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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 255 of 311

#2536 of 3103 Re: For example... [kdhspyder] by backy

Mar 14, 2008 (7:26 am)

Replying to: kdhspyder (Mar 14, 2008 5:45 am)
However the actual content is far far far superior to any other Corolla ever put on the road here in the US. So that can't be a serious issue.
 
I have to disagree with that as a general statement. IMO the interior of the last gen Corolla was superior to that of the 2009 model. In terms of powertrain, I don't see any big advantage that the 2009 1.8L has over the 2008 powertrain except for a few more ponies, which are used up by the extra weight. The 2009 does have more standard safety features (finally!) and some options the 2008 didn't have such as Bluetooth and factory nav, but as you like to say, at what cost?
 
Why in the world would the vehicle with the most content and best fuel economy be priced $2000 lower than the others?
 
Most content? Hardly. "Best" fuel economy? Not quite. Tied in city mpg with the Versa (at a considerably lower price) and bested in highway mpg by the Civic. But as you say, the Corolla will probably sell in big numbers if only because of its high fuel economy--coupled with the Toyota logo on the trunk.

#2537 of 3103 Re: Brakes for 09 Corolla & Milages on Title? [thaip] by mcdawgg

Mar 14, 2008 (8:20 am)

Replying to: thaip (Mar 13, 2008 9:44 pm)
Yes, I had to wait about 10 days for mine before I could go to the BMV.

#2538 of 3103 Cheap Plastic interior by cubssoxs

Mar 14, 2008 (8:39 am)

Replying to: mcdawgg (Mar 14, 2008 8:20 am)
Does anyone know why Toyota put such a cheap interior on the new corolla. I mean come on you are spending so much money for a car and they give you that hard plastic interior. The previous gen corollas had that soft plastic stuff that was not hard. I mean it seems that Toyota is pinching pennies.

#2539 of 3103 Re: Cheap Plastic interior [cubssoxs] by backy

Mar 14, 2008 (8:57 am)

Replying to: cubssoxs (Mar 14, 2008 8:39 am)
Toyota is a very profitable company. They also have smart marketing people who I'm sure have figured out that enough people will buy Corollas no matter what the interior quality is like, because it's reliable and has excellent fuel economy. Plus they can sell tons of them to the Hertzes of the world if the public sales aren't high enough to suit them.
 
As long as so many people buy Corollas no matter how cheap the interior materials are, we deserve whatever we get.

#2540 of 3103 Re: For example... [backy] by kdhspyder

Mar 14, 2008 (9:51 am)

Replying to: backy (Mar 14, 2008 7:26 am)
You're talking about touchy feely things again and that's not content. It's maybe the quality of the content. This Corolla so far outpaces the prior Gens that it's not even close. The last Gen was very good. This one is better
6 airbags standard ..iso 2
Plus...
Active head restraints
AUX input
Tilt and telescoping SW
More comfortable seating
Smoother quieter engine
Better fuel economy
More room inside
Larger trunk.
Then...
There's all the additonal features that could be added that were never available on any Corolla in the past.
 
All your efforts to minimize the current Gen just are not going to hold up under scrutiny ..except maybe...maybe... the touchy feelie aspect. Give it a rest.
 
The Elantra and Sonata are good vehicles too. The Corolla will succeed despite your protestations.
 
BTW from www.fueleconomy.gov
Versa CVT 27 / 33 / 29
Versa 4AT 24 / 32 / 27
Corolla 4AT 27 / 35 / 30? It remains the leader

#2541 of 3103 Re: Cheap Plastic interior [cubssoxs] by kdhspyder

Mar 14, 2008 (10:03 am)

Replying to: cubssoxs (Mar 14, 2008 8:39 am)
As noted several times previously.. it appears to be a decision of content over the touchy feelie aspect.
 
The added content also puts the others in the class under pressure to keep up and maintain profitability. That's not an easy task for any of the manufacturers. Luckily Toyota and Honda have huge volumes but not so much the others.
 
The 2009 Corolla is only a few hundred dollars more than the rest of the competing 2008's now being sold but it has more features with some exceptions. Now the rest of the pack has to somehow find a way to add the additional features and keep the pricing in line and keep profitability up.....and try to stay within striking distance of the Corolla in fuel economy.
 
Then there's Quality, Dependability and Reliability that the others need to overcome. There are literally millions of deeply satisfied Corolla / former Corolla owners out there for whom this current model is superior to any Corolla they've ever owned.

#2542 of 3103 Re: For example... [kdhspyder] by backy

Mar 14, 2008 (12:42 pm)

Replying to: kdhspyder (Mar 14, 2008 9:51 am)
Things I can touch and feel are, to me, content.
 
I see you are looking at FE differently now though. Yesterday you touted the city and highway EPA figures of the Corolla and declared it the FE leader. Since that turns out not to be true, you're looking at the composite FE number--which to my knowledge isn't published for the Corolla yet. At best it's 1-2 mpg better than several other cars in its class. But it's a new design, the newest in the class, with an all-new engine. And the best it could do is 2 mpg more than a tired old iron-block engine from one competitor, and 1 mpg better than the more powerful engine in the Civic. And that's the new Corolla's BEST feature.
 
Lest you think I am trying to "minimize the current Gen" Corolla, that's not it at all. I am trying to bring some reality into these discussions, so that we don't just hear from people like you who make their living selling Corollas and other Toyotas. If you think my opinions are extreme, go take a look at third-party reviews, like the one that was posted here the other day. You'll see some common themes.
 
The added content also puts the others in the class under pressure to keep up and maintain profitability.
 
More like the other way around, isn't it? It's clear that adding more features and maintaining profitability was a strain on Toyota, otherwise I expect we'd see a much nicer interior, maybe an independent rear suspension, maybe a 5AT and a few other things offered by its competitors. It's not like the Corolla was a leader in adding features like 6 airbags, active head restraints, standard ABS, larger interior (but not close to being the largest in its class, and still with a tight back seat), aux input, telescopic steering wheel, a smooth / quiet / fuel efficient engine, and even features like Bluetooth and nav. Corolla is playing catch-up in all those areas. But is still behind others in the class in availability of ESC, interior room, interior quality, driving position, handling, braking, powertrain (power, transmission), and features for the dollar. So it's not just the "touchy feelie" aspect.
 
I know that you'd prefer that everyone get in line and sing the praises of the new Corolla without a discouraging word (skies are not cloudy all day and all that), as you do, but for those of us who don't sell Corollas for a living, including the automotive press, that's hard to do in the cold light of day.

#2543 of 3103 Re: Cheap Plastic interior [cubssoxs] by bits4brains

Mar 14, 2008 (12:47 pm)

Replying to: cubssoxs (Mar 14, 2008 8:39 am)
I'm missing something about the hard plastics thing. Exactly how does the hardness or softness of plastics have anything to do with value? It seems to me like a bit of a style bias. Hard plastics could as easily be called edgy or modern.
 
I did notice that the armrest was a little tough, but getting back into my 15-year-old Camry with the armrest with the rip in it from my elbow it occurs to me that making the armrest of sturdier stuff might not be a bad idea in a car that I plan to drive 15 years / 250k+ miles.
 
Maybe I just don't get it.

#2544 of 3103 Re: Cheap Plastic interior [bits4brains] by jaxs1

Mar 14, 2008 (12:50 pm)

Replying to: bits4brains (Mar 14, 2008 12:47 pm)
A hard plastic armrest that hurts your arm after a few hours is worse than a soft armrest that has a rip after 15 years. You can always fix the torn fabric.
 
I don't care much about the top of the dash and door panels, but parts you need to touch and lean on should be padded.
 
Hard plastic dash and door pieces are also much more likely to rattle and buzz down the road,

#2545 of 3103 Re: Cheap Plastic interior [jaxs1] by waltchan

Mar 14, 2008 (2:54 pm)

Replying to: jaxs1 (Mar 14, 2008 12:50 pm)
It's no wonder why my 2009 Corolla LE rattles like crazy in the inside. See "2009 Toyota Corolla Problems and Repairs" thread.

Messages Page 255 of 311

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