Yaris vs Corolla

[BennyLava]

Ended up getting a corolla for a work car. Pics below. 2017 SE, paid. $17k for the car. 3k miles on it. Don't know who drove a new car for 3k miles and sold it, but I'll soak up the savings when it comes to depreciation. I really like the car except for 2 somewhat minor things:

1. The CVT transmission give me pause, but I'll just change the fluid every 80k miles to be safe. I don't care what they say about lifetime fluid, all reports are that you still need to change it and you should change it.

2. The seats could be a bit more comfortable. I think what I'll do is, wear these seats out first. At about 150k miles, our 09 Yaris sedan's front seat was toast. It hurt your rump to sit in it. So we had it redone at the upholstery shop with new foam. But in the case of this Corolla, I think maybe I'll switch to some different seats that don't hug you quite so much. Is there another corolla (maybe a non SE model?) that has some more comfortable seats? Something that would fit in place, that I could maybe get from the junkyard. Get some seats out of a newer wrecked car that match the interior.

[dogsridewith]

Or. Get nice neoprene/fabric seatcovers to save the original upholstery and add, underneath, piece(s) of 1/2" Walmart blue foam camp pad (polyolefin) to solve perceived fit problem.

(note: Sometimes ingrained/preconceived notions of seatback angle can cause discomfort...like w/ base model gen2 Yaris. Some others complain some. I found that a slightly more upright back and an occasional push back of the rump to engage the lumbar curve made these fantastic in this slightly-taller-than-Corolla vehicle. (For most trips, this positioning might just be a matter of getting back into the seat once at startup.)

I know a lot about seats and Wally bluefoam...riding and building recumbent bicycles since 1983.

[kimona]

Originally Posted by BennyLava

Ended up getting a corolla for a work car. Pics below. 2017 SE, paid. $17k for the car. 3k miles on it. Don't know who drove a new car for 3k miles and sold it, but I'll soak up the savings when it comes to depreciation. I really like the car except for 2 somewhat minor things:

1. The CVT transmission give me pause, but I'll just change the fluid every 80k miles to be safe. I don't care what they say about lifetime fluid, all reports are that you still need to change it and you should change it.

2. The seats could be a bit more comfortable. I think what I'll do is, wear these seats out first. At about 150k miles, our 09 Yaris sedan's front seat was toast. It hurt your rump to sit in it. So we had it redone at the upholstery shop with new foam. But in the case of this Corolla, I think maybe I'll switch to some different seats that don't hug you quite so much. Is there another corolla (maybe a non SE model?) that has some more comfortable seats? Something that would fit in place, that I could maybe get from the junkyard. Get some seats out of a newer wrecked car that match the interior.

Unfortunately, all the new Corollas have the CVT now, and the driving experience leaves much to be desired. Hope it proves reliable for you.

My father has a 2015 Corolla L (4 speed auto) and the seats are so uncomfortable that I can't drive that car for more than 20 minutes without suffering aches and pains. Too bad. My mother has a 2005 Corolla (only 36K kilometers) and the seats are very comfortable, even for long trips.

I sold my like-new Camry with very low miles specifically because the seats gave me a terribly sore back. When I was looking for a new car, I decided against a 2017 RAV4 because the seats were so uncomfortable.

However, I always found the seats in my 2007 Yaris and 2014 Yaris comfortable, even driving across the country!

[scylla]

I wish car makers would put the same kind of effort into seat technology as they do into the rest of auto tech.

[Runethecursed]

New Prices and EPA released. I sincerely hope this car is as good as I am hyping it up to be Click this link. Do et!

Base model SE is based around 20K, Where as With CVT Itll jump to Closer to 23k
XSE starts around 22.9k and will jump to 24k and then a big tech package for another 1.6k

Base model said to have 31 City, which from expereince in the Socal area, itll be more like 28 which is still really good. Highway for the CVT pushes over 40 mpg


Am excite. I just hope I fit fine. and the controls arent wonky. now a days I have a go no go on cars if i dont like how i see out of it or how the controls are laid out. (sans the 2nd gen Yaris...)

[BennyLava]

Whoops here's the pics.

I can see why the CVT gets such high highway mpg. At 80 mph its only hovering around 2k rpm. IIRC the yaris is at about 3k rpm at 80mph. We didn't trade in the Yaris sedan for the corolla though. Ain't no way I'm parting with that car. With only 200k on the clock, I figure its only about 1/3 of the way through its life. And it still looks great!

[BennyLava]

Pics:

[Kalispel]

Not a fan of the latest gen Corolla, though it still looks better than the latest gen Civic. The cheap-looking brownish muffler on the Corolla sticks out like a sore thumb when you see the car from the rear on the road, and the narrow wheelbase & lower body shape gives it a skinny/weak stance from the rear. Plus, the CVT hasn't exactly been reliable for a good number of Corolla owners. Toyota could definitely learn a thing or two about body shape & styling from Hyundai/Kia and various European brands. I wonder if the new TNGA 2020 Corolla will just be a clone of the new 2019 TNGA Corolla hatch in sedan form, or have distinctive styling elements of its own?

[BennyLava]

I don't really mind the styling. I mean if we're being realistic here, its just a fuel saving 4 door work car. That is all a toyota corolla is ever going to be. If it was something special I'd be more particular about the way it looked. I didn't want to do the whole "hunt for a car for a month" thing. Sometimes you get lucky and the perfect car just comes up on autotrader or craigslist, for a reasonable price. That is how it was with the Yaris sedan. Went and snatched it right up before someone else could. But this time it was slim pickings for a Corolla in my area that was priced right, that wasn't junky. There was one that I'd have bought that had it all (looks, price, mileage, features) but of course when I got to the dealership it was gone. And I just had zero desire to drive from dealer to dealer asking if they had any corollas.

I like the way the CVT acts on the highway, its got that much going for it at least. When it comes to cruising at higher speeds. It gets high marks from me in that one area. They'd probably have to add another gear, going from a 4 speed auto to a 5 speed in order to get it to be like the CVT cause yeah 2k rpm at 80mph. My yaris can't do it. So a larger car that can come close to (or match) the MPG of a yaris is a winner in my book. At least in that particular scenario.

And it never fails, no automaker (or boat maker lol) makes things the way I'd want it. They leave things out, and here and there quality is a bit lacking like the muffler issue you pointed out. If I have to paint the brown muffler with high temp header paint, I'll do it. I knew from the beginning there would be things I'd change. I'd probably change things on a Rolls Royce to suit me. Lastly I keep getting hints about the car's performance. Maybe not here (although from here to some degree) but lots of other places. Again, its a toyota corolla. Not a Ferarri. I can't imagine who'd complain about the performance of a Toyota Corolla. I mean, what do you expect? lol

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by BennyLava

I don't really mind the styling. I mean if we're being realistic here, its just a fuel saving 4 door work car. That is all a toyota corolla is ever going to be. If it was something special I'd be more particular about the way it looked. I didn't want to do the whole "hunt for a car for a month" thing. Sometimes you get lucky and the perfect car just comes up on autotrader or craigslist, for a reasonable price. That is how it was with the Yaris sedan. Went and snatched it right up before someone else could. But this time it was slim pickings for a Corolla in my area that was priced right, that wasn't junky. There was one that I'd have bought that had it all (looks, price, mileage, features) but of course when I got to the dealership it was gone. And I just had zero desire to drive from dealer to dealer asking if they had any corollas.

I like the way the CVT acts on the highway, its got that much going for it at least. When it comes to cruising at higher speeds. It gets high marks from me in that one area. They'd probably have to add another gear, going from a 4 speed auto to a 5 speed in order to get it to be like the CVT cause yeah 2k rpm at 80mph. My yaris can't do it. So a larger car that can come close to (or match) the MPG of a yaris is a winner in my book. At least in that particular scenario.

And it never fails, no automaker (or boat maker lol) makes things the way I'd want it. They leave things out, and here and there quality is a bit lacking like the muffler issue you pointed out. If I have to paint the brown muffler with high temp header paint, I'll do it. I knew from the beginning there would be things I'd change. I'd probably change things on a Rolls Royce to suit me. Lastly I keep getting hints about the car's performance. Maybe not here (although from here to some degree) but lots of other places. Again, its a toyota corolla. Not a Ferarri. I can't imagine who'd complain about the performance of a Toyota Corolla. I mean, what do you expect? lol

Yeah, I never understood the bashing the Yaris & Corolla receives on 'performance' - most notably the horsepower. They were obviously designed to be daily driver economy cars, first & foremost (meaning engine horsepower specs vs curb weight that do 0-60 in 9-10 sec range). I think that is frustration with Toyota's refusal to release a true 'sports tuned' (more powerful engine) trim version (like the Si trim is for Honda, for example) of the Yaris or Corolla here in the U.S./NA.

Even the new 2019 TNGA Corolla hatch is getting grief from some, & it is a big step up from the current Corolla in the performance vs economy balance that Toyota seems to prize above all else. All information indicates that it will match/beat the current iM/Corolla in MPG economy & still do 0-60 in 8 sec or less (plus be great fun to drive on the curves/corners thanks to a nice suspension setup). Sounds almost perfect to me personally. Plus the new CVT w/launch gear design removes the crap rubbery feel of the CVT at gaining speed from rest, and puts the launch gear in charge of the activity that normally puts the most strain on a CVT system to reduce its lifespan/reliability. Win-win. The new engine also uses a combination of port & direct injection to eliminate that carbon build-up problem that some other types of direct inject engines suffer from. Some styling issues aside (IMO), I think Toyota is definitely on the right path here.

[dogsridewith]

does air flow through the grilles ahead of the front wheels?
is there a lamp(s) in there somewhere?
can U turn them into a fog/driving light w/ some Toyota or aftermarket option?
do any tuners use front corner look-like-intakes into actual intakes for brake cooling or any other actual/ostensible function?