LOVE ME FOR WHAT I AM

There’s a certain nobility in accepting your place in the food chain and making sure you’re the best you can be at that strata.

Such is the position of the 2020 Toyota Corolla. This is the 12th generation of the frumpy but economical entry-level sedan from a brand that traffics in reliability. Enough folks prefer such predictable A-to-B transport that the Corolla is the best-selling car in the world.

But change has been due. The Corolla’s last major redesign hit the streets in fall 2013. Pretty much every other compact car has turned over in the interim, each with impressive qualifications to be a young driver’s first new car.

Reputation allowed the Corolla to get away with bland styling and limp dynamics. It was shinier than buying used