Touring Miami for Hispanic Heritage Month in a Toyota Corolla

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month w/Toyota

The 2020 #Corolla and myself in Wynwood, Florida. 📸 Dawn Gibson Thigpen

Is there a better way to see South Florida’s best sights?

I live in Miami. Latin culture is everywhere. So while we regularly enjoy ceviche and mojitos, it’s even better when you get to dive in with with experts who can show you what you’re missing.

And, when you get to hang out with one of your favorite car brands while doing so. This past week, I celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with Toyota by driving the all-new striking and very sporty 2020 Corolla around Miami. During our time, we visited several different locations and indulged in the Latin culture, including Little Havana, Wynwood, Hialeah, and North Beach. And it was a great time. As Latinos say, WEPA!!!!!

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Do you know Toyota makes one of the best racing engines? What’s one feature you decide for when purchasing a vehicle? I love the thrill of driving and for me a good engine is very important. Especially when you are trying to get from Miami to Jax with ease. Toyota Corolla 2020 has a 2.0L Dynamic Force Engine giving you high speed the moment you step on the gas. ‘Cause life on the fast lane is more exciting. #micorollamicultura #toyotapartner @toyotausa 🎥: @wellington_miami [Follow the other tagged influencers as they take you to places around Miami] • • • #miamifashionblogger #carblogger #carwriter #floridawriter #floridajournalist #letsgoplaces #mimodistrictmiami #miamistyle #nycblogger #toyotausa #miamiinfluencer

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I had a blast driving the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE. I fell in love as soon as I got behind the wheel. Let me tell you, I felt like one cool chica. It’s zippy, easy to drive, easy to park and filled with great features that will spoil you. And a town like Miami, where everything is fun and beautiful, this sporty little car fits right in.

The starting price on this baby is $23,100.00, a nice bang for your buck considering all that you get: a cabin that is comfortable all of the latest technology. Check out a few of the specs and features:

53 city mpg
Smart key system
8-in. touch-screen
7-in. color driver information display with multi-function option, so you can set up how you want
LED headlights and taillights
Hybrid power mode, so you can drive economically when you want, or not
TSS – Toyota Safety Sense driver-assist system, which includes pre-collision braking, pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beam headlights, road sign assist, lane trace assist (which helps you stay in your lane!) and adaptive cruise control

Related: Hispanic Heritage Month: Travel With Purpose

The 2020 #Corolla matched my outfit perfectly; here we are in Wynwood, FL.📸 Dawn Gibson Thigpen

Who Drives the Toyota Corolla?

It’s small, easy to drive and filled with great features, so it’s a good choice for most everyone. And, it was the perfect choice for this adventure. But the Corolla is also a major staple within the Hispanic Community. Check out a few impressive stats below…

49.8% of Corolla buyers are multicultural
More than 62% are Hispanic
Corolla has the highest share of first-time Hispanic buyers than any other car in this segment

With the Corolla lined up and ready to go, our first stop was Little Havana, where we drank “Cafecito” (coffee) and played Dominoes.

Related: Toyota Rav4: A Small SUV Big on Adventure

Interior of the 2020 Corolla.📸 Dawn Gibson Thigpen

You Can’t Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month Without These

Latin culture is known for music, food and drinks. These are some of the things we explored:

Cafecito: a warm cup of espresso, Cuban style- a nice cup of Cafecito is a must in the morning! It is a nice pick me up to get the day started.
Dominoes: we played this traditional game when we stopped for a cafe or a drink at the end of the day
Latin cuisine: the most flavorful food ever! It was fun to dig in to a Vegan Reuben, and to sample the Cuban staples at El Pub in Little Havana
Latin music & art: two of my favs – with- great tunes in the car we followed the scenic route to Wynwood where we found some great murals (like the one in the photo above)
Walter Mercado: ICONIC! The bathroom at Stephen’s Delicatessen is decorated with the face of legendary Walter Mercado a famous Spanish soap opera actor who later became the most famous astrologer and the Latin Community adores (and worships) him.

Cafecito. 📸Dawn Gibson Thigpen

Inside El pub Restaurant. 📸 Dawn Gibson Thigpen

Vegan Ruben. 📸 Dawn Gibson Thigpen

The bathroom at Stephens. 📸 Dawn Gibson Thigpen

Bottoms Up, Mi Gente!

The Broadmoor Miami Beach is located on North Beach and makes the most delicious and thirst-quenching drinks. The drink shown above is called, “something.tonic.lime.” It was a fitting toast to Hispanic Heritage Month with Toyota.

It was so much fun indulging in Latino culture. And if you haven’t visited these places, I highly recommend them! When you visit the Miami area, take the time to explore and create your own HHM memories. Miami is such a fun, colorful place filled with culture, good food, and people. You cannot go wrong.

Cheers!