Test Drive Toyota Corolla 2007 - 2009 Hatchback

All photos Toyota Corolla 2007 - 2009

Caught up and overtaken

Heard about the outstanding qualities of Toyota cars, Russian citizens quickly chose quotas for inexpensive Corolla sedans, making them a scarcity product queue for dealers stretched for a year. However, for the same money and without a queue you can buy the Korean Sedan Hyundai Elantra. Is Corolla better Elantra so much that it is worth waiting for it?

In the hundred most expensive brands of the world, Toyota ranks 6th (the best among automotive brands), Hyundai 72th. Against this background, almost five-time lag in the Sale of Elantra from Corolla looks no longer so dramatic. However, the sale of the Japanese car holds back the sluggish development of the dealer network, otherwise, according to many, Corolla could well count on the status of an absolute Bestseller Cactklass.
What attracts Corolla people? Price? Design? Good equipping? If so, then only partly. The main charm when buying Toyota in the sensation of the right choice: the best car brand, legendary reliability, amazing durability, Japanese assembly. Corolla owners, like a spell, repeat these words and hear nothing wants about other machines. Japanese means excellent. Toyota means the best. The unpleasant parties of possessing by the car of this brand like frequent and expensive and high tariffs at the risk of Casca owners of Corolla, it seems not very worried. Many do not even suspect that insurance for other cars of this class is almost twice as cheaper and for the service can be ride one and a half times less often they just never thought that you could ride something else except Toyota. Rare owners of this brand cars thought about buying other Japanese cars. For European or, God forbid, Korean cars with Toyota are not transplanted almost no one. Loyalty brand is just fantastic. We love, want, buy. Need to wait? Let's wait.

And if you still think about the alternative? In the end, the Light Wedge on Toyota does not converge, and in neighboring car dealers you can find a lot of interesting cars. For example, Hyundai Elantra. It was developed specifically as a competitor to Corolla: she has the same body type, similar configurations and engines close by power. Benefits, we will draw the presence of versions with a full-fledged hydromechanical ACP, which does not have Toyota (on Corolla, you can only order a robotic mechanic, which, with all the desire, cannot be called a decent substitute for the traditional automaton).
For testing, we have chosen the most popular versions with 1.6-liter engines. The test Corolla was equipped with a robot, and Elantra mechanics, however, on a 1.6-liter ELANTRA with a machine we traveled before, so for a few words say about it. Equipment in both cases is rich: four airbags (plus the driver's knee pillow from Corolla), audio system, climate control, heated seats and other small amenities. For a gentleman's set, it is not enough for the system of dynamic stabilization of manageability on it both producers for some reason decided to save: ESP is placed only on the most expensive version of Elantra with a 2-liter engine, and for Corolla is not available at all.

In the town
Let's start with the fact that both cars are quite large. Yes, they formally relate to the so-called CD, but with their dimensions rely on light parking or some special maneuverability in urban environments. There are no problem visibility: the outer mirrors on both machines are quite large, the front of the body's front racks are located successfully and the eyes are not called, the rear windows are wide, but the whole is placed in the frame of the intra-alone mirror.
Corolla's acceleration dynamics is impressive not sophisticated driver supercars: the engine is awesome on high speed, the robot with noticeable jerks switches the transmission, the machine quickly gains speed. But this is in the sports mode of the robot, in the usual Corolla accelerates more slowly, but without jerks. The most serious disadvantage of the robot was discovered on the rifles: if it is even more or less, then the steep slides are stormed as a hopeless kettle, it burns the clutch, rolls back, grind and twitch. And do nothing to do with it: how to configure this cyborg developers, so it serves as residents of mountain areas worth a though before ordering before ordering

Corolla with RKP. Steering Toyota in the city seems heavy to turn around with a minimal radius, you have to turn the steering wheel with two hands. It would be logical in this case, it would be possible to expect a good informativeness from the steering wheel, and it really is, but some kind of artificial, and with an increase in speed, the resistance of the mechanism is growing stepwise, that with unaccustomed can scare the driver.
The electric power steering on Elantra is more efficient even in the parking steering wheel can be twisted with one finger. However, with an increase in speed, this ease, unfortunately, almost does not disappear, the feedback is weak and marks the feeling of uncertainty in the car. According to the dynamics of Elantra's overclocking with the ACP, in spite of the declared plant, the figures loses a robotic Corolla, but the machine is pleased with the smoothness of switching.
The versions with the mechanics are pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the gear shift mechanism and more swing acceleration, but they are upsetting the long-term clutch pedal at the very top.
In the vice of the metropolis, the overall disadvantage of duelists is the complete lack of body protective moldings. Without them, of course, the cars look very elegant, but the slightest contact with solid bodies leaves on their bodies scratches and abrasions those who insure the car on Casco are doomed to regular challenges of DPS, with subsequent fixation of beatings and other bureaucratic solarms.
In general, with urban expressions, Elantra left a more pleasant impression: Easy control and honest ACP are better combined with ripped light rhythm rhythm and cramped alley, rather than a robot acuity and artificial steering resistance from Corolla.

Outside the city
Long-term riding on country roads with a solid coating of varying degrees of wornity revealed nuances in smoothness of machines, which do not pay attention to the city. In particular, Elantra copes with a microrelief better, but it hits large irregularities: bring the suspension to breakdown is easy, so before serious obstacles have to seriously drop speed. The four-stage ACP ELANTRA does not have a manual mode, condemning the driver for the development of an intuition type skill: to understand at what point after pressing the gas pedal will turn on lower gear, it is impossible to make a logical way. However, Hyundai specialists provided the driver additionally as three modes of limiting the number of gear ratios: you can prohibit the box to switch above the first, second or third transmission. Transfering the selector lever to the desired position, you, accordingly, forcibly lowered the transfer and boldly exit on overtaking is not very convenient, although you can adapt. Course stability ELANTRA is good, but too light steering wheel does not allow the driver to relax for psychological calm, I want to keep it with two hands all the time.
At Toyota Corolla is a more energy-intensive suspension, to go on it on a broken cafeteria more pleasant, but the texture of the roadbed, alas, is felt by the passengers better than in Elantra. Not in the delight and driver, but already from an uncomfortable chair (see in detail in the Ergonomics and Comfort section). What Corolla does not take away, so it is the ability to make overtaking. The robot in this business is the best friend and assistant, especially if you force it to switch the transfer in a compulsory manner using stealless petals: just one click, the U1080 and the car instantly gains speed, famously bypassing the wagons. Blessing the high-speed highways and artificially distress steering: the driver does not necessarily keep the steering wheel with two hands, fearing to lose the car, the risk is inappropriate to knock her down from the course minimally. In short, at large distances, Corolla urban disadvantages turned out to be advantages outside the city of Toyota wins Hyundai.

Controllability
In the absence of ESP, Corolla and Elantra drivers in difficult road conditions have to count exclusively on their strength and professionalism of engineers who set up chassis. Let's just say, and Korean, and Japanese specialists have worked on fame, although their results turned out different. Elantra has a constructive advantage in the form of a multi-dimensional rear suspension in turns with poor road surface, the machine does not jump off the trajectory. But a low-informative steering can beat off many drivers a desire to go quickly. However, despite the emptiness, Hyundai's steering wheel is quite accurate, and with a certain skill, a dynamic ride on a Korean car can enjoy. Good and brakes: Soft pedal, but quite informative and allows the driver to accurately dispense the braking force.
Corolla developers decided not to indulge the consumer with complex multisage designs in the rear suspension, limiting the simple, but reliable and well-proven beam working on a twist. On the roads with a complex profile in the area of \u200b\u200bthe rear axle, some nervousness is felt, Corolla seems to be a little jumping on the irregularities, but quite confidently keeps the trajectory, although the purity with which the turns of Elantra takes place, it does not have. But there are excellent brakes and elastic steering wheel with deftly imitating feedback with an electric powerful. Let it work and is not very natural, but for active driving it is better than the natural emptiness of the Hyundai steering wheel. Another thing is that it is aggressively interesting not to everyone, and from this point of view both cars look equally attractive, therefore, they put it equally good evaluations for handling.

Ergonomics and Comfort
Salon Elantra pleasantly surprises the quality of finishing materials and good ergonomics: a comfortable steering wheel, excellent instruments, large keys of the audio control blocks and climate control. An embarrassing can except that too bright blue highlighting the latter painfully it is caustic and can annoy on the road. The front chairs are soft and completely unfortunate, but it does not take anything anywhere, and even after a few hours of the journey, you get up with them from an orthopedic mattress. Fresh and rested. Low noise levels and good work suspension on small irregularities on the highway The car flies no worse than some representatives of the premium segment in the high level of comfort. In the rear places, the legs and shoulders of passengers are in relative freedom, but the heads of high entities almost rest in the ceiling fee for the elegant sloping roof.
The Toyota Corolla body profile is not as rapid, but the places above the head of the passengers in the backseat is greater, and the stock of space for hands and legs is the same as Hyundai. Sit down the wheel less convenient. The Japanese namudried with the seat cushion: it is too rapidly littered and is not adjustable along the corner of the tilt, because of what the back is starting to hurt and tired legs. I remember with the same problem we ran into VW Jetta. Partially solve the problem can be lowered the chair in the lowest position, but for low drivers such a way is unacceptable. Beautiful concentric devices Corolla, honestly drawn in Volvo S80, turned out to be uncomfortable: to follow peripheral vision in short arrows it does not work, and in order to control the speed, it is necessary to tear off the road from the road. But the amber lighting of the controls is good, as well as two roomy glove boxes in the front passenger departments. But the quality of the plastic (who would have thought!) Someone inferior to Hyundai: the framing of the central tunnel with a non-clotted coater and the cup holders are made of coarse rough plastic, and the design itself goes to the walker. In Elantra, this node is made more accurately and fixed stronger. Slightly inferior to Corolla's opponent in smoothness and noise level, so the Korean car wins in a comfortable nomination.

Practicality and convenience
The freight capabilities of the rivals are approximately equal: the volume of the trunk according to the VDA technique at Elantra is 460 liters, in Corolla 450. The backs of the rear seats are folded in the 2: 3 ratio and fall on the pillows, forming an uncomfortable step with a trunk floor. Ambusura opens a little more at Toyota, but Hyundai compensates for this omission to the more practical placement of the rear speakers of the audio system: in Elantra they nest in the rear doors and do not interfere with anyone, and in Corolla are mounted in the shelf over the rear seats, discovering with no reserved back of the back side in trunk. Owlings in the cargo compartment with some large and hooked cargo type ski, you can easily touch the loudspeakers and, which is good, damage. In general, Corolla developers would cost this music with something to cover with something, and otherwise everything is in order, no worse than the opponent. Parity.
conclusions
As a result, a very interesting picture is evaporated on our estimated diagram: Hyundai Elantra with a small advantage wins a duel from Toyota Corolla. Five years ago, such a result would be unthinkable, and now please Hyundai learned to make good cars. Indeed, on ride qualities, capacity and comfort, Elantra and Corolla were very close, but the decisive advantage of the Korean car was provided by lower maintenance costs: the popularity of Corolla in the hijackers turns on very expensive insurance, and accuse insurance companies in abuse of correction coefficients is difficult well popular in Criminal circles Japanese cars, though you crack! In addition, the owner of the Toyota has to pass more often, however, unplanned visits to Remzonu, judging by TUV and J.D reliability ratings. Power, do not have to do. The cost is higher than Hyundai, but you need to remember that the funds invested in Toyota will pay off when resale: In the future, the 5-year-old Corolla will cost much more expensive Elantra reputation and brand value will necessarily take their own.

Andrei Ezhov