Globe and Mail

Globe and Mail

Quick, agile and fun, who would have

Toyota takes aim at mom and pop image with new lineup of 'customizable' sporty sedans



By BOB ENGLISH


UPDATED AT 11:41 PM EDT Thursday, May 20, 2004








Give me an empty five-acre parking lot with an autocross course laid out on it with orange cones and I can happily spend hours getting hot and sweaty turning tires into noise, smoke and rubber dust.

It might seem a little mindless, but then the best kinds of fun are rarely cerebral.

And, of course, for the serious automotive journalist, there's more involved than mere play here.

Really.

If it was just all about fun and games I'd have come away from my time spent putting the 2005, midlife makeover Toyota Corollas and Matrixs through their parking lot paces nattering on about how impressed I was with the company's new XRS model.

This is a tarted-up and tuned-up, 170-horsepower version of the Corolla sedan aimed at the enthusiast. More on this in a minute.

First, a little about the model that really surprised me, the humble Corolla CE, the base car in the lineup.

The one I drove had a starting price of $15,490, and an option package that added air conditioning, power windows, power locks, keyless entry, cruise control and, for some reason, a $569 subwoofer.

It comes with a 1.8-litre engine producing an adequate 130 hp, a five-speed manual gearbox, and will carry five in reasonable comfort and 385 litres of cargo.

And it gets a truly impressive fuel economy rating of 7.1L/100km in the city and 5.3L/100 km on the highway.

Like the rest of the Canadian-built Toyota Corolla and Matrix range for 2005, it has been upgraded in many areas, and its styling tweaked a bit to give it a little more visual flare. Total price (less tax) was $19,420.

This is the car that has, in previous incarnations, done much to create the mom and pop image Toyota is trying so hard to dispel with the new XRS, a pumped-up line of TRD (Toyota Racing Developments) tuning goodies and "customization" accessories being marketed through its dealerships.

"Corolla is the car that built Toyota," says Canadian managing director Stephen Beatty, and along the way has also become the No. 1 selling nameplate in automotive history.

I'd give the Corolla CE an overall goodness rating right up there with whole milk, but its behaviour, while being pounded around between the pylons, came as something of a surprise.

It obviously wasn't as fast or responsive through the second gear slalom or the twists of the course as the performance model, but it demonstrated more than enough agility to acquit itself safely in on-road traffic emergency situations.

On a damp track its somewhat skinny all-season tires were predictable if not all that sticky, but abruptly lifting off the gas, or even braking mid-corner -- moves that usually result in dire consequences -- didn't unsettle it a bit. It's just about idiot-proof.

And equip even this base model with some of the optional tires and suspension pieces and you'll find you've got a surprisingly competent car in your hands.

Our parking lot pursuits, incidentally, were just part of a day-long driving program with the new Corolla and Matrix.

Styling changes to the 2005 Corolla and Matrix (the crossover/wagon based on the Corolla that is on its way to becoming the second most-important vehicle in Toyota Canada's lineup) include new grilles, front bumper/valance and rear tail lamps.

Other new features (some not available on all models) are tire pressure monitoring systems, new seat upholstery, Optitron gauges, UV protection glass, engine immobilizer, centre rear headrests, driver's seat vertical adjustment, electronic throttle control and front and rear seat side curtain airbag system.

Engineering of the improved side-impact protection to meet future standards was done with the assistance of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge Ont.

All this amounts to a fair bit of added value, for a modest increase in price. The new models are in dealerships now.

The focus of attention at this Toyota launch was the new XRS, with which Toyota hopes to attract a younger audience to the Corolla.

It's the fourth, and top, model in the lineup and is priced at $24,185.

Under the hood is the 1.8-litre engine used in the Celica GT-S and the Matrix XRS.

With computer-controlled, variable valve timing and lift, this high-revving (8,000 rpm-plus) engine produces 170 hp at 7,600 rpm and 127 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm.

The only transmission is a six-speed manual.

This combination will get you to 100 km/h very quickly, and so long as you don't mind shifting gears -- an exercise abetted by the pleasant-to-use shifter -- makes the car an involving drive, even around town, as a good sports sedan should.

Allowing you to make use of that power boost is a suspension re-tuned with stiffer springs, revised shock damping and a ride height lowered by a modest 15 mm.

Wheels are attractive 16-inch alloys shod with P195/55R16 tires, and the four-disc braking system comes with ABS and EBD (electronic brake force distribution).

What looks like the most tricked-out shock tower brace you've ever seen under the hood is actually a vibration damper.

This pricey piece was needed to maintain what Toyota deems a suitable level of refinement and is something they likely could have gotten away without given the car's sporting nature.

Tuner-style exterior add-ons -- deeper front valance, side skirts, spoiler and a coloured front grille -- give it a rather un-Corolla-like demeanour: a bit like a feisty girl scout looking for a street fight.

Interior equipment includes power moonroof, cool-looking Optitron gauges, leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob, XRS scuff plates, silver interior trim pieces and supportive, cloth-covered sports seat.

It's quick, agile and fun. Who'd have thought a Corolla could be this cool?

Dude..I am not readin all that LOL...Someone summerize!

Summary: He is impressed with the new line of Corollas and especially loves the Matrix XRS.

Put it on your to do list for when you are slacking off

damnit what is with people not wanting to read things? what do you think you do on the internet? webpages dont read themselves to you.