Selwyn Times: December 12, 2018

34 Wednesday December 12 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Motoring
• By Ross Kiddie
MY WIFE will tell you I’m not a
big fan of supermarkets, and she
is right, I see them as a necessary
evil.
However, there is one thing
that I find favour with, and that is
when it comes to pay, the item is
scanned through the barcode and
that is what it costs.
It should be that simple when it
comes to buying cars – one price,
no discounts, what you see on the
price tag is what you pay.
Honda has utilised that price
promise concept for several years,
and it’s been very successful for
the company, people rock up and
there is no need to talk turkey
over the price.
Toyota, too, have just incorporated
that method of selling and
judging by recent sales figures it’s
keeping Toyota in a comfortable
position as the end-of-year sales
figures roll in.
Toyota’s success this year has
also been buoyed by the arrival
of a new Corolla, a car which
doesn’t look that much different
to that of the previous generation,
but underneath it has had some
significant changes for comfort,
safety and driveability.
The Corolla lands with a choice
of five different models, two of
those are hybrid. Regular readers
will recall my hybrid evaluation
at the beginning of last month,
and it served to convince me that
hybrids are a viable future as we
head into the electric revolution.
However, this evaluation surrounds
the mid-spec SX model
which has a traditional power
plant, a 2-litre four-cylinder
petrol engine. Gone is the 1.8-litre
unit of the previous generation;
in the name of progress, the new
power plant is more refined than
before, has more power and marginally
greater fuel economy.
Toyota rates the new engine
with 125kW at the top end and
200Nm of torque, up 21 per cent
and 15 per cent respectively. The
points of delivery are quite tall
in the rev band – 6600rpm and
4800rpm, however, such are the
overall outputs there is still a
broad spread of power. Take into
account as well, the engine drives
through a paddle-shift continuously
variable transmission which
is stepped through 10 points,
which means the engine isn’t
loaded.
Together there is good harmony
and fluid response to accelerator
input. The engine feels quite zingy
and strong, it works the rev band
freely and, I guess, you’d expect
nothing less, Toyota has built millions
of Corolla engines and I’d be
surprised if it didn’t feel right.
It is also an engine which is
light on fuel use. That’s a necessary
criteria in these days of wayward
fuel prices. Toyota claims
a six-litre per 100km (47mpg)
combined cycle average, which
sits well with the fuel usage readout
in the test car. It was showing
a constant 7.2l/100km (39mpg)
• Price – Toyota Corolla SX,
$32,490
• Dimensions – Length,
4652mm; width, 1843mm;
height, 1697mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
front-wheeldrive,
1998cc, 125kW,
200Nm, 10-step CVT
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 9.2sec
• Fuel usage – 6l/100km
Local
News
Now
Nothing has changed in Corolla – except everything
TOYOTA COROLLA SX: No-haggle price of $32,490
SELWYN TIMES
Fire rages, homes at risk
during a mix of pre-Christmas
inner-city driving and a Port Hills
loop. At 100km/h the engine
is working over slowly at just
1500rpm, returning an instantaneous
fuel usage consumption of
just 4.5l/100km (63mpg).
My wife had a work Christmas
function to attend in Barrys Bay,
so the Corolla was used to travel
to that event.
The Christchurch/Akaroa
Highway isn’t my favourite piece
of road given the volume of traffic,
but the Corolla responded
well on the few overtaking
opportunities that presented
themselves. An overtaking time
of 6.8sec is possible (80km/h-
120km/h), while from a standstill
it will also launch to 100km/h in
9.2sec.
Those figures give you some
indication of its zest and ability. It
also handles nicely with beautiful
steering and strong steering
feedback. That’s no surprise,
over the years Corollas destined
for our market have had chassis
engineering developed for our
roads and that certainly showed
on the twists and turns of the
Akaora hill.
Add in the development
work Toyota has done with the
chassis in the latest generation
car and you have a dynamic
handling vehicle, one which
belies its role as a mainstream
hatchback.
Elsewhere, the Corolla stands
out for its quality of build and
high amount of fitment. At the
new no-haggle price of $32,490,
the SX includes all the features
you need for convenience and, of
course, comfort has been a high
manufacturing priority.
On the subject of prices, an
entry-level base model Corolla
is available for $29,990, and that
would be the car for me, but if
you want all the bells and whistles
then the ZR at $37,490 is also
there to tempt.
According to Toyota’s
advertising slogan, nothing has
changed for the new generation
Corolla – except everything. Sure,
it looks like the Corolla we have
come to know and love, and it
certainly drives like a Corolla
should, the only thing is that it is
much better in every respect.