Autocar: first drive of 2023 Toyota Corolla 1.8 hybrid

[FROSTYBALLS]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/toyota/corolla/first-drives/toyota-corolla-18-hybrid-2023-first-drive

[APS]

Very positive review. Albeit short on detail. What exactly did they knock off a star for? 

Still, promising.

[forkingabout]

29 minutes ago, APS said:

Very positive review. Albeit short on detail. What exactly did they knock off a star for? 

Still, promising.

Lack of VAG Badge

[AndrueC]

'Rubber band effect' - otherwise known as 'operating the ICE at optimal RPM'. So sad that the general motoring public and vehicle reviewers still haven't grasped that. No wonder that some manufacturers like Honda pervert their CVT systems with fake gear changes.

Personally I've have preferred 14% lower fuel consumption but maybe I'm being greedy 😛

[Cyker]

That's weird, the link 404s for me - Is it working for the rest of you??

 

[forkingabout]

3 minutes ago, Cyker said:

That's weird, the link 404s for me - Is it working for the rest of you??

 

Currently broken for me but when I clicked it earlier there where some pricing mistakes in the article so maybe there correcting it.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Looks to be a problem on Autocar's site.

[Jimota]

Can’t get the link either.

[bigblock]

3 hours ago, forkingabout said:

Lack of VAG badge

Correct.

[Cyker]

Thanks, glad it's not just me!!

Maybe they're trying to remove all the references to CVT belts and pulleys from the article  

[TonyHSD]

The general auto journalists are so dumb and non stop mentioning this eCVT characteristic as bad thing. They can not accept how these cars work but otherwise enjoy the full electric cars been smooth and quiet 😂👌 

[Cyker]

Yeah, I just think if you don't want it to rev so much, don't press the accelerator down as much, duh!  

The HSD gives you more control over the engine than any drivetrain - If you press the accelerator all the way, signalling you want maximum power, now, the engine will rev all the way, giving you maximum power, immediately!

If you want the revs to rise in a more conventional manner, progressively press the accelerator more so they increase at a slower rate more to your liking!

I feel they are too used to how normal gearboxes are, where you floor it and have to then wait for the engine to catch up, and have gotten so used to the accelerator being an on-off switch they can't get their minds around there being in-between states  

[Eddie G]

8 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Yeah, I just think if you don't want it to rev so much, don't press the accelerator down as much, duh!  

The HSD gives you more control over the engine than any drivetrain - If you press the accelerator all the way, signalling you want maximum power, now, the engine will rev all the way, giving you maximum power, immediately!

If you want the revs to rise in a more conventional manner, progressively press the accelerator more so they increase at a slower rate more to your liking!

I feel they are too used to how normal gearboxes are, where you floor it and have to then wait for the engine to catch up, and have gotten so used to the accelerator being an on-off switch they can't get their minds around there being in-between states  

Totally agree, what with the flick test on the plastics and are the door pockets big enough to take a pop bottle reviews.

[TonyHSD]

Exactly. Anyone driving a Toyota hybrid for some time perhaps will realise that these cars can accelerate without been screaming. The accelerator control is everything. The simplest way to explain is that: -

we have two power sources ⛽️ & ⚡️that combine torque together into a power split device ⚙️which is like an open differential that one side can rotate at different speed from the other side. To make the car moving you need to equalise these two speeds and the combined rotating power will move the car. When you push more for faster speeds quicker acceleration if you hear the engine is keeping higher rpm but the car feels slow means that the engine is outperforming  the electric motor, in this case you need to either push more or ease a bit so both powers equals and together and the car continues to accelerate. Cyker what says it’s exactly that. Other option is to smashed pedal to the floor and if there is enough Battery charge the car will shoot itself like has a turbo and won’t be whining. Practice is all 👍

[TonyHSD]

Here another one. 

 

[AndrueC]

Steering wheel buttons don't seem to have changed unfortunately. Most importantly nothing to indicate the centre of the buttons so mis-presses are presumably still an issue.

And another reviewer moaning about the 0-60 of the 1.8 and claiming that it's frustrating. I've never been frustrated by the acceleration of the car. How often does that reviewer actually think people need to accelerate that fast? I usually out accelerate other drivers from junctions because most other drivers barely tickle their accelerator pedal.

And according to that last chap even 9.3s 0 to 60 isn't particularly good.

[Cyker]

Okay is that review worth watching? I must admit I started tuning out when he started groping the dash and talking about stitching and upholstery... does he actually review the car or does he continue to mistake it for a haberdashery....? 

Edit: Okay, I skipped ahead and he actually tries a 0-60 and then complains it's not as sprightly as a hot hatch. No  sherlock! I'm feeling like this is exactly the sort of review I was complaining about...

 

[AndrueC]

Lol. Just got to the end of the review where apparently they only got 40mpg on the motorway. If that was the 1.8 then I dread to think what they were doing. When I drove back from my Dad's funeral a couple of years ago I was in a foul frame of mind and rarely dropped below 80mph. The car dropped to slightly below 50mpg.

[simond64]

5 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

Lol. Just got to the end of the review where apparently they only got 40mpg on the motorway. If that was the 1.8 then I dread to think what they were doing. When I drove back from my Dad's funeral a couple of years ago I was in a foul frame of mind and rarely dropped below 80mph. The car dropped to slightly below 50mpg.

Yep, I get 55mpg from a my22 2.0 when not hanging about, the motoring media are petrol heads and bias towards hybrids. I expect to get better from the my23 and they appear perform really well with excellent reliability

[Jimota]

Sometimes these reviewers just love the sound of their own voice.

[Nixy]

Not too shabby but soooo expensive 😩. But then what isn't these days 😩. 

[Nixy]

Autocar story gone AWOL. 😩

[MarcusWatson]

16 hours ago, AndrueC said:

'Rubber band effect' - otherwise known as 'operating the ICE at optimal RPM'. So sad that the general motoring public and vehicle reviewers still haven't grasped that. No wonder that some manufacturers like Honda pervert their CVT systems with fake gear changes.

Personally I've have preferred 14% lower fuel consumption but maybe I'm being greedy 😛

Can't agree more, it's very frustrating to read this over and over again. I think it's lazy journalism, they all read each other's articles and create these "truisms" that they all take on. Some journalists are worse than others. I had a fast car with a modern ZF torque converter before the Corolla. I drove it to the dealer to part ex it and drove the Corolla away yet didnt detect a rubber band effect in comparison to my previous car. I think the Corolla steps off and accelerates at low speeds very sharply. You get a drone from the engine on a motorway slip road or overtake but it lasts for,  what, ten seconds and it's just noise I don't feel like the car is catching up with the engine.

I've said before, this car is the best I've ever had when judged by fitness for purpose. In fact my friend liked mine so much she just traded in her Mini Cooper for a 70 plate 1.8 touring sports so she can carry bikes and also stuff for her hobbies. She doesn't think the gearbox is weird. In fact she has no real opinion about it, it just works.

[TonyHSD]

Reviews like that I often watch with volume off and just the pictures to see what’s new on the car 😂 No need to listen those clown that try to be interesting to the masses. How no one ever mentioned how smooth, quiet, and nice are these cars to drive. It seems like even if they see it and know it they have a censored speech and if they say the truth they are risking loosing their jobs. Sorry for them they have ugly jobs then and been afraid to talk freely. The reality is that most people once they try a Toyota hybrid then they switch to one and the only way forward is keep hybrids or move to full ev. 

[APS]

14 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Here another one. 

On balance and from an average consumer point of view, I think this is a fair review. We have to remember that people compare cars from different makers against each other.  

- Yes, they still go on about the droning CVT. Worse still, Toyota responds and says; "We've made improvements..." implying it's a defect to be improved upon. It's the journo's responsibility to translate technology for average punters, detailing the pros and cons. 

- I wish they'd measure 0 to 30 mph (50 km/h). This is far more important in everyday driving when you need to pull off quickly.  The hybrids are fairly good in this regard. 

- Nice to see a bigger, hi-res screen. Hopefully with better Car play and Auto integration. But, they replaced the physical volume knob with plus and minus buttons. That's a bit low rent.

- Looks like Toyota has succumbed to market forces and removed the engine bling cover and replaced the cam cover with a resin ditto. Will we now have engines that need new covers and seals after 100k miles? Again, cost cutting.