2007 Toyota Corolla - What Do We Really Think?
17 May, 2007
34 Comments 
Now that all the fuss on the Toyota Corolla has somewhat settled down, lets sit down for a minute and examine the new car. Firstly, designing the new generation of the world’s best selling car is not easy. Toyota claims that on average a Corolla is sold every 40 seconds somewhere in the world.
In 2006, the Corolla was Australia’s best selling car, this was quite an achievement given the shape was a few years out of date. Nonetheless, the VE Commodore took the #1 title and Toyota is looking to reclaim the throne, but will Toyota succeed?
Toyota is now the world’s #1 manufacturer, overtaking GM and Ford. It is obvious that whatever Toyota is doing, is succeeding. However, selling more cars than anyone else doesn’t necessarily make Toyota the best manufacturer.
Infact as far as brand image goes, many would agree that even an everyday person would take, say, a Porsche over a Toyota without question, but whilst Porsche has made a name for itself as one of the most reputable performance car manufacturers in the world, Toyota has continued to deliver cars to the masses, and essentially, this is where the new Corolla sits.
Toyota says the new Corolla is aimed at private buyers looking for a car that is more than just a A->B car.
“Being the sensible car hasn’t always made us the hot choice among private buyers, but times change, cars change and the Corolla has changed. We’ve now added Euro-inspired style to the traditional Toyota attributes of quality, durability, reliability, strong resale values and excellent fuel economy.”
Its great to see Toyota admitting their “Fridge on Wheels” styling has not been the most popular choice for buyers, but just how do you make a car that is stylish whilst it remains, essentially, a car for everyone?
Of course Toyota says this car is aimed at young people, those ‘with it’ and looking for a reliable, yet stylish car.
“We’re aiming for career-oriented, socially active singles or young couples living predominantly in urban areas - or at least having an urban mindset. They’re fashion conscious and they see their car as an expression of themselves. They’re open to new technology - and they’re marketing savvy,” he said.
Socially Active singles? Fashion conscious? Come on Toyota, give us a break. There is obviously one problem Toyota didn’t seem to consider, their success is their own failure. The idea of being fashion conscious has a lot to do with being different and standing out. Now tell me, how does a young fashionable late 20/early 30s person go about buying a new Corolla hoping to stand out and be noticed?
Honestly, we like the Corolla, the world needs more Corollas just so those who dare to be different stand out even more. The new shape is different sure, but its no revolution in design, if anything, the outdated Mazda3 and the (as much as I hate to admit it) the Holden Epica present a better choice as far as design goes (but then again do you want to have the stigma of driving a Daewoo on your mind?)
Enough on the design, we’ve established that whilst its not revolutionary, it does the job in the sense of being modern and attracting some relative attention. So what about the performance?
The new Corolla’s performance, as previously mentioned by one of our readers, has not exactly increased over the old shape, the 2004 model put out the same 100 kW of power as the new model, it was only reduced in 2006 to meet tougher emission laws.
So Toyota have redesigned the engine to get the same kW with lower pollutants. 100kW of power and 175Nm of torque is sufficient to pull the ~1200kg Corolla out and about. However, despite Toyota’s marketing department hard at work, this is by no means a class leading figure.
We have to hand it to Toyota, for a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre engine, this is a respectable result, nevertheless, however the Ford Focus (2.0-litre) which is in the same class as the Corolla achieves 107kW of power and 185 Nm of torque. Now you might think, but the Toyota has better fuel economy!, not exactly, the Focus has a combined fuel usage of 7.1L/100km, and the Corolla? How does 7.4L/100km sound?
So how does that work? Can someone from Toyota please explain to us how a smaller engine with less power is using more fuel than a larger engine with more power? Oh wait, we don’t need an explanation, its called German engineering.
Thats the engine out of the way, lets get onto safety and price. Toyota prides it self on the Corolla being one hell of a safe car, and we can’t take that away from them, with a five-star European NCAP rating, the Corolla leads the way in terms of safety. In addition you also get seven SRS airbags as standard on nearly all variants (otherwise a $750 option).
You also get a lot of breaking systems such as
- ABS anti-skid brakes,
- Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
- Brake Assist (BA).
But Toyota has come cheap with some aspects of the new Corolla, its great an all to have a five-star safety rating, but what is better is to have preventive technology to help stop accidents in their tracks.
The new Corolla doesn’t have the most important technology of all, Electronic Stability Control (ESC). There is talk that ESC technology will soon become mandatory on all new cars sold in the States and Europe. It is a great shame that Toyota has decided to not offer this on the Corolla range, perhaps this will come in a few years time.
As far as the price goes, check out the price table here.
Onto the six speed gearbox, what can we say, whilst Subaru still refuses to release the (once) mighty WRX with a six-speed, your standard econobox Corolla now comes with a six-speed manual. Congratulations to Toyota for opting out for the six-speed box, but why is the auto still running a four-speed?
How come the world’s best selling manufacturer is not embracing CVT? Or more importantly, unless its due to a power limitation, why is the new Corolla not driven via a five-speed auto? Unfortunately we have no statistics to the ratios for manual/auto but one would assume that as far as private buyers go, the manual is the winner, in which case the six speed is an excellent addition.
When it all comes down to it, people buy the Corolla not really for the looks, but more so for the fact that they know its reliable and wont let them down. Toyota’s new service plan ($120 services for the first 60,000kms/3yrs) will surely be one of Corolla’s biggest draw cards.
So what do we really think of the new Corolla? We are getting our hands on it for a road test in a few weeks time, so we can tell you then for sure, but in the mean time, even though its still a little boring, it lacks ESP and can really do with a five-speed auto, as a car designed to appeal to nearly everyone, its a great choice, but if you want individuality and uniqueness, look elsewhere.
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May 17th, 2007 at 8:34 am
WOW, near 1 million sold
Will the 1 millionth sold latter this year be free?
O/A
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May 17th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Just to clarify, the engine in the Ford Focus was developed by Mazda, (it’s the same engine as in the Mazda 3) not the Germans.
When the Platform for the Ford Focus/Mazda 3/Volvo S40/V40 was being developed, mMzda got the engine, Ford the suspension & Volvo the safety.
These are identical cars except for the volvo 5 cylinder engine - which of course finds it’s way into the Focus XR 5.
the corolla is again an unfortunate looking device…too bulbous aroung the nose…looks like a truffle pig sniffing the ground.
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May 17th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Thats all true Danny,
however the Mazda3 2.0L has 8.2L fuel economy compared to the Focus’ 7.1L, and the cars weigh relatively the same.
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May 17th, 2007 at 11:02 am
I think Toyota’s are the ugliest cars on the road. Yes, Daihatsu’s are ugly too but it’s more of a ‘funny-ugly’ whereas Toyotas are ‘omg-why?’ Corollas are only good for taking driving lessons in because dints make it look better. They’re also good at smashing down fences (Which I know from experience). Toyotas are definitely not for fashion conscious people. I’m extremely fashion conscious and would rather ride a donkey than own a Toyota :)
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May 17th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Amanda - explain to the rest of us how a Holden 2 star crash rated Barina, Viva, Epica or Tigra set the bar as a fashion statement. Holden has become the new modern day Daewoo outlet with dog awful looking cars and the ‘HORRID’ quality to go with it.
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May 17th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Shane T - I’d rather be in a half decent looking car, have a 0.001% chance of dying, because at least I’d die in something that doesnt resemble a fridge.
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May 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I AGREE Amanda ! Shane go and sit in your Corolla which is a cross between a Microwave and a tupperware container! Woo hoo Toyota have sold a Million cars but dont forget when your churning out this many peices of crap there will be a catch! I would pay the extra and get a decent car!
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May 17th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
280ZX you really are stupid…. ‘Id rather pay extra and get a decent car’… the Corolla has proven itself as a decent car, maybe not in the looks department, but every other aspect!
As for Amanda, then you truly are ignorant in what Im assuming is your youth… not only would I not wanna die over ‘fashion’ (its friggin small car were are talking about here, most in the market and ugly and ALL aernt cars which get looks nor bought for that reason) I also wouldnt wanna be a criple for the rest of my life because I decided to get a 2 star rated car because it looks ‘prity’.
My thoughts on new corolla, I think its uglier then the current one which is more bland not ugly… but these aernt cars that people buy for looks as mentioned by the article, the corolla is and will continue to be the most popular car in the world one would think.
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May 17th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
LOOK out Amanda here come the Toyota faithful soon all you will see is a sea of cardigans !
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May 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
I was lucky enough to go to a test drive/marketing session for the new Corolla yesterday and i was pretty impressed. The new Sedan is big enough to take me and my family (wife, 2 kids) which i certainly wasn’t expecting.
The hump in the bonnet is no where near as noticible in person. As for the rest of the looks, they have certainly tried to move away from “bland” and i’d say they have mostly succeeded. It looks like a smaller version of their bigger cars which to me is a good thing.
One thing is right though, i don’t think that they will be able to overcome the “old reliable” tag.
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May 17th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I’m extremely fashion conscious and would rather ride a donkey than own a Toyota :)
the keywords being ‘ride a donkey’ , darling I’m sure you would ride a donkey no questions asked. You’re the type who goes to a phone store and says oh I’m extremely fashionable , so I’ll take the very shitty but nice looking flip phone just coz it matches up with my clothes or purse.
Have you ever seen the amount of girls that do drive a Corolla? you’re fashion conscious aye? what may I ask do you drive?
We’re talking quality here, not fashion statements, may I suggest go check with another forum where they are whinging about what colour to match up with their shoes and how skanky to dress up when they go out ok?
oh and sorry I wasn’t being rude, I was being friendly. :)
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May 17th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
leave her be, shes one of the fast and the furious generation who thinks every car has to look like a gay male hair dressers honda to be any good.
its a small 4 cylinder family car, it was never intended to look good and appeal to the fashion chic. morons *rolleyes*
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May 17th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
I agree,
I think Toyota is expecting too much if they think “Fashionable” people are going to buy this car because they think it looks good, they will buy this car regardless, but that has little todo with its quality.
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May 17th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Toyotas quality is going to slip, they are producing so many cars and already they had an issue with a faulty chip, yes it isnt a recall blah blah blah, but still it proves they aren’t as ‘flawless’ as they think they are.
Yes the Corolla is an improve over the past Corolla, as it should be. But it is still miles away from any close rivals. I don’t see a big improvement in styling compared to the 9th generation, yes they are trying to make it appeal to everyone but that doesn’t mean they had to make it as boring as shit.
Like the last generation it is lacking a lot of features compared to is rivals at a similar if not cheaper price. Everyone was so annoyed by the fact that the Epica didn’t have ESP, I think its worst that the Corolla doesn’t, considering it will sell in larger amounts.
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May 17th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Isn’t everyone entitled to their opinion? I’m not materialistic. Who said anything about shiny phones? All I wanted to say is that I happen to think Corollas look ugly.
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May 17th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I dont think they are ugly, just that they are rather plain and unexciting. The Camry is fugly, with its front bar grille and jigsaw puzzle shaped bootlid. Doesn’t help when people buy it in slime green or powder blue.
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May 17th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Boring as batshit! Have a few in our dealership now, almost fell asleep driving one today, it was so boring! Felt like a retard whilst driving it - the gearshift is placed so high! Feels tinny, and had plenty of rattles in it!
We’re the only country in the world where you can’t get VSC (as Toyota correctly term it) on a new ZRE150 series Corolla! Nice one Toyota, you cost-cutting turds! I’m surprised they even bothered to throw in xenons and smart start in the Ultima/Levin ZR!
And who ever this article - your spelling and grammar are pathetic!
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May 18th, 2007 at 12:22 am
you know I have to agree with PV on this one , Toyota Australia is to be blamed.. not Toyota itself .. The cars they release in Asia are far more better than the ones available in the market here.
For some reason the Camry in Thailand looks so much more stylish than the one here, then ofcourse all the other series that are available there and the option of proper rwd Toyota cars..
Amanda says ” All I wanted to say is that I happen to think Corollas look ugly.”
see simple and to the point, with your previous statements of “good for only driving lessons, rah rah” was like umm seriously… and again what do you drive yourself?
See could you not have said that before than try to sound, well the way you did.
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May 18th, 2007 at 6:03 am
Nothing is more DULL, DEAD, DORING AND DOG AWFUL as Holdens new Daewoo fleet. The Barina is infact one of Australia’s most unsafest cars and i wouldn’t be caught dead in one. If you want to buy one simply because it has a Holden badge then fulfill your boots but don’t bitch when your skinny legs snap in a minor accident. The direct competitor to the Barina is a Toyota Yaris and it is infact rated at 5 stars. Absolutely no comparison what so ever but you appear to be to stupid to care.
Z280X - you can only speak TRASH because that’s all Holden has got to offer the Australian market - TRASH.
Toyota is kicking the living shit out of Holden and Ford and clowns like you hate it with a passion. Kinda puts that horrid apple feel in your throat each time you sight the months statistics. SUCKED IN MORON as Toyota continues to mop up Holden like sloppy goat shit.
Go to ‘DRIVE BLOG’ and look at the latest quality survey that was very recently published. Toyota scored ‘above average’ or ‘dominate’ in every segment while Holden couldn’t even score average in anything. That’s right, Holden scored so dismally in quality and reliability that they didn’t even match par on 1 single sector. Infact, they actually scored dead last in some with the Commodore being one of the worst of all. Go ahead clown (and that goes for skinny legs Amanda) and observe for yourself.
And a quick message for the quality bashers of Toyota.
JD Powers of which is one of the most respected survey organistions in Western Society and CNN MONEY.COM have consistantly and constantly rated Toyota’s as one of the leaders in automotive quality, refinement and reliability. The latest survey that was conducted right here in Australia as directed above concluded the exact same thing.
FACTS ARE FACTS so i will let them speak for themselves not trash from clowns.
To date the VE Commodore has had 3 recalls in less then a year, Wheels Magazine has critised differant quality related issues while Motor Magazine indentified twelve faults from twelve sampled cars. That is nothing shy of DISMAL - Matches the rest of Holdens new found passion towards Daewoo cars.
What a bunch poverty, scrap scaverging, desperate dogs GM has evoloved to be in modern times !!
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May 18th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Comeon guys, constructive criticism. Don’t make start deleting comments.
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May 18th, 2007 at 10:31 am
^
I think Dingo’s is constructive… people are trying to discredit Toyotas quality and reliability which is simply a joke.
QUOTE = Isn’t everyone entitled to their opinion?
Yes they are, but people are also entitled to have a go at you when you put it in the light that you did. You made reference to riding a donkey instead and Toyotas being a fridge… this is beyond an opinion and as a result you will get just as much as you gave so dont whinge.
QUOTE = For some reason the Camry in Thailand looks so much more stylish than the one here, then ofcourse all the other series that are available there and the option of proper rwd Toyota cars.
For starters I think our Camry looks good, whoever said it doesnt it obviously an idiot because the VE Commodore is certainly an acquired taste if there ever was a car that was! The only let down is under the bonnet. As for the Thailand model you are obviously not well informed on this matter, we have that model, its called an Aurion (In Asia they call the Aurion a Camry). Good to see you think the Aurion is stylish!
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May 18th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Dingbat ! You keep going on about how “wheels” and “drive” are always pumping up the commodore or Holden but you have turned into the same critic with Toyota ? We are talking about the Crapolloa and you yet again expose yourself by comparing every car to Holden or Ford? You know i think you love Holden deep down !
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May 18th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Is that what happened Alborz… the start of my spill was deleted, That was the best bit.
It that it 280zx, is that the best blow you got. What a girly slap that was !! Going by your title i gather you love a particular Japanese company. Did go sight that survey clown that i directed you to or wasn’t you game enough. FACTS ARE FACTS dude so just go and have a wee ponder. Maybe you might want to close one eye while you look at the results especially those of Holden and Ford.
For everybody else - go to ‘DRIVE BLOG’ and sight the quality survey. Just scroll down abit and you will sight it. What an absolute dismal outcome for Holden while the Japanese manufactuers and believe it or not Hyundai scored very well indeed. This evaluation was conducted right here in Oz and puts to rest any comment from lame duck 280zx. I will let the survey speak for itself.
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May 18th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
In case you missed it they have just realized that the steering wheels were missed on the Corollas LOL i mean you can understand why as the steering wheel is not that important ?? and thats what happens when you try and make too many peices of crap and flood the market ! There not unique cars , there not attractive, there churn and burn tupperware containers for the masses and as for Toyota selling more big deal! Just means they are leaving room for error ….
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May 18th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Yes and yet time and time again they pass the biggest test when it comes to quality, the test of time. And for such a lousy car as you put it, sure funny that its Australias and the Worlds most popular car. Idiot.
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May 19th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Paul you think the Commodore is a ‘lousy’ car yet it still manages to top the Australian sales market.
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May 19th, 2007 at 10:26 am
“For starters I think our Camry looks good, whoever said it doesnt it obviously an idiot because the VE Commodore is certainly an acquired taste if there ever was a car that was! The only let down is under the bonnet. As for the Thailand model you are obviously not well informed on this matter, we have that model, its called an Aurion (In Asia they call the Aurion a Camry). Good to see you think the Aurion is stylish!”
haha I love debating with people like yourself, however I will admit I made a mistake in not giving the exact model I was speaking of. Paul, have you travelled overseas? owned a car overseas? or still do own a car overseas? went in the black market searching for parts for your car to bring back home? hmm I didn’t think so. The Australian market always suffers in terms of the lineup, compared to the Asian line up. Thats a solid fact, they get Mark2s’, MarkX, Premios, Vios etc. Not that I’m a fan of the new look Holden either, in my view its the biggest loss ever made @ 1billion dollars.
but here are some links to the exact Camry I was talking about.. enjoy
[IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/Riz-G/396154_2_full.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/Riz-G/396154_4_full.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/Riz-G/740360_5_full.jpg[/IMG]
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May 19th, 2007 at 10:27 am
forgot to remove the [IMG] bits.. get rid of them and you’ll see the pics :)
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May 19th, 2007 at 10:33 am
There is no accounting for taste,Commodores are over rated and people think there getting something that matches all the media dribble that is delivered .Self praise is no recomendation you idiot.I thought Toyota also shares that top sales spot too!If you look at the mining industry I would say they mainly purchase Toyotas due to their reliability. They have tried others at times but revert back to Toyotas cause nothing can match them .
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May 19th, 2007 at 11:14 am
QUOTE = Paul you think the Commodore is a ‘lousy’ car yet it still manages to top the Australian sales market.
Umm top Australian sales? I believe the Corolla is Australias number 1 sold car. Admittably the Commodore I think is second, however fools like yourself take that for more then its worth BECAUSE 80% of its sales are to fleets… people who dont have to put their hands down their OWN wallets and buy the car, the same people who as a result only buy decent cars not Commodore trash.
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May 19th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
A large percentage of Corolla’s are fleet aswell Paul, if you actually drove or sat in a Commodore you’d realise they arent that bad. No matter how much you dislike the Commodore it isn’t uglier than a Camry, any person can tell you that, my grandma could tell you that.
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June 9th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Definetly Not a Car for the Sex and the City Generation.
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September 8th, 2007 at 1:28 am
Wow, as i move thru this site. the topic gets hotter and hotter, lol…hottest corolla ever :)
BTW….WTF is wrong with reliability. Personaly id like to know that Ive invested my hard earned $$ into somthing that is going to last…
seriously though….i guess it all depends on what you want out of your car,
-speed/power go for a 8cyl, 6 cyl or a nicely tuned 4
-comfort a larger sedan or 4WD
-low fuel consumtion a Gets or some other tiny car
-safety get a volvo :P
in all honesty they dont make cars like they used to,yes the are safer butthey dont last as long. I still have my grandads HK sittin in the shed. 39 yrs and still going strong, Shit with fuel, strong as an ox, not exactly the safest with todays standards but comfy.
over the years I personally have found that toyotas have always been reliable, fairly safe and cheap on fuel, a good all-rounder, then it also depends on the driver too and their knowledge of their own car and driving skill.
but remember children this is my own opinion.
Ive bought the hatch, and im extremely happy with it.
If you dont like the car, Dont buy it…simple
Aaaaanyway, thats it from me
cheers
Leo
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January 10th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Young Girls Young Teens Angus Young…
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view…
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