Toyota Corolla » Australian Car Advice

Toyota Corolla packed with a lil’ action?

November 5th, 2008 76 Comments

Although for most of us the Toyota Corolla has always been viewed as a car without soul, a car which defines the idea of “A->B”, Toyota has begun a new battle to change our perception.

To do this, the Big T has started online, indirectly informing blogs (such as CarAdvice) to promote a series of new car ads that show the Corolla in a different light.

Auto Route: Driving NZ’s South Island

August 17th, 2008 17 Comments

- by Josh McKenzie

The fly-drive holiday is an increasingly popular option for visitors to New Zealand. It affords a flexibility for those who wish to explore the impressive landscape that NZ’s rather lacklustre public transport system just can’t offer. More importantly a driving holiday in NZ gives you a chance to drive on some of the most entertaining and scenic roads the other side of the ditch.

This particular drive is over five days and starts and ends in Christchurch. Traveling west from Christchurch, my route passes through Arthur’s Pass before heading south down the west coast to Queenstown. A short break in Queenstown is taken before heading north back to Christchurch directly through the guts of the South Island – driving through Lindis Pass and past some notable places such as Lake Tekapo.

It’s a route that flows through a variety of different road types, from flat open roads through to mountain passes and coastal highways. Being winter, conditions will also be variable with the possibility of closed roads and unexpected detours. Any car nut would be positively slathering with excitement.

Day 1: Christchurch – Franz Josef

The journey begins, but not without its disappointments. While I had reserved a Peugeot 307 2.0 litre HDi from Thrifty Car Rentals, I ended up with a base model Toyota Corolla from Avis. While whitegoods on wheels might be perfectly acceptable for some, any driving enthusiast is going to be disappointed with a car that’s engine, transmission and handling can only be best described as mediocre.

The aim of the day is to reach the west coast before heading south until a decent town to stay in is found. The initial drive out of Christchurch is along W Coast Rd and isn’t all that exciting. Views include sheep, numerous police cars and a spectacular mountain range that fills the horizon out all front windows. We’ll be climbing that.

Road leading into Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park

The transition into tight bends and steep mountains roads is quite quick as we enter the Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park (try reading that on a sign). A stop at the top of the climb where Lake Lyndon lies allows us a chance to enjoy our first journey above the snow line, and a glimpse into Arthur’s Pass. The Corolla’s performance so far is acceptable. Although the engine lacks the torque to quietly climb the hills, the ergonomic positioning of the auto’s controls allows us to manually keep the four-speed box in second gear.

Looking towards Arthur’s Pass from Lake Lyndon

The drive beyond Lake Lyndon takes us back below the snow line and snaking along the valley through Arthur’s Pass. Whilst we initially get a chance to absorb the impressive views, the weather quickly changes, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and poor visibility. Not great for driving through a mountain pass. This quick change in conditions becomes a common trend of the trip.

Day 2: Franz Josef - Wanaka

After a night spent in Franz Josef, the drive continues south along State Highway 6. The rain continues to fall for the good part of the morning as friend and I visit the usual tourist attractions of Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. Both can be recommended as nice detours from the main highway, however if time is a limiting factor – Franz Josef Glacier is the pick of the two for the lush surrounding forests leading up to the glacier.

Further south along the highway as we head into Haast Pass, our Corolla’s flaws become more apparent. Excessive road noise on long stretches of coarse chip bitumen wears away at our energy, making any bend look enticing. The catch here is that any bend highlights the Corolla’s lack of dynamic ability; excessive body roll, a twitchy rear end and lack of grip all have us wanting for smoother, straighter roads.

Snow capped mountains surrounding Lake Wanaka

Our wants aren’t met. Although the roads do smooth out as we enter the run along Lake Wanaka, the corners continue. Just as well the windscreen’s big, because the view is amazing. The jagged mountains still have their snow-capped tops lit up by the now out of view sun, providing just the smallest amount of light to allow the lake to glow.

Day 3: Wanaka - Queenstown

The temperature hovers around the freezing mark as we head out of our overnight stop over in Wanaka. Today’s destination of Queenstown is just a little over an hour away. The drive takes us through a fruit-growing region with plenty of stalls to stop at for a quick snack, and then on through Kawarau gorge, famous for having the first commercial bungee jumping site, off the Kawarau bridge. Traffic between Wanaka and Queenstown is heavy, keeping driving enjoyment down and frustration high.

After arriving in picturesque Queenstown and not being able to find parking to go for lunch, an executive decision’s made to go on yet another mini road trip. We pick a road and follow it. A few kilometres along, light rain turns to sleet… and then to snow. As we’re enjoying the moment of our first snowfalls, a sight many hope to see on a trip to New Zealand approaches us: sheep on the road.

Glenorchy - Queenstown Rd

The road to Glenorchy, aptly named Glenorchy-Queenstown Rd, is reminiscent of parts of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. The only difference is that this particular route is now covered in a thin layer of snow. Not to worry, the view more than makes up for the inability to exploit a few corners. And when you get to Glenorchy? … well, the cold weather was great for a soup at the Glenorchy Café (GYC, on Wills St).

Day 4: Around Queenstown

Today was meant to be a day trip down to Milford Sound. Mother nature didn’t like that idea though and instead decided to snow us into Queenstown for the better part of the morning. That’s okay though, because it mean we were able to enjoy Queenstown at its best.

Mid morning allowed us the courage to don our jackets, jump into the car and see what we could find. We followed another route along Lake Wakatipu, this time heading south. The snow prevented speeds much above 50-60km/h, which along roads like this, is a real disappointment. We were lucky enough to have the skies clear up for us though, and with that – stopped in Kingston for some lunch.

Between Queenstown and Kingston

And here was the surprise of the day, the Corolla handled the snow brilliantly. Its skinny tires, lack of excess torque and insensitive throttle mapping all came together to make smooth progress on the snow and ice. Just as well, since the chains provided by the rental company were tangled and rusted in their container.

Day 5: Queenstown - Christchurch

Our final day on the South Island meant a drive back to Christchurch from Queenstown. Based on opinions from friends and family, we were expecting the drive to be close to 8 hours long. Reality proved it to be closer to 6 ½, including stops. The route back to Christchurch is just under 500km long and provides the most eclectic mix of road types and scenery of all the drives taken so far.

We exit Queenstown back through the Kawarau Gorge. At just after 7am, traffic is almost non-existent and the chance to enjoy the road’s corners is relished after Day 3’s not so involving drive along this road. The Corollas brakes hold up well as the road descends through tight corners to come out at Lake Dunstan, leading into the Lindis Valley. The Lindis Valley provides higher speed sweeping corners along the flat valley floor as we make progress towards the Lindis Pass.

Looking towards Omarama

The transition into the Lindis Pass is quite quick and dramatic. Clear roads turn to ice and the flat roads start climb. Although the roads are covered in ice, grit has been laid and safe progress is made without chains at speeds that the local constabulary would be happy with in school zones. It takes almost an hour to progress through the pass due to the conditions, but once again – the Corolla has impressed in conditions that are less than ideal.

Clockwise from top left: Looking to Lindis Pass, Icy Lindis Pass, Lake Tekapo.

As we exit Lindis Pass, we enter the flat Mackenzie’s basin. Extending about 100km, the vast, flat spaces of the basin are surrounded by mountains that tower thousands of metres above. The higher speeds along the straight roads take us past the turquoise coloured waters of Lake Pukaki, with its views of Mt Cook, and Lake Tekapo.

Exiting Mackenzie’s basin is through Burke’s Pass, the final challenge before the long stretches of country highway along the Canterbury plains take us back to Christchurch. Despite the frequent changes in elevation and mid-speed corners, Burkes Pass just doesn’t have the grandeur of Lindis Pass and proves a little disappointing. None the less, it’s our final good bye to the Southern Alps as we’re soon back in Christchurch.

Final Impressions: The Corolla

I have to give credit to the Corolla, it never let us down. It’s that impression of reliability on which this car’s reputation is built. Despite some obvious deficiencies in comparison to the competition; lack of ESP, lack of power, cumbersome gear box, uninspired handling (and I’m only naming those that immediately come to mind), it seems to reassert itself as fit for purpose in the simplest of ways.

Whilst it lacked grunt (100kW @ 6000rpm / 175Nm @ 4400rpm) and the four-speed auto was unwilling to down shift unless forced to, which was often, the 1.8 litre still managed to return a respectable 7.4 litres per 100km over the entire trip. No easy feat considering the mountains we climbed, and rather slow average speeds through snow and ice. The elevated ergonomic positioning of the shift gate also meant that manual control of the auto box wasn’t as much of an inconvenience as it could’ve been.

The handling could also be more entertaining. Varying degrees of understeer, lack of steering feel, body roll and slow turn in aren’t exactly fun. But these are things that can at least partially be attributed to the base model’s skinny tires. It’s those skinny tires though that cut through the snow in Queenstown and didn’t slip over the icy Lindis Pass.

Quality seems to be there in most places frequented by your hands. All stalk controls, HVAC, audio and gear controls feel solid and precise. However, large areas of dashboard and console were covered in hard, cheap plastic – causing very obvious rattles between two glove box lids that were rubbing against each other.

Conclusion? I can see why it’s popular. When faced with reality, most people do just want cheap and reliable transport, which the Corolla provides. For the rest of us that don’t enjoy trade-offs, I recommend shopping around.

Next time in Auto Route Josh tackles the USA’s Route 66 in a legendary Mustang

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Holden & Ford most petrol-hungry

July 20th, 2008 56 Comments

The federal government has released its Green Vehicle Guide online, naming and shaming a variety of popular vehicles for their average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The Holden Commodore has been named as the most “petrol-hungry” of Australia’s big-selling cars, closely followed by its rival, the Ford Falcon.

Toyota reports all-time record sales

July 1st, 2008 270 Comments

Toyota has broken an all-time industry record this month, becoming the first car company in Australia to sell in excess of 25,000 vehicles in a single month.

Sales figures released today reveal that Toyota sold more than 25,600 cars for the month of June, breaking its own record of 24,539 which it set 12 months ago.

Ford says Diesel/LPG not Hybrid is future

June 13th, 2008 94 Comments

Ford Motor Company Australia is in no hurry to join its rivals Toyota and GM Holden in rushing down the hybrid power path, preferring instead to stick with its proven LPG and diesel as alternative fuels.

-David Twomey

At a monthly media briefing in Melbourne today (Thursday) Vice President Marketing and Sales, Mark Winslow, said Ford was ‘comfortable’ with its current strategy, which focuses on the E-Gas variant of the Ford Falcon and increased diesel power.

He also intimated that Ford globally was working of “low displacement, forced induction” engine technology, taken to mean small displacement engines that use both turbo and supercharging to provide the power and performance of a much larger engine while offering the fuel efficiency of a small engine.

Ford Australia President Bill Osborne, who normally takes the media briefing but is in the United States where the Australian government is discussing the future of the local automotive industry with both General Motors and Ford, has already said the Falcon will have diesel power by 2010, when it also switches from a locally-made straight six-cylinder engine to an imported V6.

Mr Winslow said Ford definitely saw a lot more diesel-powered cars in its future, along with other developing technologies, but was not really talking about hybrids.

He said the E-Gas Falcon was a proven green vehicle that provided both lower tailpipe emissions and lower running costs.

He cited the example of an E-Gas Falcon XT which he said, run over 25,000 kilometres a year, was $350 cheaper to operate than the best-selling Toyota Corolla.

Mr Winslow said that in the past two years E-Gas Falcons had gone from having residual values $1000 less than a petrol car to commanding a $2500 premium.

Further questioning the rush to hybrids, Mr Winslow posed the question of who would buy all the three year old used hybrids that would head onto the market as a result of the government backed push to encourage Toyota to build 10,000 Hybrid Camry’s a year in Australia.

“We would be concerned about the profile of the second user for such cars, which we expect in the first place will be bought by companies and government.”

He questioned whether typical second-hand private buyers would be keen to take on hybrids, with the potential of costly battery replacement.

“E-Gas on the other hand has the proven record of operating economy plus it is greener, with four per cent less emissions, and that is where Ford is already firmly established.”

Mr Winslow also confirmed that E-Gas was now being built in the new FG Falcon range and said the cars were being shipped to dealers.

He also emphasised that from about 2010 Ford would be pursuing its plans for a diesel engine in the Falcon and added that once the next-generation Focus small car was being built in Australia, it too would offer a locally-made diesel alternative.

He said Ford believed these cars would also present a strong case to government and fleet buyers as alternatives that were fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

Mr Winslow said that in 2007, of total Falcon sales, 15 per cent of sedans, 41 per cent of wagons and 37 per cent of utilities were E-Gas.

He said Ford had stepped up production of the LPG components about two years ago and was in a position to meet almost any demand for E-Gas in the future.

He also added that by 2010 Ford would have the Australian-built Focus with a diesel engine to compete with the Toyota Camry hybrid when it eventually became available.

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Toyota exceeds 100,000 sales in five months

June 5th, 2008 36 Comments

Toyota Australia has set yet another record in the Australian automotive world. The Big T has sold 101,816 cars in the first five months of a calendar year, the largest record ever set by a manufacturer.

Of course Toyota was only beating its own record set last year at 91,984 vehicles for the same period. No other company has even come close to 75,000 vehicles in a January-May period.

Toyota HiLux tops April sales

May 5th, 2008 137 Comments

The figures are in and Australia’s best selling car for April didn’t have a Holden or Ford badge - and it wasn’t a Corolla.

The Toyota HiLux instead reigned supreme, with sales of 3814 vehicles, up 27.1 per cent on April 2007.

2009 Toyota Auris Verso spied

May 2nd, 2008 33 Comments

Our spy photographers have captured Toyota’s new MPV, the Auris Verso, better known in Australia as the people-moving version of the Corolla.

Currently unavailable in the Australian market, the Auris Verso is likely to carry over its range of petrol and diesel engines from the current generation.

Corolla best selling car for Q1 2008

April 3rd, 2008 201 Comments

With official figures released today outlining the performance of the Australian motoring industry for the first quarter of 2008, Australia’s best selling car has beeen announced.

The humble Toyota Corolla is Australia’s best selling model, with 12,002 sold between January 1 and March 31 - 500 more than the next best selling model.

The big small car comparison

November 14th, 2007 109 Comments

Mitsubishi Lancer ES .vs. Honda Civic VTi .vs. Toyota Corolla Ascent Sedan .vs. Suzuki SX4 Sedan

One of the most hotly contested segments in the car industry is the small car segment. There was a time when small car meant Japanese car but European, Korean, and even American names are now entering the arena. But Japan is fighting back. The CarAdvice team looked at three newcomers and one slightly older model fighting to bring the small car crown back to the land of the rising sun.

There were a few surprises in the mix and the end result was far from easy to reach.

Supercharged Toyota Corolla S3

November 1st, 2007 96 Comments

It’s not everyday you get to use the words supercharged and Corolla in the same sentence, so excuse me if I keep repeating myself. Toyota has shown a supercharged Toyota Corolla at the SEMA auto show in Las Vegas.

Powered by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder supercharged engine, the Corolla S3 is purely a show car with no plans for production. Nonetheless, it does prove a point: even a Corolla can be interesting.