Toyota Corolla 1.6 Vvti Sr

[MOE16v]

Hi, im thinking of buying a facelift sr but before i do i want to gather as much information possible.

The car would be my daily driver and needs to be good on fuel, practical and fun.

Any information is much appreciated.

Thanks

[oldcodger]

Hey,

Assume you are talking about the 1.6 petrol SR not the 2.0 diesel SR ?

As you know the SR just has a few sportier bolt on body parts, the 1.6 is it same as used in the T3 and CC models.

It has plenty of poke when needed and I can get 40mpg with mixed mway and town use, but for daily commute in rush hour traffic expect a lot lower.

My 5 door hatch very practical, easily takes 8ft lengths of wood or pipe, even had the kitchen sink in there !

Plenty of room in the boot for a boom box etc. - even has a full size spare.

Standard service parts etc seem a reasonable price from good sources like the big motor factors.

The only things that seem to regularly crop up in the forum is a squeaky clutch pedal, usually easily sorted and the earlier 2002 models , some seem to suffer from blocking of the heater matrix, expensive if you have o buy a new one, though seems many have flushed them clean.

[MOE16v]

thanks for your reply, im talking about the 2001-02 1.6 petrol sr. Sorry if i never made it clear.

I heard they are crap on petrol, which is my main concern especially with sky high petrol prices.

[oldcodger]

Hey,

Again I assumed you were taking about the 2004 facelift of the E12 not the earlier 2002 new model.

Perhaps the 1.6 are not the most economic of cars , much depends on your right foot !

In hindsight I should perhaps have gone for the more economic 1.4 , as from some test drives I did, it still had enough power for my 'old' needs, but the whole car package was too good to turn down.

Have a look at the 1.4 petrol or the diesels, also look around the Forums, the Yaris might be a better bet for your needs or things like the Nissan Micra which still feels a decent size and comfortable up front.

[Steven252]

I have one and fully recommend it!!

Parts are cheep, one of the best handling cars ive owned (had alot if hot hatches) parts are cheep even from the dealer, and ubber reliable. Mines on 152k with just routine servicing. They can use a fair bit of oil, but even with the high milage mines done it doesnt use "that" much.

Its good on petrol. Lowest ive out of a tank is 30mpg and that was pritty much thrashing it. Av between 35-40 mixed driving and did 47mpg on a 460 mile trip to silverstone.

Absolutely love the car

[MOE16v]

Thanks Steven, that helped me out quite abit.

What's the performance like on the car, mainly going to be used for motorway, so alot of overtaking and maybe the occasional track.

[Tibs]

Buy one.

What Steven said +1.

No Type-R or anything, but for what they are, they are certainly quick enough for everyday driving, plus the odd bit of track action, take mine for example....

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=124875&view=findpost&p=1180806

I love mine, is great at pretty much everything and is a really underated car.

[oldcodger]

What's the performance like on the car, mainly going to be used for motorway, so alot of overtaking

Hey,

No problem with overtaking power etc , but once you get up to 65 -70 I always feel you need another gear to go up.

If I was going back to high daily motorway driving I would probably move back to an Avensis or similar, the rolla would be a bit too noisey and tiresome for me, though expect you younger guys will not find that a problem.

Have added a good bit of extra sound deadening and it does make a difference, the drumming sound from the boot /rear is now golden silence.

[Tibs]

To be honest, I don't think it really suffers 65-70 and accelerating from there, for overtaking say.

Pulls nicely, even in 6th. Obviously no powerhouse, but the 6speed 'box makes it geared well.

Again, this is the E11 facelift SR.

[Steven252]

Mines fine pulling from 70 to 100 in 6th, the 6 speed box is very high reving at motorway speeds though

Car is very quite at these speeds too, and very comfortable on long journey

[MOE16v]

Thankyou both with your input, and your car looks very nice Tibs. Clean and Original.

really want to buy one but dont want but to buy a sr if it doesnt perform like a sr, which is why i ask.

Secondly the Tax is very high on this 200+ quid i think.

also what sort of mods would benefit the car for handling and performance and what sort of mpg have you been getting in this.

Thanks

[Steven252]

Best way to say about the performane is to say its slightly faster than a 1.6 zetec s fiesta and on par with a 2.0 focus

Tax is abit of a sting at £220 (iirc) a year.

[Tibs]

Thankyou both with your input, and your car looks very nice Tibs. Clean and Original.

really want to buy one but dont want but to buy a sr if it doesnt perform like a sr, which is why i ask.

Secondly the Tax is very high on this 200+ quid i think.

also what sort of mods would benefit the car for handling and performance and what sort of mpg have you been getting in this.

Thanks

Thanks Moe.

The SR is really underated as I said, well screwed together, decent engine and 'box, plenty of kit and multi-link rear suspension which many similar cars miss out on.

What sealed it for me was the fact that I had always liked them, they are damn rare, and they are different from the norm.

I have been blighted with a heavy right foot since birth, and as a result, my driving style is what it is. Having said that, 30mpg when really pushing it is good in my experience, normal return is 35-40mpg, and I can get 45mpg when trying.

The car holds its own against 'quicker' cars. Surprises a few people actually. Surprised me on the track, certainly held its own against my friends tuned 182 Clio, which on paper it should not have done, so make of that what you will.

Can't get away from the tax costs, but could be worse, so I really don't worry about that side of things to be honest.

I've swapped suspension for matched shocks and lowered springs, which have transformed it in that area, as well as upgrading front discs and pads. Decent tyres make a lot of difference too. Only 'performance' mod I have, is the exhaust, which feels and sounds different, but I have no idea of what 'real' gains have been made. The engine is hard to tune for reasonable money, so I haven't, as funds are limited fror me, but I haven't really wanted to either.

Hope this helps.

[Raymond p]

How do you guys feel about buying a 5 Dr corolla 1.6SR? Is it worth it with 95000 mls on the clock

[oldcodger]

Hi.

If its what you like the look of and fits your budget  take it for a test drive, check its mot current /history  and get a HPI check just in case  and if its a private owner, that it does not seem likely it has a log book loan on it.

Any service book with dealer stamps,  receipts etc to show its been looked after  ?

Depending on its year , some earlier models had oil burning problems, check engine oil level and exhaust for smoke etc

On the test drive  check the feel of the clutch, if its heavy and the biting point high up, then towards 100k is  typical for a new one, though not that unusually expensive.

Also see if any dashboard check lights come on, they can be both problematic  and expensive.

Otherwise, generally good and reliable, though of its a Toyota only part, can be expensive, but most standard service  parts from the regular suppliers more normal prices.