Fourth Generation (1979-1983)
With a new chassis, the 1979 Corolla was a more sophisticated and satisfying car than any Corolla before it. But before this generation was through, it would get better still.
The 1979 Corolla finally dispensed with the rugged but primitive leaf spring rear suspension in favor of a more compliant coil spring system (the station wagon continued to use the leaves). The new unibody above that suspension was larger (the wheelbase was now 94.5 inches), stronger and more attractive in a boxy, clean-cut sort of way. A new 75-horsepower, 1.8-liter version of the OHV four powered the new Corolla with four- and five-speed manual and three-speed automatic transmissions available.
Particularly attractive during this generation was the SR5 in Sport Coupe, Hatchback and Liftback semiwagon configurations. With their effective use of detailing, they looked more expensive than they actually were.
While the 1980 and 1981 Corolla lines carried over from 1979 intact, in 1982 the automatic transmission was upgraded to a four-speed unit — a rare level of sophistication for an economy car of the era.
The big Corolla news for 1983 was a new 1.6-liter overhead cam engine that was both smoother and more powerful than the previous 1.8. But it was only a hint of what was to come next.