1.8 / 2 litre test drive

[davidif]

It seems that this discussion is very partisan. One one side you have owners of the 1.8 assuring us that it is perfectly powerful and keeps up with the traffic flow without difficulty (one recent poster confirming that he had ample power on his motorway trip earlier this evening although on his own admission spent the majority of his journey in L1 at 60mph).

On the other side of the argument the defenders of the 2.0 is better argument talk about long motorway trips perhaps heavily laden and climbing hills etc. 

Surely it’s simply horses for courses rather than one type being better than the other. If you want excellent fuel efficiency then maybe you would be better off looking at the 1.8, or for example if you need the maximum amount of boot space. Conversely if you carry more load and are willing to sacrifice some fuel efficiency then maybe the 2.0 is the better bet. 

It’s great that Toyota gives us the choices. 

 

[AndrueC]

Yeah, I could've done 70/80 if I wanted but it would probably only reduce my journey time by a couple of minutes if that. What's the point? I'd had a day of golf (slightly poor score but it's them damn' greens at Hinksey) so I don't care.

I only got a bit sporty at M40 J11 because I dislike ditherers. The speed limit is 50mph at the other side anyway.

[Cyker]

42 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

But it's interesting how the the Jazz 1.3 can clearly wipe the floor with the Corolla's 1.8.

I think that's partly the engine being out of its speed range, but also the lightness of the Jazz vs the Corolla  - As a famous person (Colin Chapman?) once said, power makes a car faster in a straight line but lightness makes it faster everywhere! And is it the one with the weird engine that has 4 cylinders but 8 spark plugs?

At legal speeds the hybrids punch well above their weight in terms of burst acceleration, the 1.8 2ZR-FXE included! (But especially the 1.5 M15A-FXE  ), but I think the Corolla is 3-400kg heavier than the Jazz and above legal speeds the electric motor can't provide any more support so you're relying on the 1.8 alone, and don't forget it's Atkinson-cycle only so probably has similar power levels to the 1.3 but it's having to move nearly half a ton extra weight on its own!

In a similar vein, the Mk4 Hybrid is faster off the line in a drag race than the non-hybrid, but the non-hybrid will catch and pass it, because it's a good chunk lighter and the M15A-FKS has more power and torque at the top end than the M15A-FXE.

[Niky]

It's all about the driving style

Let's call it Fun 2.0L vs hmm.... how would you call the 1.8L. No word comes in my mind. 

I assume those with the 2L would never agree that the 1.8 is a fun car, and that is understandable. It is not!!! 

But the 1.8 does everything a car should do, and does it with a balanced performance and extremely good fuel consumption. Obviously mine is 1.8😂😂😂 and I am after fuel economy 

Both cars are great, but as the cars are different so we are. Everyone have different needs and different expectations from a car.

PS. I would happily have gone for the 2L, but having in mind it would have cost me £7-800 if not even more per year I choose the wiser solution for my needs(and pocket). However if the budget wasn't an issue I would have a Lexus ES now

 

[Composite Guru]

17 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I think that's partly the engine being out of its speed range, but also the lightness of the Jazz vs the Corolla  - As a famous person (Colin Chapman?) once said, power makes a car faster in a straight line but lightness makes it faster everywhere! And is it the one with the weird engine that has 4 cylinders but 8 spark plugs?

At legal speeds the hybrids punch well above their weight in terms of burst acceleration, the 1.8 2ZR-FXE included! (But especially the 1.5 M15A-FXE  ), but I think the Corolla is 3-400kg heavier than the Jazz and above legal speeds the electric motor can't provide any more support so you're relying on the 1.8 alone, and don't forget it's Atkinson-cycle only so probably has similar power levels to the 1.3 but it's having to move nearly half a ton extra weight on its own!

In a similar vein, the Mk4 Hybrid is faster off the line in a drag race than the non-hybrid, but the non-hybrid will catch and pass it, because it's a good chunk lighter and the M15A-FKS has more power and torque at the top end than the M15A-FXE.

I loved the 1.8 2ZR in my Elise. As you said, add lightness and it makes a massive difference. 😂

 

[fourbanks]

5 minutes ago, Niky said:

It's all about the driving style

Let's call it Fun 2.0L vs hmm.... how would you call the 1.8L. No word comes in my mind. 

I assume those with the 2L would never agree that the 1.8 is a fun car, and that is understandable. It is not!!! 

But the 1.8 does everything a car should do, and does it with a balanced performance and extremely good fuel consumption. Obviously mine is 1.8😂😂😂 and I am after fuel economy 

Both cars are great, but as the cars are different so we are. Everyone have different needs and different expectations from a car.

PS. I would happily have gone for the 2L, but having in mind it would have cost me £7-800 if not even more per year I choose the wiser solution for my needs(and pocket). However if the budget wasn't an issue I would have a Lexus ES now

 

Quote

However if the budget wasn't an issue I would have a Lexus ES now

That's how life is, and i would have done the same. Not because it has a 2 litre engine, i have had 3 and 4.2 litre in my time, but because i prefer the style of the car. However, getting that style, the ES with the same spec as my GR sport that come in at £44'000 as both cars are not basic making it around £14'000 more expensive which would be stupid to even think of and on that basis it's not for me and i'm out 

 

[AndrueC]

Yes, I think the Jazz has two spark plugs per cylinder plus can operate in either Atkinson or Otto modes depending what you ask of it. If you get your foot down it will move surprisingly well. My biggest gripe with my version was that it was a bit 'lumpy' around the 2k rpm point when it was switching modes.

I did once drive the next iteration and it seemed like Honda had sorted that out but they'd also introduced an emulation of discrete gears at the top end for CVT. It seemed to give more power but I thought it was dishonest. Drivers should learn to embrace CVT not pretend it's something else.

[Niky]

My point(absolutely personal opinion) that we buy Toyota mainly for its reliability record,the hybrid for its great MPG and the 5 to 10 years warranty - depending on your mileage 

Those 3 main reasons to choose a Corolla 1.8 are related to a low running cost which for me and mine 20k+ miles per year is essential. 

 

Forgot to add - I am in a good mood today😀

The 2L is the better car to drive, but the 1.8 is the wiser to own.

[TonyHSD]

I would say it that way. The 2.0 hybrids are for those who will not like to buy and own a Prius but like to buy and drive a hybrid. 🔋⛽️👍 

[Niky]

3 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

I would say it that way. The 2.0 hybrids are for those who will not like to buy and own a Prius but like to buy and drive a hybrid. 🔋⛽️👍 

Nooo, I don't want a Prius too😂😂😂

[Corollanutter]

On 5/20/2022 at 9:53 PM, Gray86 said:

Something that is missing from this thread is a bit of balance. 
 

How about his? There is a place for both the 1.8, AND the 2.0.
 

Fully agree with Graeme. TBH, I wasn’t in the fortunate position of being able to afford a new car - and the engine choice was a low priority - so I went for a trim level, colour and price that suited me. In my case I ended up with the 1.8 - which I have found to be more than adequate for the motoring I do these days. Conversely, if I put myself back 15 years ago when I was doing a lot of long distance motorway driving (about 30k pa) then I’m sure the 2.0 would have probably been a better choice. As always, it a case of horses for courses.