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DTRL's and auto-on evening feature are standard on '03 Corollas. I agree with jrct9454 that headlights on greatly assists other drivers in seeing your car in all conditions. So perhaps these features may sway people towards the Corolla if safety is a high priority.
As for colors, I believe potential safety associated with selecting bolder, more contrasting colors is pretty low on people's decision criteria. I suspect most people regard color as a aesthetic preference decision.
Again, agreeing with jrct9454, I am not sure I want my cars in "Egg Yolk Yellow".
And for those who think that headlights equalize, things on overcast or rainy days, not entirely. Headlights will make a silver car more visible, but still not as visible as a NON-silver colored car with its headlights on.
And mystic teal,(the color of my '98 Corolla), is the coolest of colors for a Corolla (wink, wink).
I guess that leaves mystic teal. ;-)
(Here's the staying on topic portion of the post.)
I saw 5-6 Corollas of varying colors parked next to each other at the dealer lot today. I think I am still happy with my lunar mist metallic (silver) choice.
I've owned 45 new cars since 1962, all but two imports, including everything German and Japanese [13 Mercedes and at least 10 Toyota products including trucks, plus several recent Hondas - our current ride is an '01 Accord EX V6]. With that background, it's hard to overemphasize how impressed I was with the new Corolla. If they were so inclined, putting a Lexus badge on the leather-packed LE would not be a stretch...not that this will ever happen, but the car has a solid, all-of-a-piece feel that is truly impressive. Hands down winner in this category...
Thanks for your review. You opinion counts for a lot in my book.
HOWEVER,..... the 2003 Toyota LE is BY FAR the best small sedan in this segment! BY FAR...the B.E.S.T! I was treated very well at DIEHL TOYOTA in York PA. The sales guy Tom Kerns did every thing the Honda guy did and more (a voucher for a free car wash). I drove the LE Sedan, 4 speed Automatic, with alloy wheels, weather guard pac, cruise, stero combo w/th 6 speaker,moon roof, VIP security/keyless entry pac and wheel locks. The car was Indigo Ink Pearl with the stone interior. I loved this car, a baby CAMRY indeed! Handled much better than, I expected. Almost like a upscale mid size car inside (think Volkswagen) and a very smooth drive train/engine combo! How can they sell these so cheap. I really think anyone shopping for a 2002/2003 Vee Dub Jetta GL 2.0 would be a fool to spend the extra $3,000 to $4,000 for that car. The 2003 Corolla is solid, very smart looking and well built.
I was offered $8,500 for my trade (2000 Mazda PRO-ES w/th 35,000 miles) which is Edmunds TMV. Here is the kicker, Diehl Toyota was selling all their LE's for $400.00 under MRSP. That is pretty good for a brand new redesigned Corolla. I declined, but...it was tough!!!
-Larry
I got my first door ding this weekend, one of my neighbors a real heavy set guy ( around 300 pounds ) getting out of his truck did it in. It is real frustrating.. oh well that's life.. Maybe I can touch it up.
IMO the Corolla will over take the civic.
The car drives very smooth and quiet. The engine pulls well down low, so I can keep up with traffic well while shifting at 3000rpm or less.
One thing I have noticed though is a slight buzzing on the top of the instrument panel which occurs about 5% of the time, usually at the same temperature and conditions. This intermittent sound is magnified by the fact that the car is so quiet overall. Again, anyone else with a similar problem?
Finally, I was wondering what tires are on your '03 Corollas. Mind has the Firestone FR690 and I noticed Goodyear Integrity's on other Corollas. At first I was a bit wary of the Firestones but they have proven to be quiet, smooth riding with good traction in the wet. Of course I have no basis of comparision until I replace the tires, probably with Michelins or Dunlops.
I was looking another car for long trip drive. Toyota Camry was my candidate for next purchasing but Camry was out of my list since I saw the 2003 Corolla. I believe the style of 2003 Corolla is much better than Camry and a lot less expensive.
Under the hood of Corolla, I was impress the arrangement of the engine (hi-tech).
Tomorrow I will have a test drive to check out the performance of new Corolla.
Ride: Very smooth, very quiet
Handling: Actually pretty good
Engine: Super quiet at idle, good pick-up, some engine thrashiness at higher RPM's
Transmission: (auto) Silky, seamless shifts
Interior: Rich and inviting, quality materials throughout
Exterior: Flawless paint, trim, etc.
All I can say is that this car is a HUGE improvement over the 2002 corolla. I also test drove a 2002 civic EX auto which was pretty nice, drove reasonably well, typical honda quality, but I felt overall the 2003 corolla is WAY better in the way it feels and the price is better as well. For those of you who like to sit low to the ground though, the corolla may not be for you. You sit pretty high, and that might take some getting use to for some.
It has been a week today, still have not heard from them. I will give them a few more days.
Mine has the firestone tires.
Respectfully,
Larry
-Engine/Performance: 2002's engine is quieter which I guess is due to the fact 2003's gearing is shorter to compensate for the extra 200 pounds or so the new model has gained over the old one, which makes it rev harder at any given speed (more on that later). That's also why low rpm pick up is keener in the new Corolla, but acceleration to highway speeds and overtaking is more or less similar in both cars. I should mention that both cars had the 4-speed automatic transmission, which was equally seamless in either one.
-Stability and handling: 2003 is so stable you'd swear it's on rails! It was a windy day in Toronto but that didn't seem to affect the (tallish) car directional stability. Handling was equally impressive and it felt safe and confidence inspiring as I was taking high speed curves during my hour-long test drive. 2002's stability isn't bad but it doesn't zero-in on the straight-ahead quite as effectively. Ditto the handling, which is less buttoned down in my 2002 corolla.
-Ride: 2002's ride is one of its good aspects. The new Corolla retains the smooth ride but its more solid body makes pumps reverberate less throughout the car's structure (more on that later), resulting in a more comfortable ride. There were no ill effects in the cars ride (or handling) that I could notice that would be attributed to changing the rear suspension's design to torsion beam as opposed to independent Mac struts in the 2002 model.
-Body integrity: 2003 Corolla is one of the most solid and rattle-free cars that I've driven. The car seems hewn from a pellet of steel. I know this is a tired cliché, but it actually applies in this case. The doors close with a thud that imparts a feeling you only get in cars costing 2-3 times as much. Admirable! The 2002 Corolla, while solid in its own right and compared to the likes of Civic, Protégé etc., is a notch or two below in this regard.
Interior/Exterior: Admittedly, this is a matter of taste, but I think few would argue that the interior of the new Corolla is in a league of its own in this segment. The only other car that's as impressive -IMO- is the VW Jetta, but it costs thousands more. Interestingly, the new Corolla's exterior has about the same stance and proportions as the Jetta, which is high praise since the Jetta is probably the most elegant design in the small car segment, again IMO. I still like 2002's exterior design (mine still looks sharp in black with alloy wheels), but it's soundly trounced in the interior department. Actually, if I were to pick a single aspect of the new car that's leaps and bounds ahead of the old one, it would be the interior.
The only concern that I had during my long test drive is that the more noticeable engine drone may prove tiring in long trips. Now I should mention that I was driving at 140+ kmh (about 88 mph) most of the time where the engine is revving at about 3300 rpm. When I slowed down to 100 kmh (62 mph), noise was more tolerable. My 2002 Corolla revs at about 3000 rpm when I'm doing 140 kmh (due to its taller gearing) and that makes a difference in the decibel level that I noticed when I jumped into my car and drove back to work on the same roads I was test driving the new Corolla on and at the same speed. The difference wasn't huge, mind, since at high speeds, wind noise is more noticeable in my 2002 Corolla (moon roof equipped) than in the 2003 Corolla I drove (sans moon roof).
So there you go. I hope this helps and sorry for the (very) long post
Do Meade and all the folks over there know that you are sneaking out and flirting with Corollas?
Last Sunday I had to walk onto the Toyota dealership lot and see a Matrix in person. (My first love will always be hatchbacks/small wagons for their utility). I also looked at the 2003 Corollas and was more impressed than I thought I would be. Nice interior improvements, especially the higher location of the climate and radio controls -- and thankfully, better cupholders.
To those who end up getting the 2003 Corollas -- enjoy! It looks like a winner.
-Larry
Good luck
Sounds like you have some great vehicles to choose from -- best of luck with the quest.
Susan
I think you will be please with the Corolla S. It seems like most folks are going for the LE or, lesser degree, the CE. The S may not have some of convenience features as the LE (double stack center arm rest, variable intermittent wipers) nor the "mini"-Lexus interior decor. But it's stylish in its own right which has turned a more than a few heads in the 3 weeks I've driven it.
No doubt. Nonetheless, I was just relating a price, one dealer was offering. Edmunds suggests TMV on a new Corolla is MSRP, lol! My local Toyota Dealer has hinted all Corolla sold so far have been MSRP deals or a tad higher. Due to dealer added crap (pin stripes, undercoating, yada yada). I prefer to wait until the stock builds up and the acclaim dies down. However, I'm not dissing anyone who has or shortly will purchase a 2003 Corolla. BTW, I'm open to all new info on these cars! Including pricing. :-)
-Larry
The rebate for 03 Corolla could be CDN$800 off MSRP as I ever heard.
Thanks
~alpha01
My brother has the Celica, same deal.
I have a theory that perhaps it helps lubricate
the engine faster. Anyway it is normal and them
2003 Corolla's are some fine cars. I had the pleasure to check out an S at my dealership.
MSRP was $15,900. What a deal. I think this may be my next car. I have been a loyal Honda guy for the past 10years. I drove the new civic and it was just so boring. I love the fact this is being
referred to as a little Lexus. I love the Lexus,
but only have enough $$ for a Toyota that wants to be a Lexus. Anyhow I need to drive one so I can see for myself. I am also wondering I like the looks of the chromed door handles on the interior, but if I understand correctly you have to get the leather to get it in the LE. I may go
with the S anyway because I thing I can pick up a
lot of babes in it(lol). They go for that boy racer look. Of course it would be nice to have something more in the engine bay to back those looks up. Oh well I guess you just can't have everything.(jemk)
~alpha
by readytobuy8
"My 2003 also revs to 2000 rpm at engine starts..."by lfan
by lfan
When, I took a 2003 Corolla LE test drive last week, I noticed the exact same thing. I currently own a pair of 2000 Mazda Protege's and they actually start off idling at a tic above 2200 rpm. I'm starting to believe, modern 4-cylinders engine share this characteristic. Nonetheless, Toyota builds the smoothest engine/tranny combo's in the auto world. I'm sure the "revs to 2000 rpm at engine starts" are just a idiosyncrasy of this engine and not a problem.
-Larry