Toyota Corolla 2.0 D4D t3

Bought the Toyota Corolla in 2005 from a car supermarket when it was 10 months old. This is the facelifted version which produces 114 bhp instead of 109 bhp in the old model. Torque is also increased somewhat. The newer version T3 has a body kit as standard.

Was recommended to me by someone who had owned Toyotas for his last fifteen cars. I had yet to own a Japanese car, but decided to take the plunge have no regrets. Toyotas have always had the image of being an old man's car, so I must have brought the average age down slightly being just 31. Indeed I was subject to some mickey taking by certain friends. The Toyota Corolla is the best selling car in the world ever and is also one of the most reliable, but that doesn't exactly set the pulse racing does it? True, it's not the most exciting car around, but it deserves more credit than it gets. Maybe Toyota should have changed it's name when this particular model was introduced back in 2001. The replacement to this Corolla is now called the Auris which was launched in 2007.

I owned my Corolla for almost two and a half years and had no problems with it whatsoever. It never broke down on me and I only ended up paying out on the wear and tear stuff (tyres, brakes, servicing etc). As I cover quite a lot of miles I opted for the diesel version. My previous car was a VW Bora TDI(110) Sport which I liked very much, although it was hardly 100% reliable. The Toyota on the other hand you could depend on. The 2.0 diesel is a decent unit and more responsive than the VW. It's pretty refined too and is very petrol like to drive, but can become a bit harsh when revved hard. A sixth gear would help for motorway cruising, but this is not even an option on the Corolla. It goes in every gear, mid-range is particularly impressive and keeping up with other stuff in the fast lane is never a problem. Being a diesel though and this is a problem with just about all diesels is that there's only a narrow power band to play with. All that mid-range and then you find yourself having to change up at 4,000rpm. Handling is impressive and almost as good as a Focus. Certainly feels very nimble in comparison to my Bora which could feel cumbersome at times.

Fuel economy is ok, but not outstanding. A number of Corolla drivers have compained about their trip computers being optimistic and mine is no exception. I regularly get readings in the mid 50's, but from my own calculations I'm more realistically getting mid to late 40's. Not bad, but slightly down on Toyota's figures. There seems to be no difference in economy whether on a short or long run. Never managed to better 50 no matter how hard I try. Again a sixth gear might help matters slightly.

Externally this car is very well built. It looks good in steel silver with the standard-fit body kit, though the standard 15 inch alloys don't do it justice. On the inside it's quite well made although is a bit plasticky. There isn't the same quality feel you get in a VW. The intrument panel which lights up in daylight is somewhat garish and the standard-fit stereo is nothing special and slightly tinny. No problems with safety features, epecially after personally being involved in an accident with a lorry on the motorway. The car was a write off, but maraculously I managed to come out of it virtually unscathed. The curtain airbags did a very good job in saving me and my mum from something much worse.

This is a car that I can recommend. As a small family car it's hard to fault. Having said that I probably wouldn't go for another one the same. I don't own this one any more as I've gone for something a bit more sporty.