Toyota Corolla

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Let's find out what SUVs, passenger and performance cars still have a manual transmission.

There have been lots of professional car reviews of the Corolla, and not surprisingly, what they say is generally what I’ve experienced. Utterly reliable, affordable to run and delivers middle of the road motoring. Or as the Dog and Lemon Guide put it, the Corolla is ‘a moderately stylish consumer appliance’. As background, after selling my Mazda MX-5 (NC) due to a lack of off-street parking (a canvas top and dark paint didn’t mix well with Australian heat and drivers), I needed a reliable compact hatch to get out of the city. Below are a few things that I think are worth sharing from my ownership experience.   The handling is somewhat of a surprise with the steering being quite sharp and having decent turn in feel. At speed on open roads the car feels quite stable for a light hatchback. As noted in professional reviews, the torsion beam rear suspension holds on well enough but does get a little skittish when you’re really pushing it over poor surfaces. On dirt roads the car is a little more stable than I expected, over proper corrugations the rear end can be somewhat floaty. This isn’t a significant criticism as I’m sure the Toyota engineers didn’t imagine their little hatchback being regularly used on dirt roads in far western NSW. Speaking of driving in remote areas, the Levin SX and ZR have a space saver tyre unlike the lower grades which are equiped with a full-sized spare tyre. The reasoning for this certainly isn’t space as a full sized 17 inch wheel and tyre can fit comfortably in the tyre well… The engine sounds like a vacuum. It is totally adequate and not much more. Over my ownership it returned 7.4l/100km with a 50 / 50 split of rural and city driving. That figure was achieved with roofracks always fitted and when heading to rural areas a bike was normally on-top. Without the added wind resistance of the bike and roof racks you’d likely be seeing fuel use in mid sixes. The manual gearbox is fine enough with a slightly high clutch take up point. It is generally a practical car that is well suited to two adults with an occasional friend or two coming along for a trip. Legroom for two people six foot and over sitting one behind the other is fine for city trips, anything longer and complaints arise. Compared to other cars in the class the boot is a little on the small size but you can easily drop the rear seats for extra space. I’ve personally found the ride and noise levels are a little harsher than expected. I assume this is due to the combination of the larger wheels of the ZR and less permeable surfaces within the interior (the ‘leather’ seats and glass roof). Closing the blind over the glass roof does help to reduce interior noise levels. Driving a rental spec Corolla of the same vintage with smaller wheels, cloth seats and no glass roof was a quieter experience. The Levin ZR grade has quite a few bits of helpful technology over the lower models, particularly the key-less entry and start function along with the auto headlights and auto high beam. Other equipment such as the heated seats and auto climate control are nice to have, but personally these are not worth the price difference when sold new. Now used, the minimal price difference makes this model preferable over the more popular Accent Sport. If you can find a Levin ZR that is a thousand or so more, buy it.   Running costs have been excellent, and were one of the key reasons for purchasing a Corolla. Over my period of ownership the standing costs of the car have totalled $44.32 per week. I’ve considered standing costs being registration, insurance, servicing, tyres, road side assistance and any other minor repairs. Insurance was reasonable even when factoring on-street parking, servicing at Toyota dealers averaged well under $300 per visit and replacing the gear knob that had worn out from the wreckers was very cheap. Overall, I’d say that a Corolla of this era isn’t going to excite you but I have found it to be totally dependable, comfortable and economic to own all while being moderately stylish.

We bought this awful green colour RV 1993 model from Brian Hilton Toyota Gosford in February 1994, ex demo car with 3000 kms on the clock at the time. It was first registered on 30th December 1993 - to boost sales figures for the month maybe? They certainly were not cheap a cheap car when new - $28k and this was not the top of the range 'Ultima' model. Just look at the value packed models you get today for a lot less money. It was sold to me as 'sporty' (not), I was trading in a Corolla GTI for this? The car has now done almost 390,000 trouble free kms. It has been very reliable, apart from regular servicing (the oil has been changed every 5000 kms since new), the only items that have failed have been split CV boots about 15 years ago, the radiator 6 years ago, the hi-power Fujitsu radio/cassette player 3 years ago and water pump 2 years ago. The aircon still works ok and we still have the original exhaust (stainless steel), no rust. The twin cam 1.8 litre efi 4 spd auto has been powerful enough. Quite smart off the line, nothing startling, fuel economy average at about 400 kms per tank, worse around town, much better on a run. The ride & handling were never impressive, too soft and rolls a lot in corners. Technology? none I can think of, no ABS, airbags, electric windows, cruise control etc. Does have central locking and bluetooth with the new radio. A practical car for 2 adults & 2 children, used as mums taxi. Kids learnt to drive in it over the years. It easily sits at 110-120 kmh on the freeway and has started to get appreciative looks- due to age and condition. The threat for for years has been when it goes wrong, we will get rid of it! The problem is it just keeps going and any repairs have been reasonably priced, So Toyota, how do you expect to sell new cars when you make your older models as reliable as this?

I hired a Toyota Corolla GX Hybrid in New Zealand for 8 days. This car is the same spec as an Australian delivered Ascent Sport Hybrid with the addition of standard Sat Nav and DAB. I drove this car all over the south island of NZ and did nearly 2700 km in total. I enjoy researching new cars and I specifically chose this make and model to hire as I wanted to try out the new hybrid powertrain and advanced technology this model offers. Also as fuel in NZ is around $2.25 per litre it seemed like a logical choice with the promised saving in fuel usage. It was raining and nearly midnight when I picked the car up at Christchurch airport. My initial impressions were of how quiet the car was and how you could hardly tell if the engine was running or not. I will set out below my impressions on the various aspects of the Hybrid Corolla and what I liked and didn't like about it. Packaging, design and interior etc: I like the exterior and interior design of this latest Corolla. It's quite a sharp looking car with the angular headlights and snazzy LED lighting front and rear. I quite like the large tablet infotainment screen and it didn't block my view of the road at all. The front seats were very supportive and comfortable. After driving for hours each day I never got cramped legs or a sore back. The seat and steering wheel is quite adjustable but I would have liked the steering wheel to go a bit higher. The seating position is a bit sporty in a way as you feel like the car is pretty low to the ground. The controls and dials all felt very well made and the instruments were easy to read. This car only has the 4.2 inch digital display in the dash but works well and I really liked the large digital speedo. I never actually used the analogue speedo unless the digital speedo disappeared while the car was showing me directions or some other information. One thing I did find annoying was when the fuel was getting low and there was about 100 kms of range left there was a message on the 4.2 inch display advising you of this dire emergency and it wouldn't let you override it until you refuelled. Hence no digital speedo or other navigation info until you gave the car a much needed drink! Safety and technology etc: This is the most modern car I've driven in years and it's amazing how far even mainstream cars have come with driving aids, safety and technology. I must admit after living with the Corolla for 8 days I wouldn't now buy a new car without all the features this car has as standard. The adaptive cruise control was really useful on highways and in suburban traffic situations. It was quite accurate in these urban settings and would bring the car to a complete stop before taking off again after pressing the resume button on the steering wheel. It was less effective on winding country roads though. I found it would let the car in front getaway to far and then it would speed up to fast around bends to try and catch up. It's probably not designed for twisty roads anyway. The lane trace assist was quite handy on long stretches of country highways and freeways. It will gently nudge the steering wheel to guide the car so it stays within the lines. Being the noob that I am, I actually thought there was something wrong with the wheel alignment when I first drove the car with the lane keep feature on. I was like, why the fudge is the steering wheel tugging like this?! Thankfully, once I played with the myriad menus in the dash I soon figured it out! The speed sign recognition also worked very well and would always tell me what the posted speed limit is. Only once or twice was it fooled by reading a side street or off ramp instead of the correct speed sign. Pretty impressive really. The bluetooth paired quite quickly to my Android phone. The infotainment system is quite good with a large 8 inch screen and a lot of real shortcut buttons and a real volume knob unlike some other modern cars. Only glaring omission is the lack of Android Auto or Apple Carplay but they are coming soon to our market apparently. The adaptive high beam lights at night worked a treat too. However there wasn't really much difference in brightness with the high beams on. This model didn't have fog lights but they might have come in handy on the dark and foggy roads in NZ. Drivetrain and handling etc: I must admit I wasn't expecting much from this car seeing as it only has 90 kw on offer and is designed for economy and not performance. With this in mind I was pleasantly surprised by how peppy this car is to drive, especially around town. It's quite quick off the mark from a standstill and generally has a darty feel to how it drives. It's definitely no sports car but it has enough power for city and suburban driving. I left the car in ECO mode for 90 percent of my trip in order to save fuel. When I did try the power mode it didn't make any difference while driving at speed on the highway and only seemed to give more instant accelerator response around town from a standstill. I tried the EV mode around town as well. It became a bit of a game to see how long I could get the car to run on electric power only before the engine cut back in. While running in ECO mode the transition from electric to engine power was seamless and only the little icon in the dash and the tacho needle dropping to zero would let me know the engine had cut out. I quite liked selecting B on the transmission for extra engine braking while driving on the many steep and winding mountain roads NZ has. This also recharges the battery faster to allow for more EV driving later. Being a CVT auto I wasn't expecting much in the way of refinement but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this transmission was. I really only noticed excessive droning from the car during hard acceleration for overtaking maneuvers. The car is quieter and more refined than the 2014 Corolla we had as a work car. It handles very well and stays pretty flat in the corners, yet the ride remains very supple and comfortable. The only real gripe was the amount of road noise from coarse chip road surfaces. Perhaps it's the tyres or maybe the car needs a bit more sound insulation. It never became too loud but it was noticeable. Fuel economy: Perhaps this part is the whole point of this review. Would you really ever buy a hybrid car if you didn't want good fuel economy? I averaged 4.8 litres per 100 km while I had this car. As stated earlier, I did nearly 2700 km in total over 8 days. About a third was city and urban driving and two thirds was country highways and mountain roads. I left the car in ECO mode for most of the time and only dabbled with the power mode and pure EV modes in town. I didn't always go easy on the accelerator either. I enjoyed putting my foot down and getting all I could out the excellent chassis on some of the lovely twisty roads NZ has to offer. While at other times I was happy to cruise along at 100 kmh with the adaptive cruise and lane keeping aids set. I was very surprised by the excellent fuel economy. I think it's worth it over the regular atmo engine for an extra $1500 considering the higher resale you would also enjoy. I would like to drive the 2.0 litre petrol to see if it's any more enjoyable to drive but I've read reviews that indicate it gets around 8 litres per 100 km in the real world for fuel use. So if you're after fuel economy then the hybrid is no brainer. I was sad to hand the car back as I'd come to enjoy it's mix of technology, darty handling, driving aids, good looks and fuel economy. Would I consider buying one? Definitely. My perfect Corolla would be a ZR Hybrid with all the fruit and those gorgeous 18 inch alloy wheels. However, I'd probably wait for the sedan version as it might be more practical with the boot and rear seat space. Improvements for a future model? How about giving us poor Aussies the 2.0 litre hybrid on offer in Europe with it's better performance. Plus the estate / wagon version sold in Europe would be a real winner here. The Australian spec car also needs parking sensors and park assist that is available in European spec cars. Also rain sensing wipers. A glaring omission considering how high tech this car is. Plus the lighter coloured interior trim offered in the US and Europe looks a lot nicer than the drab black that we get here. Only other thing I'd want is the option of a sunroof in the ZR model. Otherwise, I think this car is almost perfect. The Corolla is a car that you usually buy with your head for the solid reputation for reliability and resale value, but now with the latest Corolla can you also buy one with your heart as well as your head? Maybe I can have my cake and eat it!

Not everyone wants to have everything done for them, some people would prefer to add every last ingredient to their spaghetti bolognese, others prefer to buy a tin of Campbells. Me however, I am the former, which is why I still own my first car which I bought 9 years ago for $800. It's my 1980 Toyota Corolla 4 door sedan, with the big block 1.3litre, 45kw trouble making 4 cylinder. Well it had 45kw when it was new, it might have 30 or so now, it certainly feels like it! Why did I buy this car you ask? Simple, it works! The day I picked it up from a student in Frankston was the day I first drove home with a cloud of smoke behind me. The poor little thing was in such need of a service and a good tune up, but I could tell under those arthritic bones was a heart of gold, it just wanted to run. The exterior was nicely weathered and I think it had the best colour ever, mustard! Hence why I named him Mustard Man. The Interior is back to basics, wind up windows, a poor quality stereo, cloth seats, a basic heater with a noisy fan, it even has a choke cable. It is a car where you don't have much to do to make yourself comfortable, but what there is to do is all done by you, so it's more involving in that way. The way Mustard Man drives is exactly what you'd expect from a car with 175 section tyres, very entertaining, especially when it's wet! When it was dry however, due to the fact that with me in it the car only weighs 950 kilograms, it actually went around corners very well, which is partly helped by the fact that it's also rear wheel drive. The 4 speed manual gearbox shifts amazingly smooth for a car of this type, I've often found myself completely forgetting it's a manual as I drive from a to b because it slips into gear so easily that I barely register that i'm the one doing that myself. Maintenance? I don't know what that is, do Corolla's need that? The only major things I've had to replace in the last 70,000kms of mostly abusive driving are the front wheel bearings and the front brakes, otherwise it's basic services the entire time. There's a reason Toyota gained such a reputation for a reliability, it's because they made cars like this. What's in store for Mustard Man's future? Well thanks to an ever growing classic car culture, there are a vast number of quality parts and upgrades I could do to make things better or more fun or look cooler than what it currently is. So I think that's what I'll be doing, modifying and enhancing my proper little drivers car. People shouldn't be scared to own a classic car, if you buy right you can often score yourself something that is far more entertaining than a modern car with it's apple car play etc. And, unlike a newer car, older cars can and have proven to actually make you money once you sell them, rather than cost you money. And on that note, no, Mustard is not for sale!