Corolla XRS review

mazda 3 .... *drools*
mazda 6 .... *dies*

ok...

just because it has more HP doesn't mean you'll feel it. that push-you-back-in-your-seat feeling comes from torque, NOT hp. the car is pushing a DETUNED 2ZZ motor...it's noticeably slower than the GT-S, as well as having a whopping 2lbs/ft torque than any of the other corollas. Toyota didn't hype it up so much as the communities did...and it's a shame. the car is a great leap forward for Toyota(considering how much of a step back they took when they killed the Supra..), but i feel it's too little too late.

i, too, drove the car, to get a feel for the behaviour of that motor in the car...and i was disappointed based off all the hype the magazine-readers(i.e. Faisal, and others who made a point to say it's going to be the best EVAR)...but in all honesty, after looking at the numbers again, i wasn't the least bit surprised. i can't stand how this new generation of Corolla handles compared to my 01(even before the new struts..), and i don't like the look.

all in all...Toyota could do better.

Corolla XRS review

Edit: Review changed. Old Review(A year and a half), Too obsolete, old, biased, inaccurate and unfair to this little jewel of a car.

p.s. Original thread creator has now owned an XRS for a year.

New Review Sport Compact Comparo: (Motor Trend, 2005 July)

The Toyota, however, would likely run away from the Focus and the Mazda3 on a track or a mountain two-lane whatever tires they wore. When the road and crowds open up sufficiently to rev this engine, the chassis is more than capable of putting the power down deftly. Supple damping helps keep the contact patches pressed to the pavement, and a firm brake pedal suffered no noticeable fade with repeated hard use. At any point on the mountain road, the Toyota could maintain a four- to five-mph advantage over the rest of the pack. If your commute is from Mount Crumpet to Whoville, this is the only car to consider.


http://motortrend.com/roadtests/sed...tes/index8.html

Nice Read, I was hoping the car would perform better with the beefed up engine, guess not

ooooh boooo! i guess the xrs's crazy performance was too good to be true....

wow, disappointing review in terms of engine performance and driveability...

WTF is Toyota thinking? A engine that requires high revs to get the power out YET it doesn't rev easy?? So much for a "better midrange"...and so much for the "quicker steering" also...

the 195/55 tires are just an all-around idiotic choice...

its not all its cracked up to be!!

where can i buy a 2005 corolla rubber body kit

eh true power lies in the 200+ plus 170 hp for a 4 door it's not all that great

um...do you mean the dealer polyurethane kit? there's no "rubber" kit for the car...

maybe he doesnt want his car to get anything

Ok...

My 01 vs my 05.

The 2001 was a blast to drive when I had it and had everything done with it. The suspension I had was very stiff thanks mostly to the front and rear sway bars and the 40 sidewall tires. The car handled mostly with confidence but with understeer (that I was able to counter mostly with left foot braking). Those who rode along in it knew it could handle. Had I kept the car longer it would have recieved the JIC fully adjustable coil-overs, a trans swap (planned) and rear disc brakes. Had I been able to get all of those the car would have been even more killer but would have needed some weight reduction. One of the things I noticed was there was some body shimmy over certain bumps and the car creaked and rattled (mostly in the rear). The skinny rear suspension arms were fairly strong but the bushings were totally mushy With all my gear it probably wieghed ~2600lbs (factory wieght of 2450). Having the low and mid range power was nice, but the car made more noise than power at anything above 5k. Adding a silly intake to the engine didn't really do anything for it except take the low end away, hardly giving it squat in higher end power.

The 2005 is totally different. The way I have the car now, it corners faaaaar more superior than the 01 (even with the solid rear axle, and you all know how much I love(d) the 01). It holds extremely well and the handling in terms of over/understeer is totally nuetral. After having the car on the Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point, I was surprised which cars I was able to pass or keep up with in corners. The OE 195/55 tires are joke really. I put some 17" wheels on with 215/45s and that solved some of the problem. There is no squeaking no rattling and no shimmying over bumps or in corners AT ALL. In terms of power delivery, it is low on torque, but since i don't get most of my satisfaction from running a straight line (yawn), that doesn't matter that much. It accelerates excellently through the twisties or on back roads. The engine note alone is killer especially when rev-matching/heel and toe-ing/downshifting. Surprising other drivers when the tach goes past 6500 is priceless. The car is ONLY 100lbs heavier than a Celica (XRS 2600 - GTS 2500). The later Celicas hit the limiter at 7800 instead of 8250. ONLY thing I hate about the car.... its clutch fucking sucks IMO. Other benefits over the 01 include more interior space, bigger trunk, 6 speed, all disc brakes, 6 disc changer, moonroof(optional and enjoyable, but done without on most track cars).

Suspension Specs..
2001
-Intrax Springs
-Tokico blues
-Hotchkis front and rear anti-roll bars (stiffest setting)
-Brand-X strut tower bar
-17" wheels with 205/40 tires (for sale btw).

2005
-Tein SS coil-overs (to my ideal settings)
-Hotchkis rear anti-roll bar
-17" wheels with 215/45 tires
(comes with factory strut tower bar of sorts... more like a strut itself. Will be replaced with something more solid)

I'm sorry to say it, but I like my XRS more than ye olde 2001... Sorry TR1!

its cool to see that the corolla has the highest redline though... lol... i'd still get the XRS compared to those cars... non of them have 6 speed manual...