More Chinese Corolla photos

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Looks like this is pretty much what we’ll get over here for 2008.
Too bad….

By the way, I was driving a 2007 Corolla a couple of weeks ago for 3 days.
Nice smooth engine, comfortable suspension.
And it did feel pretty solid.

But the interior was borderline depressing…
The new one at least improves the interior a lot.
So it should still be a nice car.

I just wish they did more with the design.
But I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it…

Conversation 19 comments

  1. “I just wish they did more with the design. But I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it…”

    Well, Vince, what is this site about? Its primarily about car design. So of course it does matter.

  2. What I mean is that the design doesn’t matter to Toyota.
    The Corolla doesn’t
    sell because it looks great.
    It sells for many other reasons.And they know it.
    So they won’t really come out with a great design because they don’t have to.

    For this car, looks don’t matter.
    It’ll sell no matter what it looks like. Or almost.

  3. well its an ok car i like it actually but the only thing is that if you look at other toyotas like the yaris i personalyfind that they want to continue with that kind of design but i do admit it looks ok but the competion will eat them up because i find that american cars are starting to get better in style and quality we will just have to wait and see

  4. Reminds me of the current Jetta from the C pillar, these cars are trading styling cues it looks like.

  5. Unless it gets 0-60 in 9.2 seconds, or less, and low 40’s MPG, and loaded for 18-19K(sunroof, cruise,abs, etc)…. I won’t look.
    I’d buy the 5 door SL Versa(Nissan) instead. close enough in mpg, waay more functional, due to hatchback, and even if weird looking, at least it has looks, something different.
    Also, do a net search, for versa(tiida?)… and rumors are rampant about an SE or SE-R (a few more HP) for the Versa,among a few other possibilites for 08( it figures they wouldbump HP, since the xD is 127HP, and Versa was claiming most HP in the class, at 122HP….maybe 130 HP SE?).

    Snooze- fest Corolla. Nice cars, but as exciting as buying a toaster.

  6. inside looks almost exactly like our tC, but I know this won’t be as fast or fun to drive(or useful… no hatch!).
    And, of course, the exterior is “Eh”, ok, but that’s it. Many cars are”ok” looking in the catagory these days.

  7. BLACKLASER…Padwin. comfortable suspension??? is ok, but not perfect. I had a corolla 2003 and now I have my 2005 corolla xrs. the 2003 is more smooth but not more stable, so I prefer stability vs smoth ride. I remember one time the wind make me look like I was driving drunk,(in the 2003 corolla ce ) and one police stop me. but thanks to my good excuse, the police let me go. is more hard to happen stuff like that in my corolla xrs thanks to the strut bar, and more rigid and lower suspension. accessories from factory.

  8. why don’t they just place the Toyota badge dead center of the grille, vs giving the car a “nose”?
    Would help…. tried blocking it on photoshop, or even a piece of paper, and the looks improve some!
    The side profile? It looks odd… like the front end was pushed in , involved in an accident already!

    The Chinese Toyota you posted earlier vince… looks good . The Corolla looks good interior-wise, but not externally. The Chinese version(?) actually looks good all around, inside and outside.
    maybe Toyota should rebadge it, and sell it here.
    The Corolla is not good, the Chiense version looks like it cost 10K more, probably would sell for less than Corolla.

  9. BLACKLASER…Padwin. Vince, all you say is the truth but, is not fair to the people, if the company dont want more headache spending time in make better design because they sell the corolla so well. they should payback to the people wth better design. this is another way to say thanks to the consumer.

  10. I have to agree, toyota and honda are sucessful because they build reliable cars, not because their cars look good.

  11. also sold in eastern-europe, but not in western, not here in germany ….
    they have only the auris here…
    they will have their reasons…
    because there are still some people here who would buy a SEDAN..

  12. The designer of this car had zero, no imagination, a toaster on wheels that what it is, a toaster on wheels. The only response it gets from me is “WTF”.

  13. Doesn’t matter where it’s from, it’s still a dull and boring design, pretty much what anyone should expect from Toyota. I’m sure the cheap plastics Toyota is currently using in their interiors will be included.

  14. I gotta say, seeing this car in person puts it in a new light. I just got back from the UK, and seeing multiple Corollas on the street made you appreciate the style. True, it looks like a Camry shrunk down, but the Camry look does suit the Corolla better any day. The headlights are a bit quirky, but it works, and at least it’s a head-turner, not like the Jetta or the Mazda 3.

  15. was a rumor on many internet car news sites saying the reason toyota delayed the launch of the next generation in USA last year was due to the new civic, and they were gonna rework the design to make it more competitive….ok, where is this (exterior) competitive design, futuristic looks? I don’t see them?

    another story going around was toyota’s success(#1 in worldwide sales now)kept their engineers too busy to launch the U.S version
    on time?
    Whatever the reason… I hope they fix the front end some… looks like a sick manatee!

  16. that is the same one that just came out here in Oz. Luckily we also have the choice of the 5door hatch as well. The interior seems to be more unique on the hatch too.

  17. In 2002, I briefly had one of these vile cars as a dealer loaner for about a week. It made whirring noises through the speakers, accelerated with the ferocity of a field mouse, and is still the only non-classic car that’s ever left me stranded in a parking lot.

    The fact that an ugly car with lousy performance, zero comfort, zero amenities and a poor safety record really speaks volumes about the low expectations of the Corolla. Yet Toyota brandwhores, junior accountants and every shampoo girl at supercuts will continue to buy it because of its fantastic reputation for quality. Pffft!

    Tomorrow I’m switching to decaf.

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