i am thinking of getting a new corolla in the near future. Has anyone had any experience with the 1.4 engine? Has it got enough power or is the 1.6 the better option? Economy is quite important to me.
Jus
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Well I suppose a diesel might be an option but it wasn't my first thought.
Jus
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How many miles a year do you do? Fuel economy is a nice thing to have but if you're not a cab driver or the like, it's nowhere near as important as depreciation.
Having said that, there is roughly a £1300 premium for the Corolla diesel over the petrol 1.4 at www.ukcarbroker.co.uk/toyotapricesmastercopy.htm so you may be better off financially with the petrol.
I'm afraid I have no experience of the car though, although there are a couple of Corolla owners on here. They tend to have 1.6 litre versions, although if you're an especially gentle driver I guess the 1.4 would do you fine.
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I've got a (old shape) Corolla with the 1.4 vvti - very nice engine - below 3500rpm it is in 'fuel economy' mode - I get over 43mpg out of it on mixed driving, or rev it over 3500rpm for some jollies - it actually accelerates pretty well. The new Corolla is a much nicer car to drive, too, than my old one. Since the Toyota Corolla diesel only does about 48mpg combined, you would have to do some driving to make up the miles. Oh - the reliablity is great, too - mine is now 2.5 years old and has covered 90,000 miles, and the economy is still as good - plus I haven't had one mechanical problem. Only minus point on mine and the new Corolla's - they need a sixth gear for motorway cruising...
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I only do between 8-10,000 miles a year and most of it is local short trips. I currently have an R reg fiesta 1.25 LX which is a nice drive around town but I find it uncomfortble for even slightly longer trips.
I have looked at the new fiesta but I wasn,t that impressed and i really want to try something different. I want something thats OK around town but which can also handle longer runs.
When I looked at the Corolla in the showroom I was impressed by the build and comfort so thought this would be a good option.
If anyone has any comments I would be interested.
Jus
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Probably only a matter of time before somebody recommends a Yaris (new models have 1 yrs free insurance at the moment - make sure you get the modified version - see Car-by-car breakdown) or a Honda Jazz....
Depends how much room you need I guess. Yaris is big up front but small in the back and the boot. Corolla is obviously a bigger car - better for Mway trips. You can get good discounts on Corollas. See News items for dicount brokers.
good luck!
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I have a Y reg(last of the old shape) 1.4 vvti and I think the engine is good. I regularly get 44 mpg on my weekly commute to Herfordshire from Manchester. Around town I get around 38mpg which is also good considering the frequent stop/starts.
Only problem is that engine revs are over 3000 at 70mph so an extra gear would be nice as already mentioned.
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I was looking at smaller cars when I bought the Corolla for exactly that reason - small cars are tiring on long trips. The economy isn't far off small cars either. If you look at the online brokers, you can get a 3 door base model (T2 ?) for less than £9K - Polo and Fiesta money - take a print-out of the web-site to your local dealer and haggle ! The build on my Corolla knocks spots off any Ford product, either...
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I agree that small cars are tiring on long trips - although I'm not sure that the 1.4 Corolla would necessarily be any less buzzy than a 1.4 or even 1.6 Fiesta as you'd be working the engine just as hard, if not more so.
Financially though, you'd be best off with the 1.4 petrol. On paper at least, the 1.6 is only 2mpg less economical than the 1.4 and only £450 more expensive to buy, but has an extra 13bhp and 15 foot lbs of torque. If motorway refinement is a major concern, that's probably a better bet. I might be inclined to go for T3 spec, which adds an extra grand, but adds alloy wheels and air con - making the car much easier to sell on and more pleasant to live with.
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Reliabilty is legendary on these cars - Arnold2's example is far from unusual.
The Corolla did very well in the recent JD Power - best medium size car IIRC. I'd say go for it if substance is more important to you than style.
Like DavidHM I'd suggest the bigger engine every time.
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Thanks everyone for your comments.
I have looked at the Yaris but it is really to small for my needs. I really like the Honda Jazz, excellent space and economy, but not sure about the ride and motorway driving.
Its probably time to move up to a slightly bigger car.
Jus
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I thought I'd try and wrap this thread up !
Choosing the 1.6 over the 1.4 WON'T get you a car more relaxing on long trips - the problem is the short gearing on all the Corolla's, apart from the 1.8 Sport. If you read HJ's review on the new 1.6, you'll see he found the same thing.
In fact, I find the 1.4 a sweeter engine, and the fuel consumption difference is noticeable. The vvti 1.4 performs better than any other 1.4 I've driven, down to the Cam Phasing VVTi design which means the power doesn't drop off at higher revs like other 1.4's - i've bumped the rev-limiter a few times in fact, as the engine is really sweet above 4,500 rpm !
It's just a bummer Toyota didn't put a 6-speed box on the thing - but I reckon the 1.4 is the better of the 2 (the 1.8 VVTL-i is the best of all, and I would bet its' fuel consumption at 80mph plus is better than either !)
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