1.2 turbo Corolla

[Edgie70]

Hi all , I've seen a Corolla 1.2 turbo for sale that I'm thinking of going to look at , for those who own one can you tell me what you think of it , I know it's only a 1.2 so it's not going to be blazing fast but is it ok performance wise and not majorly slow , thanks 

[Red_Corolla]

I don't know if it's a good engine or not, but don't be too dismissive about the size. A 1.2 litre engine with a turbocharger can be a very different prospect to a naturally aspirated one and many of these modern generation of small capacity turbocharged engines are indeed quite nippy.

[davidif]

Not in a Corolla but I had an Auris with this engine which was perfectly satisfactory.

Smooth, punchy and reasonably frugal too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Edgie70]

Thank you , I currently have a 1.4 turbo Punto that's 120bhp , think the Corolla is 116bhp with a bit less torque, coupled with being a bit heavier it'll obviously not be as quick but as long as I'm not hearing " they're rubbish " or " very slow " I'm happy 

[Guest]

From what I have read on here (from owners), the small Toyota 1.2 petrol engine with turbo is one of the few, if not only, relatively small engines with artificially high power that actually won't self destruct in normal use (unlike Ford's EcoBoost etc). 

A relative had an Auris with this engine as a loaner car, he genuinely thought it was the 1.8 from the speed and how it drove and was amazed to find it was the 1.2T. 

I'd say drive it and if everything else seems right buy it! 

[beeblebrox]

There shouldn't be hardly any difference between your current car versus a 1.2 T regarding actual performance. It is nippy.

check you're not concerned about more possible road noise over different road surfaces.

check multimedia is upgraded to android auto.

Check estate rear door hinges are free from possible rust.

33-39 MPG.(for me)

It's a fine car, and no mechanical problems yet.

[Swanthecat]

I have the 1.2 TS and it is actually quite nippy especially with the improved throttle response in sports mode. My design spec handles very well and is actually quite fun to drive - as good as the Ford Focus I had prior to that. Pulls well on the motorway and cruises along happily at the speed limit. Averages high 30s fuel economy but with the small fuel tank the range is the most disappointing thing to me

[Bper]

Owning a 1.2T Auris I can confirm that it really is nippy with the turbo. Sports mode is a treat as well👍

[Edgie70]

Well the 1.2t design I was going to look at has took a bit of a twist , I rang a guy I know at a Toyota dealer ( I work at a motor factors ) with the reg number to see if it had had any work done , he said it had had a rear n/s door , front o/s wing and a rear bumper!! I was absolutely gutted !! As far as I know the car isn't registered as a right off but as I know these things I'm just put off buying it 😔

[Swanthecat]

12 hours ago, Edgie70 said:

Well the 1.2t design I was going to look at has took a bit of a twist , I rang a guy I know at a Toyota dealer ( I work at a motor factors ) with the reg number to see if it had had any work done , he said it had had a rear n/s door , front o/s wing and a rear bumper!! I was absolutely gutted !! As far as I know the car isn't registered as a right off but as I know these things I'm just put off buying it 😔

Probably wise. When I had some work done on my rear bumper the Toyota body shop needed to re-calibrate the parking sensors which was not cheap probably due to the auto park function. If you weren’t sure where or how the repairs had been performed could you be sure they didn’t cut corners. On the other hand most  cars have perfectly adequate repairs and if you could get some assurance they had been done by an authorised repairer it could be a good starting point to negotiate a discount 

[TonyHSD]

14 hours ago, Edgie70 said:

Well the 1.2t design I was going to look at has took a bit of a twist , I rang a guy I know at a Toyota dealer ( I work at a motor factors ) with the reg number to see if it had had any work done , he said it had had a rear n/s door , front o/s wing and a rear bumper!! I was absolutely gutted !! As far as I know the car isn't registered as a right off but as I know these things I'm just put off buying it 😔

Better walk away, this car won’t last long before needs another paint job as once an original paint is re worked in any ways the corrosion protection simply goes away.
My car was twice done in Toyota garage, rear doors ,perhaps only a cosmetic work but even so the paintwork started to chip away badly after year 12, now I have to use car vinyl art to cover it as I don’t want to spend on painting. 
I looked at adverts and 1.2 t seems very rare and prices match the 1.8 hybrids, which are the better option from both no doubt about it, perhaps you can try one of these. Good luck 

[Edgie70]

Thank you , I understand that cars have work done like paint and mechanical and it's a four year old car but it just seems weird a door on one side and a wing on the other 🤦🏻‍♂️ I'd actually love to know what happened to it 

[Corollanutter]

Also consider the cost of ownership. Purely on fuel, the 1.2 will give you around 40 MPG whereas the 1.8 hybrid will give you around 60 MPG. On 10K miles a year that's over £550 per year saving with the hybrid. Of course, if you are a low mileage user, the fuel is less important. 

[Cyker]

48 minutes ago, Edgie70 said:

Thank you , I understand that cars have work done like paint and mechanical and it's a four year old car but it just seems weird a door on one side and a wing on the other 🤦🏻‍♂️ I'd actually love to know what happened to it 

Yeah, it does seem to suggest a fairly involved accident!

Then again maybe the previous owner was not a very good driver and had put many dents and impacts on those sections, and it was deemed cheaper to replace them than repair them to make the car more presentable for sale!

[Edgie70]

1 hour ago, Corollanutter said:

Also consider the cost of ownership. Purely on fuel, the 1.2 will give you around 40 MPG whereas the 1.8 hybrid will give you around 60 MPG. On 10K miles a year that's over £550 per year saving with the hybrid. Of course, if you are a low mileage user, the fuel is less important. 

Good thought , it would be interesting to know what revs on the rev counter a 1.2t 6 speed manual and a 1.8 cvt both do at 70mph , I literally only do 3 miles to work and 3 miles home but I do do the odd motorway journey 

[Cyker]

It's a bit tricky to compare as it will vary on the hybrids - My Yaris Mk4 will be just over 2000rpm at that speed if I'm cruising on a level, but it can rise considerably higher going up a hill with a full load. If I'm going downhill, it can be doing 0 rpm!  

 

[beeblebrox]

 

On 9/9/2023 at 4:38 PM, Edgie70 said:

it would be interesting to know what revs on the rev counter a 1.2t 6 speed manual and a 1.8 cvt both do at 70mph

My car purrs along on a level motorway at approx 2200 rpm at 70 mph. No Idea regarding hybrids.

Definitely need to use all 6 gears correctly to get the best out of it.

[Edgie70]

1 hour ago, beeblebrox said:

 

My car purrs along on a level motorway at approx 2200 rpm at 70 mph. No Idea regarding hybrids.

Definitely need to use all 6 gears correctly to get the best out of it.

Thanks , I'm still on the look out for one , Autotrader every night 😀

[Cyker]

Good luck! I can sympathize as I went through quite a saga when I was trying to find a 5-door Mk1 Yaris D4D T-Spirit  

Camping autotrader, exchange and mart, gumtree, cargurus etc. until a decent one popped up within a sane distance! Took a while...   I hope your search goes faster!

 

 

[Edgie70]

Thanks @Cyker I'm open to a hybrid too , just mainly want the design model with the 17" wheels , I keep checking and saving that bit extra so hopefully one will turn up , thanks again 

[cea]

We have one, a 69 Icon Tech. Great car, 35 mpg around the doors and high 40s on a run.