2011 Toyota Corolla Debuts at LA Auto Show

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11-17-10, 09:42 AM

#61

mmarshall

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX

Is it just me or is the steering wheel not circular but rather with a flat bottom?

No, you're not confused. That's done to aid entry/exit for tall and/or heavy people like you and me. I've noticed that on a lot of cars (and particularly smaller, Japanese-designed ones) the steering column's tilt-feature just doesn't go high enough to suit my tastes. Having a "D"-shaped, flat-bottom helps by compensating for that a little at at the bottom. And, if you remember, a number of Audi/VW vehicles have also used that design, particularly in their sport-oriented models.

11-17-10, 10:57 AM

#62

MR_F1

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Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilipMSPT

Appropriately so.

If Toyota is going to focus on sportiness, the Corolla is the last car I would put any of my effort into.

It would be better to make a sporty Scion xD or even the Matrix (both of which share the same chassis as the Corolla).

Good God, scion xD? Please. If anything, the latest Corollas might be dull as dishwater, but ever since I can remember, there have always been hotted up versions (look up the Levin BZ-G), even in the US (XRS). As far as I see it, the Matrix is a Corolla wagon, and is probably only called Matrix due to marketing reasons

... Don't they lump the sales together?

Quote:

Originally Posted by spwolf

if they neglected it, it wouldnt be top selling model, would it? As I said before, priorities in that class are different, and pricing is probably one of the biggest ones.

See below..

Quote:

Originally Posted by bitkahuna

all these reasons sound ominously like gm in the 80s.

don't rock the boat. the consumer is stupid anyway, so why change it much? we have the best reputation... blah blah.

still, toyota may have decided the economy's so weak (and not likely to get better any time soon and possibly get a lot worse) and the exchange rate is working so badly against them that there frankly isn't much point in ditching huge dollars at a vehicle that continues to sell extremely well.

and while a corolla may have 'legendary reliability' i personally don't care if one lasts a hundred years, i'd want to shoot myself after a few years of driving something so dull and boring.

All this right there. Truth be told, Toyota could sell a Corolla or Camry to the Average consumer, just as BMW could sell a 3 series to the average enthusiast. that doesn't mean it's the best for the line or for the company as a whole. The corolla should have already had a 6 speed in 2009.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipside909

That's not entirely true. Auris Full Hybrid has a CVT.