Postby symphonia4 » January 21st, 2011, 3:37 pm
I currently have a 2009 GLi Corolla that I bought from TTTL.
I'll break down my review into a few categories:
Comfort: I don't have very many complaints in this area. The interior is spacious and the seating is supportive. The suspension on the car holds up pretty decently to give a fairly smooth ride, even if not as springy as some of the other vehicles I've been in.
3.5 out of 5
Safety: I can't say that I've had any major crashes with this vehicle to comment on how great it is at keeping someone alive in a situation like that but, I have found that the brakes are responsive and do a fine job of stopping the car. I think I can go from about 80 km/hr to 0 in a few seconds if I really needed to. In addition, it's a fairly light car so that it's much easy to stop than a big pick-up truck or any of the cars in the corporate class, like the Cefiro.
4 out of 5
Performance: This can be the downfall of the Corolla if you're looking for massive acceleration and the ability to pass out any car on the road. For a normal driver however, the performance of the 1.5L 1NZ-FE is satisfactory and I am certain the 1.6L or 1.8L engine sizes are more than satisfactory. I'll be the first to admit I'm one of those drivers you see cutting in and out on the highway and even for me, this car gets it done well enough. Granted though, it can't do it as well as say a 2006 Camry rocking a 2.4L engine.
3 out of 5.
Overall: It's a great car, IF, it's what your price range is limited to [most likely you'd also be looking at vehicles like Lancers and Almeras within this price range]. The car has great trunk space and ideally it's a good family car for the guy/girl that needs something that works, and works well, under a budget. It's also pretty good for younger and less experienced drivers. I can attest to that seeing as I am a younger and less experienced driver. The bumper is a flexible plastic so that small dents simply pop back out on its own.
I give this car, based on functionality, a solid 4 out of 5 overall.
However, as a luxury car [comparing to BMWs and higher end cars], it wouldn't score very highly.
What it comes down to is your price range. Also note, I can't compare this vehicle to a lancer as I don't have exposure to Lancers but I'd definitely put it above the Almera.
About the super gasoline thing, Super Gasoline has an octane rating of 92. Premium Gasoline has an octane rating of 95. Only 3 points difference.
In Trinidad and Tobago we have the fortune of a rich oil and gas supply, and a government that subsidizes our petroleum, so that our gasoline is fairly cheap. In the USA, and I expect other parts of the world, gas stations retail gasoline with octane rating far below 92 and people buy them. Why? Because in their location 92 is pretty expensive compared to the others.
To help explain octane number, I will explain the difference between higher and lower octane ratings. For a lower octane rated gasoline, it is more easily ignited and under the pressure within the engine in the presence of oxygen, these gasoline can spontaneously explode without assistance from the spark plug, damaging the engine. The higher the internal pressure of the engine, the more likely it is to combust spontaneously. Higher octane gasoline are more resistant to combustion through pressure and oxygen alone but are also more difficult to produce, hence the higher price. In summary, unless an engine uses forced induction [as would be obtained by adding a turbo or super charger, which increases internal engine pressure] it, 9 times out of 10, can run perfectly fine on Super gasoline.
Finally, I can't think of any faults that my Corolla has, or at least any that I can come up with before I compare it to a higher tier car.
Last edited by
symphonia4 on January 22nd, 2011, 7:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
