openings, which makes getting in and out easier. That's a benefit of the long wheelbase, which also means that the rear wheel wells do not protrude into the rear door as much as they do on some cars. Another benefit of a longer wheelbase is shorter overhangs at the front and rear (the distance from the wheels to the ends of the car). Short overhangs improve the car's looks, and the handling.

The S model has additional body-color moldings that set it apart as the sporty model. These include a lower front spoiler with integrated fog lights, side rocker panels and a rear under skirt.