Top of the flower.. Review on Toyota Corolla

Yes, that is what the term Corolla means in Japanese language. There is no introduction needed for this set of wheels to an Indian customer any more. Debuted in India in the year 2003, when it was introduced globally. Being worked with Toyota guys for the past two years in India and now in Ireland, I got to know about this machine better and I would be delighted if this review could help someone who is planning to invest money worth a million to buy an automobile in this segment.

STYLING

Exteriors

No doubt it’s a typical American. European model is having different head lamp and tail lamp set up. I would say Indian corolla is more stunning in the looks department. Build quality is exceptionally good with very less panel gaps. The reassuring thud sound from the doors speaks for itself regarding the build quality. Eventhough the vehicle distinguishes itself as a wee bit small in size when compared with the likes of Skoda and Elantra, it even beats a Qualis in length and as you can see most of the space is contributed towards the passenger area by limiting the front and rear overhangs. It also will play a remarkable role in the vehicle’s handling aspects.

Interiors

I would say the interiors are the very best in its class. It will give the feel of a more expensive car, say the class of a D segment automobile. The cabin is well insulated and you can barely hear any noise from outside. Our demo car was producing a small vibration from inside the dashboard though. Adjust the seat and the steering wheel according to your convenience and you will get a very good driving posture. I wont say the 6 CD changer that comes along is a terrific performer, but not so bad as well, it can deliver a decent performance. The wide door openings make the entry and exit tasks easier. Seats are also spacious and are good enough to accommodate 5 passengers comfortably. The 60:40 split seat set up at the rear allows you direct access to the boot from the cabin. The plastics and other gadgets inside are simply outstanding and are very much complying with the standards of this legendary marque. Very cosy interiors overall. Also it manages to render a sensible 430 litres of boot space which is adequate enough for a car of this class.

Engine

Very fast and responsive. The 1.8 litre powerplant is adequate to pump out a true 125 power strokes. VVTi technology is used to increase the efficiency. It adjusts the valve timing in a continuous basis with the help of an in-built computer in accordance with the way in which the car is driven and thereby you will get fuel efficiency and performance whenever required. It is a tough stone when it comes to reliability. According to the European technicians, a Toyota engine, if the service is proper, would work beyond 400K miles without an engine overhaul. The kind of reliability it provides is the reason behind its success across the world. Toyota is using the same engine to power RAV4s in Europe.

The Drive

Turn the ignition keys on to awake the silent and powerful monster under the hood. The acceleration it provides is simply mindblowing. Standstill to 100km/h in just 9 seconds. Now that is the real adrenaline rush. The gear ratios are very tall, you can reach nearly 100km/h in the second gear. The top speed claimed is 185kmph but I think it is capable to do more. Another good thing about the engine is the low end torque. You can feel this when you are on the move. Engage the fifth cog and start decelerating. Reduce the speed to 25kmph or even less, it produces no jerk. Now start accelerating in the same gear, and now you will expect some kind of sounds from the tappets, but corolla glides up comfortably without any noises from the engine. In the city drive if you engage third gear, you will get the feel of a car with an auto transmission. The power steering is soft and looks pretty good with the leather wrappings. One thing the steering fails to offer is the road response. You wont get any feed back from the road and hence the driving would not be an involving one. Gear shift is not so smooth but don’t worry this is exactly the same feel you get in a Camry. The engineers say, they kept like that purposely in-order to get a crisp feel. Eventhough it is not equipped with the gear-neutral warning system, which came along with diesel Qualises as a standard fitment. Wondering what technology is that!!! Try switching off the ignition of a Qualis in the neutral gear, the gear lever won’t forget to give a nice whack on your left thigh. Now, that is the punishment you will get from Toyota, for not parking it sensibly. Corolla buyers are too unlucky to miss it…ha..ha..

Suspension

Well, these folks reworked on the suspension for the Indian version, to increase the ground clearance and to cater the needs and wants of Indian terrain. The front double wishbones do a good job and is smooth whereas for the rear they have introduced a new technology called ETA beam. It is an independent suspension with a beam across connecting both the rear wheels. The idea is to provide the softness of independent suspension without loosing the stability at higher speeds. As a result the ride is comparatively stiff at the back seat. But this mess is not there in the ones which are being sold in this country.

Brakes

Never ever try your performance exercises with one without an ABS. Remember speed without control is as bad as a trap only. It peaks with speed in no time, and what if it cannot be controlled effectively? With a well insulated cabin and silent interior, you wont feel the speed from inside unless you look at the speedo. I would like to share one of my experiences with our non-ABS variant courtesy vehicle. We were going for a road show with a Qualis and Corolla. The guy with Qualis went in front since he was familiar with the place of the show, and I was supposed to follow him with Corolla. We were kinda rushing but we were already late. I was caught up in one of the signal lights and couldn’t track the Qualis then. There was a light drizzling and the road was wet a little bit. Once I was outside the city limits, I was comfortably cruising in an 80-90kmph range. On the way I saw a bus pulled-in on my side and another in the opposite side so that there is a comfortable gap in between to go across. So I put the right indicator and flashed the headlamps once and proceeded. As I am almost near to them the driver in the opposite side started to move and almost blocked my way, which I couldn’t even expect. A gentle touch on the brakes, the rear left wheel got locked and the vehicle turned in almost 90 degrees. Thankfully in that time gap the way was cleared a little bit and I made a tight narrow escape as if you see in Hollywood movies. So be careful if you drive one without an ABS. Still I won’t blame it fully on the brake system but the tyres were also worn out a bit badly, since the vehicle was covered nearly 32K kilometres.

Read the continuation in the commends section...