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2009 Toyota Corolla

3103 messages,  Last post on Dec 14, 2011 at 6:31 AM

You are in the Toyota Corolla Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Corolla, Sedan

Messages Page 173 of 312

#1712 of 3103 5 Speed Automatic by moparbad

Nov 04, 2007 (4:00 pm)

kdhspyder This is a good subject for enthusiasts to banter back and forth about...but really now how many gears does a 1.8L engine need? end
 
A 1.8L engine performs better with a 5 speed automatic than a 4 speed automatic IMHO.
Honda Civic DX (the base version of Civic) provides a choice of 5 speed automatic or 5 speed manual.
 
If you choose to use need as a basis to defend the 4 speed automatic in the 2009 Corolla then I'd like an explanation as to why Toyota is not using a 3 speed automatic since the 2000 Corolla offered a 1.8L with a 3 speed automatic. If it was OK then, why not know?
 
3 speed and 4 speed automatic's were fine in 2000, for the 2009 Corolla I expected a 5 speed automatic.
 
quote Honda -5-speed automatic transmission offers more gear ratios for quick acceleration and enhanced fuel economy. You get more power, smoother upshifts and downshifts and quieter operation.-end

#1713 of 3103 Re: 5 Speed Automatic [moparbad] by mackabee

Nov 04, 2007 (4:25 pm)

Replying to: moparbad (Nov 04, 2007 4:00 pm)
Do Hondas offer DOHC with Dual VVT-i?
 Mack

#1714 of 3103 Re: 2009 Missing Features/Options [kdhspyder] by mackabee

Nov 04, 2007 (4:31 pm)

Replying to: kdhspyder (Nov 04, 2007 6:28 am)
I'll have to disagree with a couple of your predictions.
1. vsc/trac will be optional and not standard
2. EJ option w/Bluetooth is only what? $650 on Camry? why would it be twice as much on Corolla.?
3. I still don't see the smart key as an option on our version of the Corolla.
4. Nav will probably be around $1800.00 or so. Same design as the Scion's and quite nice to use also.
5. Z1 pack looks like the Camry price. I believe it's lower for Corolla.
  
Unless you have some info on pricing that I don't then we are spitting in the wind right now my friend.
 Mack
5. Leather you're probably on the money.
6. Destination seems a bit steep.

#1715 of 3103 Re: I'm surprised ... [backy] by jaxs1

Nov 04, 2007 (4:39 pm)

Replying to: backy (Nov 04, 2007 1:41 pm)
I see cars every day with door dings above, below and past their moldings.
You cannot rely on moldings at all. What works more reliably is not parking in tight spaces.
If you cannot or will not do this, you will have to deal with door dings, moldings or not.

#1716 of 3103 Re: I'm surprised ... [jaxs1] by moparbad

Nov 04, 2007 (4:52 pm)

Replying to: jaxs1 (Nov 04, 2007 4:39 pm)
You cannot rely on moldings at all. What works more reliably is not parking in tight spaces.
 
The only possible way I could avoid not parking in tight spaces would be to never drive my car.
 
I'd prefer to have bodyside moldings as standard equipement.
 
I'm fully aware that the younger generation finds moldings to be out of fashion.
 
Moldings provide more protection than no moldings.

#1717 of 3103 Look at 2008 customer reports here at Edmunds by mcmanus

Nov 05, 2007 (4:04 am)

2008 ratings for Corolla are down, dis-satisfaction is up. The industry moves on (quality, Hp, features, etc.) and Corolla stays dull and non-competative. Toyota quality reputation has been badly tarnished. What segment is Corolla supposed to be competing in anyway? Too expensive (MSRP versus features) to be a good economy alternative yet lacks performance features to stack up agains Civic or Mazda3.
 
The redesign is already too little and too late. This apparent "freshening" of engine/body should have been introduced as a mid-term tweak years ago. And don't talk to me about sales figures. Henry Ford almost ran his company into the tank selling Model Ts way too long with that strategy. This is a car that only a Toyota fan (or someone that is only after mpg in a compact) might attract.
 
A 2.4L Corolla took some Einsten way too long to come up with. Is that supposed to make it sporty? What Toyota recent retail heritage are we supposed to believe that would come from? Look at the TC or Solara and tell me this will make Corolla sporty (Not). IMO it fits closer to a granny racer description.
 
Corolla has been neglected like an ugly step sister by a company that has been overly focused on sales figures and hybrids.
 
I've been a Toyota fan (of the local dealership as much as the brand) and have owned three. A year ago I was interested in the new Corolla, but now I don't think I'd be satisfied with either the current one (if cheap enough) or the (mildly) new one. I was hoping for an economy version of the new BMW 1 series from Toyota.

#1718 of 3103 Re: I'm surprised ... [moparbad] by mcmanus

Nov 05, 2007 (4:11 am)

Replying to: moparbad (Nov 04, 2007 4:52 pm)
Moldings are a classic example of marketing. It cost $5 to put them on a car, but they'll spend $50 per car to advertize them. If market research indicates that no one cares about them (and that the backlash is less than the advantages) they'll delete them.
 
Then if you want them, the dealer can add them for $100. Its a win/win for the company.
 
Narrow cars with tall seating (and therefore shorter doors) are the best defense against parking lot scrapes. Honestly cars shouldn't be designed to be so pretty in the first place. The engineer's solution would be to build them all simple with square sides and add a 2x4 bumper all around.

#1719 of 3103 Re: 2009 Missing Features/Options [mackabee] by kdhspyder

Nov 05, 2007 (5:42 am)

Replying to: mackabee (Nov 04, 2007 4:31 pm)
Yes it will be optional on some models like the base and possibly LE but they've already announced that it will be standard on the XRS and I'm certain on the top trim XLE.
 
The EJ extra on the Camry is $1000, maybe $1100.
 
There is no reason to believe that Canada will get SKS and not us.
 
But that was the point of my post, to make a prediction 6 mos in advance of the launch. We'll see.

#1720 of 3103 Re: Look at 2008 customer reports here at Edmunds [mcmanus] by kdhspyder

Nov 05, 2007 (6:16 am)

Replying to: mcmanus (Nov 05, 2007 4:04 am)
HUH???
 
Your first paragraph is off the chart in error. Dissatusfaction? The 2nd most popular vehicle in NA is being bought in ridiculous numbers in it's 6th year because the public is dissatisfied with it? The vehicle is higher in price than when it debuted, is virtually unchanged and dated after 6 yrs and yet people are snapping them up in volume second only to the Camry? Who's doing the buying if the public is dissatisfied. OK they might be dissatisfied because the vehicle is dated.
 
Demographic goal? They ( Toyota ) have hit this one squarely on the the screws. The buying public in NA for the economy segment is looking for 'normal' styling, reliability, economy and a very affordable price. 4 doors, 4 wheels and an engine that will turn on for 10+ yrs without costing an extra dime would be a good description of the vehicle for this segment. The buying populatio falls under a normal distribution bell curve and Toyota has identified what means most to the largest segment of buyers under this curve.
 
Yes Mazda and Honda and Nissan have specialty vehicles that perform much better than any Corolla. But the volume in these vehicles is far too small to build a strategy around. The money to be made from these vehicles is of very little interest to a huge manufacturer. Volume, Volume, Volume is all that really counts.
 
That being said, elsewhere someone pointed out that if a person really really wanted to 'show off' in his Corolla then the 2.4L + TRD accessories are the perfect way to do it. The 2.4l is a lot better for low end torque than any of the rest which don't hit their strides until near the redline. Add the right TRD accessories and this can be a pocket rocket to compete with any of the rest.
 
But because Toyota has TRD it allows the main thrust of the production and marketing to be directed toward the general population that's looking for 4 wheels, 4 doors and and engine that costs nothing extra for 10 yrs.
 
You are right that the Corolla even though it is the prime vehicle for Toyota worldwide is just a good soldier here in NADM. It has always protected the Camry's flank. The Camry is the star. But there is a very good likelyhood that this new Gen10 might pass the Camry and take over the spotlight itself.
 
Look at the comparo I offered above. The new '09 is almost the same vehicle ( shorter ) that the Gen3 Camry was - except more powerful, more efficient, with more safety features, with more interior features and all at a lower price than that Camry. It will probably eat into some 'traditional' Camry sales. However an XLE Corolla with 6 airbags + VSC/TRAC, leather, JBL+BT, sunroof+alloys, SKS + Auto climate will only be slightly more than a standard LE Camry with no options. Then a Navi option can be added where it can't be added to an LE Camry. That's a good choice for the buying public. It helps to support the pricing of the Camry as well.
 
'Well Ma'am, if you don't really want a $26,500 ( MSRP ) XLE Camry with all those options how about a Corolla with the same options for $3000 less?'

#1721 of 3103 Re: I'm surprised ... [mcmanus] by backy

Nov 05, 2007 (8:48 am)

Replying to: mcmanus (Nov 05, 2007 4:11 am)
Then if you want them, the dealer can add them for $100.
 
LOL, that's a good one! Try more like $200-250. For example, what's the price of the optional side moldings on the Camry? That will give you some idea what they'll cost on the Corolla.
 
I doubt market research had anything to do with Toyota dropping side moldings from the Corolla--and the Camry, RAV4, etc. before it. It's all about bucks. Toyota, and other automakers, have dropped features like side moldings and folding side mirrors and padded interior trim because they figure some people won't notice. But some (like me) find those features useful (modlings and folding mirrors anyway) and do notice.
 
Another cut from the 2009 Corolla--no one seemed to notice that the not-too-bad-looking plood was dropped from the LE for 2009, and now you need to get the XLE to get plood.

Messages Page 173 of 312

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