2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco vs. 2014 Honda Civic 4 Door EX-L with navi

This week:Toyota Corolla LE Eco

Price: $19,510 as tested. (No options. Includes destination.)

Conventional wisdom: Edmunds.com likes the roomy rear seat; comfortable ride; simple controls; extra fuel-efficient LE Eco model, but not the modest horsepower and acceleration; usefulness of available Entune system

Marketers pitch: We turned up everything.

Reality: There was a lot of up available to turn over previous models, and Toyota does seem to have turned some of it.

New generation:Toyota gave the bread-and-butter Corolla a redesign for the 2014 model year, but most people are going to have to squint hard to see the changes. My notes include the line, It says its new for 2014, but really? Whats new?

It retains the same basic overall look and still pretty much acts like a Corolla. But it has grown by almost four inches in length and gotten a hair shorter.

Eco:One new feature of the 2014 model is the new Eco line, which promises 42 mpg on the highway. It features a 140-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder, which is actually eight more horses than the standard model. I averaged 34 mpg, not as advertised, but on the high side for small cars under my testing. Your mileage may vary.

CVT:This modern alternative to the automatic transmission joins the Corolla lineup as well (on every trim level except the basic L). Its a nice step up from the old four-speed automatic, which in the 2013 model kind of made me want to pull my flip phone out of the pocket of my flannel shirt, call the local record store, and ask them if my Nirvana cassette had arrived yet.

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Scott Sturgis' Driver's Seat: Toyota Corolla LE Eco up to speed