Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla has been produced since 1966. The nameplate Corolla was
the best sold model in 1997. There are eleven generations of Toyota Corolla and
in July 2013 this model reached 40 million units sold over the world.
In last years the
Japanese car producers have been relying on futuristic design, especially
Toyota and Honda. The new Toyota Corolla has a very distinguished design. It is
a futuristic one and a little bit strange for me. I think that people who want
to be recognized should drive the new Corolla.
Corolla has very
strange lines which begin from the front bumper. These lines separate the front
chrome grill and the headlights. The
lines are continuous on the front hood and merge with A-column. (It is the
front frame where the door begins, depending on the model (cope, sedan and so
on)). Let's continue with the front part of the bumper. Chrome frames underline the fog lights. This
is strange because the chrome elements are in contrast with the black plastic
covers, placed around the fog lights. The designers have been trying to create
clean shapes in side face. Actually, they almost did it except for the side
face of the head- and tail-lights. They are so huge that it seems that they are
25 percent of the car. However, it doesn’t matter because the back side of the
car looks more than strange. There are too many lines which begin somewhere and
finish nowhere. Even if we consider that this design can be called ‘modern
baroque’ … no chance!
Everybody can choose
how the exterior to look like. There are varieties of colors: White, White
pearl, Silver, Graphite Grey, Dark Steel, Black, Red, Vanguard Bronze and Blue.
There are also a lot of choices about the rims: 15”, 16” steel wheels with rims
covers and three 16” alloy rims (Athena, Orion and Podium II). The covers look
great. I would choose some of the 16” alloy rims, if I had to. The tested car had
16” steel rims with covers; this has become a standard for ‘Luna’ equipment. The
producer offers three types of equipment ‘Terra’ - the basic one; ‘Luna’ – the
middle one and ‘Sol’ – the top one. A lot of exterior packets and accessories
for Corolla are also available, so you can make your car the way you want it to
look like.
I think I can’t
feel fully comfortable in the car. At the beginning the adjustment of the
driver’s seat was a little bit difficult to me. I didn’t realize how to adjust
the steering-wheel, either although I knew that Corolla has this option as a
standard. So I had to adjust myself to the steering-wheel. The cluster has blue
light which you can see in the dark. I tested the car during the day so I
couldn’t see it. The dashboard looks great. You can use it as a stand because
it is almost flat so you can put a folder or a notebook on it. Multifunctional
‘Toyota Touch 2’ system is integrated in the middle console. The system
includes an audio display, communication system with Bluetooth® connectivity
with your phone. The phone book and text messages from your mobile can be shown
on the Toyota Touch 2 display. It is expected the navigation system to be
available on Bulgarian market since January 2014. Another function of the
system is supporting camera for parking on reverse. Below the 'Toyota Touch 2' system there is
duo zone climate control or air conditioner for the 'Terra' equipment.
There is a lot leg
room on the backseats. Actually, the car has a lot of space behind the driver
and the passenger next to him. There isn't a problem three people to sit on the
backseat and travel for a long time. The back rest of the seats can fall down in
order the volume of the trunk to be increased. It's big enough and it is not
difficult to load large baggage because the trunk opening is wide. The trunk
capacities are 452 liters – enough space for a few suitcases. 
Let me present you
the engines. These are the petrol units: 1.33 L Dual VVT-i with 99 hp, 6-speed
manual transmission; 1.6L Valvematic with 132 hp, 6-speed manual transmission;
1.6L with 132 hp, with CVT transmission. There are also diesel engines: 1.4
D-4D with 90 hp and 6-speed manual transmission or 6-speed MMs transmission.
The tested car had with 1.4 D-4D, 90 hp and 6-speed manual transmission. The
car is agile and easy to drive. The only drawback is that the engine is a bit
noisy at full acceleration but this is not important.
The most
interesting thing is that the car has a shift indicator for saving fuel – not
only for up-shift gears but also for down-shift gears. It is special because I
have not seen down-shift indicators in other makes of cars. They have only the
up-shift ones.
VVT-i (Variable
Valve Timing with Inelegance) technology changes the phases of distribution of
intake camshaft. This technology electronically manages the opening of the
intake valves and thus controls the amount of the fuel mixture which enters the
cylinder. Dual VVT-i technology upgrades the VVT-i one. Dual VVT-i
electronically manages the opening of the intake and exhaust valves. Valvematic
electronically manages the moment of opening the valves. The fuel consumption
and CO2 emissions have been decreased due to these technologies.
The basic principle
in the work of the petrol engines is as follows: at first stage the fuel
mixtures (fuel and air) pass through the intake valves into the cylinder. Then
the intake valves are closed. After that the piston makes compression at its upper
point. At third stage the spark plug ignites the fuel mixture which is
accompanied with explosion. The exhaust flow takes off trough exhaust valves
which are already open.
The Toyota s'
diesel engines (D-4D) have Common-Rail system. The Common Rail system works as
follows: the fuel is being pumped by the Feed pump to the Supply pump.
Actually, the Feed pump is part of the Supply pump assemble, which is a pump
driven by the engine and its function is to increases the pressure on the fuel.
After reaching the level of the needed high pressure, the fuel is delivered to
the common-rail (It is a pipe where the
fuel is accumulated). The injector receives a signal from ECU (Electronic Control
Unit) and the fuel is injected from the common-rail into the cylinder.
One of the
differences between the petrol and diesel engine is that the fuel is ignited by
spark plugs in the petrol engine whilst it is self-ignited in the diesel one.
The common-rail
technology is connected with a lot of sensors and the ECU. It collects the
information from the sensors concerning: acceleration pedal position, air flow
meter, intake temperature, turbo pressure, water temperature, crankshaft
position (detects the position of an angle of crankshaft), camshaft position
(detects in which cylinder the fuel will be injected), fuel pressure (detects
the pressure inside the Common Rail system). After having collected the information, ECU
gives a signal to a suction control valve, located in the supply pump assembly.
Thus ECU manages the amount of the fuel in the supply pump. ECU sends a signal
to the Electronic Drive Unit (EDU) which manages the injection system. At last
the injectors are open and the fuel is injected into the cylinders.
The CVT or Multidrive
S transmission is an automatic transmission with a difference. It consists of two
pulleys of different size connected with a chain. When the pulley driven by the
engine increases its speed, the second one also increases its speed and the
distance between them. Thus the gear ratio is changed. The CVT transmission
does not have gear-wheels and it is lighter than the automatic one. The CVTs transmissions are applied in
scooters, go-kart, even in combine.
The MMT (Multimode
Manual Transmission) is a type of sequential manual transmission. The MMTs has
a clutch unlike the automatic transmission which has a torque converter.
Toyota Corolla is
equipped with a lot of supporting driver systems. Anti-Blocking System (ABS) is
with Electronic Braking Distribution (EBD). The first one prevents the blocking
of the wheels at a sudden stop or on a slip road. Vehicle Stability Control is
known as ESP (Electronic Stability Program) in the cars of other automotive
producers. It supports the stability of
the car and prevents unwanted drift. The
HAC is Hill Assist Control which guaranties easy drive off on hill roads. This
system can hold the brakes up to 2 seconds if the car isn't on neutral or
reverse gear. It is very useful for beginners.
Other two systems which
made me an impression are: key-less entering the car and starting up the engine,
the second one is Cruse control which is available only for petrol 1.6
Vavlematic engine. These systems are available only in Sol (top) equipment.
Corolla offers a
lot of passive safety as well. As a standard there are seven air-bags, even one
for the driver’s knees. There is a monitoring system to control the pressure in
the tires. The seats are designed to decrease the whiplash effect in case of a
crash. The ISOFIX system is available as well.
The EuroNCAP
results are more than good. Toyota Corolla receives 94% for the adult
occupants; 82% for children occupants; 67% for pedestrian and 66% for safety
assist. Summary five safety stars.
Concerning the
driving and the equipment Toyota Corolla cannot be distinguished from other
cars in its segment. But its exterior matters.
I think that I can use Toyota Corolla as a work vehicle : as a taxi; to take
peoples from point A to point B or for delivery services. This car is created
for driving but I don't know how long it will serve you. The producer says that
this is a car of a high quality. Only the time will show us.
Dimensions:
Length: 4620 mm
Height: 1465 mm
Width (without mirrors): 1775 mm
Height: 1465 mm
Width (without mirrors): 1775 mm
Wheel-base: 2700 mm
Front/rear
wheel-base: 1535 mm
