regfootball

"We've got a brand new front end design that people think is not attractive! So we better fix it before we build a bunch more!"

I would imagine the Kia Forte is much nicer than the Corolla too, now.

A friend said they looked like Hello Kitty icons.....

he will probably be giddy at the new one. just make sure he drives nothing else in comparison......

A week later I finally get to finish this. Hope I did not forget too much..... Tested 2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco Automatic (20? +/- MSRP) HIGHS Corolla is improved in style, inside and out Some style cues tie in with the rest of Toyota's newest products CVT trans with stepped programming is executed to a superior level, no 'drone' Fuel efficiency Car retains and large size and features increased room and space Good car for the daily commute Large trunk Fairly decent acceleration for 130hp on tap, more spunk than you'd think Nice radio and climate control layout Some interesting surfaces and detailing inside Attractive instrument panel Car has a sporty presence compared to many other Toyota products All things considered, good value for the money LOWS Still has a bit of a small car ride Steering a bit dull and slow Car still feels a bit short of bank vault solid, does not graduate from old school compact car feel totally. Rear seat room is not enlarged as much as the numbers say TERRIBLE drivers seat. Narrow, shaped badly, thin, chintzy padding. Engine that works hard lets you know that aurally when you ask a lot of it Small mirrors Cabin does not feel particularly airy Too much road noise and tinny sound in cabin, engine is buzzy and needs an update driver ergonomics and dash relationship is a bit off if you like the driver oriented interiors of the Cruze and Focus. Falls short of too many other cars in the class for road manners and noise abatement. Would still be rated behind too many other cars in the segment. SUMMARY "Automotive death on four wheels, with a new funeral suit, and a larger, more spacious casket" ? Not exactly, that's really a bit harsh. One has to have proper perspective when reviewing the new Corolla. First of all, the old Corolla was very dated. This new one is very much a big upgrade, but not so much that it transcends it into the hot group. What it does do is bring the Toyota current and relevant again. Toyota really is trying to do exactly what is being done with the Sentra. It's an economical commuter pod with good space and it makes the most of a paltry engine to create a minimum fuss commuter vehicle. It will be very evident if you drive even a Cruze LT vs. this car that the Cruze is much more buttoned down. But Toyota (and Nissan) have realized that so many of the buyers (especially the repeat Japanese brand buyers) have no concern or much less any ability to judge how excellent any new car really is. For a repeat Toyota customer, this car is greatly improved and a huge upgrade. Really, the Sentra and Corolla are just satisfying the basics. And they will sell hundreds of thousands of them. The Corolla has a semblance of a sporty feel now, especially compared to the Sentra. The interesting interior and faux sportiness of it should create interest in the market for it, in addition to the newly improved mpg with the really good CVT. I was skeptical about the stepped CVT operation, but it really did seem quite transparent and effective to me, as I have driven many CVT cars. It really makes great use of the paltry engine and it is very smooth in operation. CVT detractors, they are here to stay. In the end, to me there are just too many other superior vehicles in the class. But I only know that because I drive the other vehicles. If you hadn't driven the other vehicles, you'd be giddy because this new Corolla is much improved over the last one. the buff books have been a bit hard on this car, because it really is fairly innocent, and it has SOME character now. I wouldn't buy one, but I can't fault others that do. Toyota obviously knows what it is doing, they easily clerk several hundred thousand of these a year. I can't recall what I gave the Sentra for a letter grade, but I would probably give this car the same and say it is just a bit more interesting than the Sentra. Innocent little commuter pods. B or B+. At least your airport rental won't be complete torture for the next few years.

Attended the Ford sponsored EcoBoost Challenge today (merely a couple miles from home). These canned track / test drive events are usually pretty cheesy, and this was no exception, ST cars not withstanding. Since all you get either way in these cars is about a minute of time, there is not much to expound upon, but some things stick in your head. Hybrid Challenge- The trick was either take the Fusion Hybird or CMax hybrid and see what your best average mpg would be. Sort of a dumb concept, its a short loop course which you can't get up to speed to really put to use hypermile techniques. I ended up in a Fusion and I like the car. From what I could tell, it seemed smooth. I did not like the Ford person who was with in the car. Fusion is a very good car. EcoBoost Challenge- Camry v6 vs. Fusion 2.0t no one wanted to drive the Camry, they practically had to beg people to drive it. camry feels like 2004 to me. Cheap, cobbled together interior, didn't feel too solid overall. steering didn't offer much. v6 is gutsy, but not as much pull as the Fusion. Fusion feels substantial and overall way nicer. Interior a bit cheap still, and some turbo lag. I still think the Fusion is the car that hits the mark for most in the midsize class in America. CRv vs. Escape 2.0t CRV didn't get much love either. To me, the CRv feels like a toy car. It still feels like a 1990's Honda. they haven't evolved the feel of their metal. Complete fail. Seriously. Escape is far nicer, even despite the cheap in some places interior (that is a knee knocker). Escape is tight for a crossover. 2014 Chevy Silverado vs. Ford Ecoboost v6 F150 This is a close call. For me, I may take the Ford. Silverado is cushy, no doubt about it, the Silverado is smooth and a refined piece. Super quiet and comfortable. Feels like it will rev forever. But, slow steering and soft in corners. Yes, it is a truck. EcoBoost v6 has nice nuts, feels faster off the line than the Chevy v8. F150 is louder inside and maybe a bit short on cush. But the F150 handling and ride is more for someone who is used to cars. If Ford can quiet and cush the interior.....Chevy has a large, dominant hood. Chevy's new interior design is an interesting theme, but overall like the Ford (and all trucks) the interior is cheap and tacky and slapped together. I so no reason to diss either truck. It is really the case of you are a Chevy fan or a Ford fan. If you want a puff cruiser, the Chevy is your truck. The Ram is a good truck too. There is a reason the US mfr's dominate trucks. ST Challenge timed laps in the Focus ST and Fiesta ST The Fiesta ST is a spry guy and a boatload of fun. A quality ride all around. Feels quite a bit less size than the Focus. I don't care much for the new dash on the Fiesta, it's forced. The Focus felt more mature and I really liked the car. It's not often you get to drive cars with summer rubber and that can run a track. Both cars feel like peas in a pod, just that the Fiesta feels like 3/4-7/8 the size. The steering is really great and I liked the Recaros (on the Focus mostly). Focus ST would be an awesome daily driver. In the FWIW department, I feel the Malibu (especially the turbo) lays waste to the Camry as well. GM does not really have anything to go toe to toe with the ST Focus and Fiesta. A verano 3 door OPC would be balls up.

great idea

I actually would be curious to see that v8 diesel instead. I think whatever diesel GM puts in should be all AMURCHAN

all the punks and pretty bois will still love their German cars in the meantime, the new CTS will be kicking ass! imagine when that TTv8 is rolling..........

At least it's better than the Credenza.

to reiterate then, If there is nothing to see that we are given the permission to have an opinion on, then what is the purpose of the thread, or even the whole spy photo industry? At least on GMI, how many 2016 Chevy Cruze spy photos threads have there been lately? Yet at least it's not a crime to give an initial reaction. How many damn ATS threads were there, CTS threads? I still maintain that if you merely replace 'Chrysler 200' in this thread with 'toyota', I don't think you would have had gotten wound up about it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-iphone-5s-is-the-fastest-smartphone-2013-9#! Iphone smokes the S4 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323527004579081192462456798.html?mod=WSJ_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond#! "Overall, however, the new iPhone 5S is a delight. Its hardware and software make it the best smartphone on the market."

What exactly is the point of anyone even posting topics on vehicles in camouflage then? If we aren't expecting a reaction then don't even bother making the damn thread.

grow a pair. other people have opinions. deal with them or ignore them as you see fit. I have a hard time believing you would get your panties in a bunch about it if it were a Toyota I was critiquing. We all know you are a Mopar fanboi. You don't need to incessantly defend them like it was your girlfriend that just got beat up by an attacker. It's more or less gonna be a rebadged Fiat, hope the front end is not as atrocious as the new Cherokee. and I summed up a similar impression just by saying BLOB.

what's crazy is how Chrysler turned the Sebring and Avenger from lemons to lemonade and they sell like crazy now.

BLOB

third world style on this one. Lacks the sex of the Optima.

when i get home tonight I will finish this up. It's not as bad as I think the buff mags are making it out to be. At the same time, it does not advance the state of the art. The interior is surprisingly nice or at least better than expected. And it's greatly improved, but that is not saying much. I thought the seat sucked. My theme is that the Corolla and the Sentra IMO are two peas in a pod. In fact, I think they excuse themselves from being a competitor in the arena where driving dynamics are part of the equation and they really to me are part of the growing class of vehicles that people merely look to as high mpg, minimum fuss, mind numbing commuter pods. It's scary how similar in a near complete fashion the Corolla and Sentra are. If I were to choose between the two, I would choose the Corolla as it has a theme that is more sporty. Otherwise, we have 130hp CVT front drive cars without much sound deadener, with an ok amount of room, and a sort of faux style inside about them. Ask me tomorrow and I might choose the Sentra.

Buick needs to market the Turbo Verano a lot more. It is a fantastic little luxury compact the used manual turbo Verano the dealer in my worktown had left that lot surprisingly quick. I don't know if it actually got sold or auctioned back. But it does in some way make me think there was a demand for it.

VW's in general or the Phaeton in particular?

later.........

yet the average age of vehicles on the road increases to like 11 years........it seems to me as long as the financing aspect keeps up, we will crack 16 mill and stay above that for awhile. What is needed now, to back off by staying even on all the regulations for emissions, mpg, and even safety. What is needed is the ability to start reducing the cost of new vehicles for more and more people.

how does one get that choice? I'm stuck with a municipal utility for electric and water. I only have one cable provider choice. Likewise, natural gas. No choice, no competition, equals stick it to the man.

I know that on this point, I haven't really seen any reduction in my bills, but I have seen a reduction in my kWh used. I'm a stickler for not leaving lights on even though my whole house is CFL. Unfortunately, the price has increased for me over the years. I did the useless exercise of putting CFL's throughout my house about 4-5 years ago. Here is what i found. -electric bill did not go down, in fact it's gone up (but that's probably in part to mandated renewable energy standards in this state which are shown that such states consumers pay about 30% more for their electricity than the states that do not have mandates). -it costs a lot for those bulbs, and they do not last 7 years. Many of them pop after 4-6 months. -Break one and now I have mercury in my house. -Fairly useless as exterior lights or in the garage (but I have them in there anyways) The quality of CFL's has improved. The thing I do like about CFL's is they do not heat up. I get a kick out of all the present rage...the non GMO, down with Monsanto, i shop at whole foods crowd. They want to go back to growing food in their backyard. Good luck with that. The mechanization of ag is a major reason why the USA is the USA and not a third world state. There is a middle ground, we shouldn't poison our people. But there is a lot of loss of perspective on the whole food chain disdain going on right now.

------writeup coming later today----------- "Automotive death on four wheels, with a new funeral suit, and a larger, more spacious casket" Is this really the case? Check back later......