2009 Toyota Corolla Seca Review & Road Test
March 20, 2009 by Matt Brogan
2009 Toyota Corolla Seca Ascent Review & Road Test
The Corolla Ascent proves what they say about assumptions
Model Tested:
- 2009 Toyota ZRE152R Corolla Seca Ascent, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, six-speed manual, hatch – $21,490 (RRP)
Options:
- Metallic Paint $350 (Fitted – Sterling Silver); Cruise Pack $750; Enhanced Safety Pack $1500; Cruise & Enhanced Safety Pack $2250 (Fitted); Satellite Navigation $3740; Six-CD Tuner $850
Good fuel economy; fluid six-speed manual; capable performance
Obstructive C-pillar visibility; weak headlamps; slight road noise
CarAdvice Rating: 
- by Matt Brogan
Last week I drove Toyota’s top-shelf Corolla Ultima, and although the car was not without its merits, my summation was that for the price I considered it to be good, almost average, middle-of-the-road, but certainly nothing to write home about.
That said you would assume that by jumping in to a lower-spec model this week that my impressions would be even less enthusiastic, somewhat cheapened, and that the base model sibling of the Corolla range would pale into insignificance against its more well equipped brother.
I guess then the Corolla Ascent proves what they say about assumptions.
My first, and perhaps most obvious reason for liking the Ascent is, quite simply, price. It’s considerably cheaper than the Ultima – even when optioned up – making the Ascent a far more reasonable prospect when shopping in this category.
That’s not to say you’re missing out by purchasing the cheaper version, far from it. In fact all things considered the Ascent offers a very good standard level of equipment that can be tailored, rather cheaply, to suit your own needs.
In this instance, the Ascent tested was optioned with metallic paint and Toyota’s Cruise & Enhanced Safety Pack that, as the same suggests, features cruise control and additional safety equipment (seven airbags and ESP), as well as a sassy little leather steering wheel with audio and cruise controls.
Similarly to the Ultima tested last week our Ascent also features the optional Optitron Combimetre instrumentation panel that in my opinion really lifts the car’s appeal from a driver’s viewpoint offering crisp, clear and easy-on-the-eyes information, especially at night.
Add to that appeal a decent stereo, air-conditioning, front power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, adequate storage and a simple user-friendliness that all lend the Ascent a baseline of value that has been synonymous with the Corolla nameplate for more than 40 years.
On the downside though the “C” pillar is rather large and obstructive when reversing from a 45 degree park and can make lane changing slightly perilous.
Road noise too is a touch loud at highway speeds and I found the low-beam lights to be practically useless on country roads, so-much-so that I found myself forgetting I’d selected high beam.
The Gemini-esque gear shift position can hinder access to the air-conditioning controls when in first, third or fifth, more so for the passenger, but you’re unlikely to care given the sporty feel it offers the driver.
The cabin is roomy given the proportions availed, and quite comfortable too. Four adults fit comfortably (though seating is for five) with rear passengers afforded more than adequate leg and headroom.
Unfortunately the same can’t be said for cargo space which is a little limited compared to some rivals at 283-litres. If this is of concern, the more generous sedan may be of interest, though it’s not nearly as versatile as the hatch, where the 60:40 split fold seats offer a large area for oversized items, perfect for those weekend projects.
As for what’s up front, I’m pleased to say the six-speed manual really does make the most of the 1.8-litre engine’s 100kw/175Nm offering, feeling much more alive than the auto model we tested last week.
Better fuel economy, increased performance (just compare the 0-100 figures) and a gearbox that feels incredibly well suited to the engine in terms of ratio spread means that unless you really take issue with using a clutch, the manual variant is a far better option for extracting the most from your Corolla – and your wallet!
The clutch is spot on in terms of weighting – something I have noticed can be far too light and devoid of feel in many of Corolla’s direct rivals – while the ESP system is very well calibrated, not too sustained or intrusive. ABS braking with EBA and EBD is both confident and progressive.
While it may be built for a price the Corolla feels solid, drives well and offers very good value for money, and with all of us driving our dollar even harder at the moment (no pun intended), it’s not difficult to see why the humble Ascent is so popular.
With the seven airbag enhanced safety pack available from just $1500 – and let’s face it you’d be mad not to tick this box – a basic, white, manual Corolla can be driven away from less than $24,000 – and what ever way you look at it, that’s not a bad deal.
Ratings:
CarAdvice Overall Rating:
How does it Drive: 
How does it Look:
How does it Go:
Specifications:
- Engine: 1798cc DOHC four-cylinder (16 valve)
- Power: 100kW @ 6000rpm
- Torque: 175Nm @ 4400rpm
- Induction: Multi-Point
- Transmission: Six-speed manual
- Driven Wheels: Front
- Brakes: Discs with ABS, EBA & EBD
- Top Speed: 200km/h
- 0-100km/h: 9.7 seconds
- CO2 Emissions: 174 grams per kilometre
- Fuel Consumption: 7.4 litres per 100km (ADR)
- Fuel Consumption: 7.9 litres per 100km (As Tested)
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
- Fuel Type: 91RON petrol
- ANCAP Rating: New model TBC (previously five-stars)
- Airbags: Front, Side, curtain & driver’s knee
- Safety: ESP with Traction Control
- Spare Wheel: 15-inch steel (Full Size)
- Suspension: Strut (F) / Torsion Beam (R)
- Cargo Capacity: 283 litres (Seats Up)
- Tow Capacity: 1300kg (Braked)
- Turning Circle: 10.4 metres
- Warranty: Three year/100,000 kilometre
- Weight: 1275kg (Tare)
- Wheels: Steel 15 x 6.0-inch
Road Test the Rivals:
- Ford Focus (from $21,990)
- Holden Astra (from $21,990)
- Hyundai i30 (from $18,490)
- Mazda 3 (from $21,490)
- Mitsubishi Lancer (from $21,490)
- Nissan Tiida (from $17,990)
- Subaru Impreza (from $22,990)
- Suzuki SX4 (from $19,990)
- Volkswagen Golf (from $25,990)
Print it: 
Japanese cars are great. I bought German – VW Passat 125KW TDI.
It’s nearest Japanese competitor: Mazda 6 TDI.
The Passat:
1. Is faster
2. Produces more power
3. Uses less fuel
4. Is bigger (more room)
5. Has less emissions
6. Has a better resale value %
7. Has 15000K service intervals. Mazda 10000
8. Has DSG, the 6 comes in manual only.
9. Turns heads.
The Japanese make great cars, the Germans just do it better. I have test driven the Mazda, it was a great car. I paid about 7G more for the privledge of the Passat, it is worth it.
In a few years when that famous ‘Euro’ built reliability kicks in you will be wishing you had gone with the Mazda!
I’m about to buy a corolla hatch auto 2009 model. I was offered 24,500 with safety pack. Is it a good price? Any opinion would be appreciated. Thanks!!!
Is that a drive away price Foxy?
Well stan for someone so opinionated in that lot theres only one interesting car the BMW 330I, the rest pretty average for a book keeper .
spoofing again spanner
After reading the thread btw Dan/Wheelnut et al…
A question for Dan, I have actually seen misaligned panels in a Mazda CX9, Holden Commodores, Toyota Camry and also Hyundai Excels and Sonatas. So with your factual arguments as you clearly described with a duck; this means I have every right to condemn Mazdas, Holdens and Toyotas as unreliable cars as well as the Hyundai?
Foxy, do make sure you really are getting a 2009 and not a 2008 because of upgrades which include vehicle stability control. I have a corolla and have been thinking long and hard about doing what you are. The price sounds about right but a ‘great deal’ from Toyota should be treated with suspicion, especially if it was the first price they gave you. You should try another dealer, just on the phone, tell him/her what you are about to buy off someone else and see if s/he can beet it. My family have bought many toyota’s, and it can be like pulling teeth getting a real discount from these people. The Financial crisis is on your side though so go for it, notice the salespeople all have heaps of time and the showrooms are not crowded….
Before I let you go, if you weren’t sold on a new corolla, (like a long time corolla driver like myself who isn’t completely chuffed with the current model), may I suggest a neat little car that has taken my interest, anyone should correct me if I am wrong, but I am told they are terrific cars. You would get one for about the same money, auto too. A new Suzuki SX4 hatch. They are all wheel drive. I reckon they are tops but I wont bang on about it. It might not be your cup of tea, just thought I would throw that up for you…..
I now understand why Dan is so unhappy and has has so many different cars. He’s a perfectionist! It surely must only be a matter of time until he gives the Lexus the flick as alas, it was constructed with the hands of mortals. Sure enough it will start to wear, break and fall apart like every other car ever made.
That brings me to another point. The original corolla came out in 1966. The first VW “Beetle” came out in 1938, but wasn’t officially called beetle until 1967 in the US.
I think it’s fair to say there are currently many more early model Beetles around than Corollas. Partly because of their iconic design, partly because of good construction. The tables will most likely be turned in the next 50 years because of current volume of production.
If you want quality that looks like it will last for years to come, go look at the Mazda3 end of story.
I just did the small car shop around yesterday.
A hit to seek out longevity is to stick your head in the used car division and see how they hold up with a few k’s on them
I myself liked the Lancer because it seemed bigger and packed features well above of its competition, and offered them at a much better price too. surprisingly though the lancer felt very sluggish even though it spruked more power.
The other half has a love affair with the mazda3.
Even though 3 doesnt offer the same kit as the lancer on a $ to $ basis, its still a front runner because i have doubts about how the lancers interior will hold up over time. the mazdas just oozes quality.
Also the Mazdas resale is mind blowing in a market where no car really has any. 2nd hand mazdas are selling for the same coin as new lancers!!!!!
The mazda felt a little more zippy because of its traditional gearbox i suppose….
I was also surprised that after reading the specs, that the mazda is pretty much the same size as the lancer even though the mazda seemed easier to manouver/see around etc.
I also checked out the other makes including the i30 and was surprised that in the flesh it seemed like far less to tout about. they mght be doing good deals on them (dunno didnt get that far) but after the encounter it seriously faded off my radar.
Also for a laugh i checked out the Viva say no more……
summary….
Lancer = best value for money
Mazda = I can see why its the number 1 for private.
Also to add further, the mazda show room was the only one that was buzzing
Oh,
Scary thing for competition = new Mazda3 coming in april
Foxy,
your price seems nothing to write home about going by the prices i got on other makes yesterday.
you will get into a mazda3 neo sport auto for 24,500d/away, and thats before you get your bargaining hat on.
And i was told that i could be looking at under 28K for the maxx sport if i wanted to get serious.
A funny story that came out of my travels yesterday was when I walked through a 2nd hand yard.
I saw a 2nd hand mazda3 with no price on it just like the rest of their yard. I had a quick spuiz before i was approached by a sales man. He asked me what i wanted to spend so i spat him the first round figure that came into my head.
I said “20K”
I then asked how much he had on the mazda over there in the corner.
he went inside to check, and in the mean time i said to the other half i bet he comes back and says 20K.
sure enough he comes back out and says its 21K but you can have it for 20K ha ha ha ha ha ha
I blantently said ive seen better examples with less k’s for that sort of coin
that was my fun for the day…….
he came out and said how much you looki
I didnt go as far to get a price on the corolla because once you see a couple of its competitors, it quickly fades on you.
buggers me how that bit got there
“he came out and said how much you looki”
Mazda 3 is too noisy in that its NVH is far below average. If you want good refinement, I recommend you to buy I30…It is quieter than the current MB E class…
Andrew did you take the i30 for a run ?
Carsguide said: “In fact, it (Sonata) is one of the quietest mid-sized sedans on the market.
Out on the highway, the road, wind and engine noise are as low as in cars 10 times more expensive”
Actually, Sonata is as quite as any Lexus cars…
to Roflmatic….yep it’s driveaway.
For me corolla HATCH is my ideal car…i think the depreciation is ok…not that bad. I like the safty pack which comes with 7 airbags and VSC. Eventhough the boot’s not that big. i would prefer a bigger ones but the budget is under limit.
Just interested Foxy, have you looked at any others or are you just following the default road which is the Corolla??
Be mature you guys, not everyone in this world consider them self are so PRO and keeps talk about performance etc.
People buying Corollas aren’t idiots, they just simply CBF to waste their time and don’t care if someone else thinks they are ‘noob’.
Is Hyundai a better car than Toyota? I don’t even care.
Andrew M, have to agree with your comments about the 3 and the Lancer. I dont think the Lancer has the quality interior of the 3.
Plus the Corolla still has that gutless 1.8 engine which you have to rev its guts out to get maximum power and torque out of it which negates any feul economy advantages.
Falcadore,
just to clarify, its not that the interior really feels “cheap” as such, its just that after i saw one in the used paddock with bugger all k’s on it i was amazed at how worn inside it looked.
the plastics dont look crap, they just seem to scuff/wear a lot easier than the mazda.
I still reckon both interior look good, but thats until you consider the wear factor
Is that not a quality issue?:)
The only thing I could think to critise the Corolla is that it doesn’t have ESP & TCS and 7 airbags as standard for all models.Toyota just being greedy and don’t put people ’s safety as their priority. It’s 2009 and what are they thinking by have these safety features as an option.
Falcodore,
yes it is ha ha ha, but the point i was making is just because i expressed concern over quality issues, i didnt want people to assume i meant fit and finish quality issues as i found them to be acceptable
Oh and I didnt mean that the plastics looked hard and ugly either.
both examples are what people immediatly assume when you express concerns for interior quality
Toyota will charge what Aussie’s are willing to pay, just like any other company. Simple economics.
Similar to Qantas – RTW in Business Class is $12K. Just use an overseas ticketing agent from American Airlines or Cathay Pacific, still on One World airlines so you get full status credits, and you can get the RTW Business Class ticket for $7K, with better service in the premium cabins than Qantas can provide.
But Aussies will still stump up for Qantas fares, because they either don’t know any better or have some sense of patriotism which is funny, when Qantas couldn’t care less about Aussie travellers.
Before typing I need to admit that I drive a Toyota Kluger CVX, and have done so for 5 years. Drove it around Oz towing a caravan for twelve months – did 47,000klms on that trip, ditched the caravan in places and drove into remote spots with a tent…..and it got us everywhere we wanted to go, and it got thrashed – and in 5 years, not one hassle, not one complaint, and still no squeaks or rattles. Man these cars are reliable.
I also drive a V6 camry as a work car (bland, but gets the job done, and not one jiggle or hitch in the last two years)
had a 2001 Subbie GT Forester, 1999 Subbie RX Impressa (which were both okay, but not robust, and were full of squeaks and rattles and little things constantly went wrong). Also had a Mitsubishi Colt and Holden Astra wagon in the mid nineties, with many, many failings.
So when it came time to pick my next work car, I wanted something reliable, cheap to service (with the rolla, u cant argue with $130 services every 10,000k for 3 years/ $60,000ks) and something sub $28k driveaway.
Anyway, test drove a Rolla Conquest today……..yes the engine lacks punch, and the six speed is probably wasted on an engine this small, but it is sturdy, sits nice and high for a car of it’s size, but the car is rigid, so cornering is great despite the higher seating position.
I had to test an i30 as well….dealer didnt have a diesel, only a petrol. Must admit, it did have more punch in the engine, but she did rollmore on corners and was certainly less refined then the rolla. Sitting in the Toyota, it had a feel of quality, and a modern look on the inside, the hyundai looked dated and cheap. So I am leaning toward the rolla at the moment, more test drives tomorrow. Dealer is giving me the rolla to drive for the whole weeknd so I can back to back test everything against it…….I thought that was niceof him.
Any way, for my purpose of driving to see clients, A to B, for business purposes, doing round 20,000 ks a year, the corolla so far suits to a T. It is easy to see why people who chase reliability, stick to toyota, even if the drive can be plain vanilla……it gets the job done again and again and again…………..Cheer, Adam
Ok, today my wife and I drove a Lancer VR, KIA Cerrato, i30, and a Golf 90TSI……..must say, the rolla takes a back seat to the performance of the Golf, even though the Golf has only 90kw, t weighs less then the Rolla, and has much more torque starting way down the revs, it surprised me really. Wouldn’t consider a SA built Golf due to the many build issues I have heard of through this site, but now they are imported directly fromgermany, well, i just might head in that direction. Golf is worth a look for sure.
Forgot to mention tha the driveaway price for the golf is $2k premium over the rolla, but i reackon it is well worth it!
over the rolla conquest that is
also on golf the 1.4L turbo engine is pulling just over 2000 revs at 100kph in 6th and can pull away in 6th, the rolla is turning 3000rpm at 100kph, and s gutless in 6th
The new mazda 3 is a great looking car in black, but the dealers want $28k for the neo auto no hangle can be done yet.. they said wait 90 days befor price drops some. plus blacktown lander toyota is selling this car in auto with free sat nav and other extras for $22990 drive away! :)
We will have to wait until the end of this year (2009) for the 2 litre Corolla to be released – initally in the upspec models, the 2 litre will more than likely be pushed accross the range, I WOULD HOPE.
Face lift Corolla will be available around mid / end Sep 09 and will be better.
The 2 litre is coming Dec 09 / Jan 10 and it will only be in the Uiltma sedan. However I understand that the 2.4 will be available in the ZR hatch – cannot wait. The 1.8 will continue in the base and Conquest models. The 4 speed auto will conitiue in 1.8, with 5 speed auto standard in 2.0 and optional in 2.4. Bring it on pse ..