I gave the Corolla a 3 minute look in the showroom last year lol. Left because it was tiny, I couldn't sit behind myself which meant my kids would have no legroom behind me in their car seats. The extra 4" will definitely help.
...seriously? Source - Edmunds.com
Corolla: 36.3 in. (2014 will be 41.4 in.)
Civic: 36.2 in.
Mazda 3: 36.2 in.
Sentra: 37.4 in.
Jetta: 38.1 in.
Cruze: 35.4 in.
Elantra (sedan): 33.1 in.
I guess you should return your Mazda 3 then if the rear seat legroom itself was enough to send you out of the showroom.
...or better yet, buy a mid-size. You can't bash a car for being small when it's class is called COMPACT and its dimensions are average (and now above) for its class.
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As for the 2014, I think they really hit the nail with styling, but I do think the dimensions are being pushed a wee bit too far...if I find the Corolla too big, then the Yaris is my next best option. Yikes. My parents' garage has about 3in. of clearance with the Corolla properly tucked - I'm not sure this new one would fit.
I'd be interested to drive the new Corolla CVT - but shame they don't have the eco engine set up across the board. I wonder how much more it actually costs them - especially compared to the cost of having separate assembly lines.