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Corolla Or Auris?


john1970
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Hi all,

got 6k to spend, would I be better getting a late corolla or early auris?

Looking to keep it for few years, fancy the t spirit model of both. Would 1.6 petrol or 2.0 d4d would be better long term engine choice?

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Corolla :thumbsup:

As far as petrol or diesel goes depends whether you want a bit more fun or economy.

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Corolla :thumbsup:

As far as petrol or diesel goes depends whether you want a bit more fun or economy.

i second that statement :)

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well cant speak of knowledge but most new model cars have faults..

so the early model auris that you buy may have faults, if you buy a late corolla these would have all been fixed :thumbsup:

as for fun and economy, you would get both in the 2.0 d4d over the 1.6 :thumbsup:

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Does the corolla d4d have any expensive faults waiting for me?

Saw a few on autotrader, most seem to be fsh one owner cars, which should be good news!

Is the diesel on corolla cam belt or chain? I know the auris is chain.

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i own a 2.0d4d and ive been given the auris 2.0 diesel as replacement hire car when mine was off the road and i can honestly say (even if i own a corolla) the corolla is miles ahead.

jap cars have always been too light, made of paper thin metal, tinny, noisey and unrefined. with the corolla 2.0d4d they changed all this. when you close the door it thuds like a german car, the engine is quiet and refined yet gutsy and economical.

moving onto the auris all i can say is all the refinement and 'substantial-ness' they put into the corolla has been removed again. the car is like sitting in a can of baked beans. in an attempt to make the drive more fun they've lowered the point where the turbo kicks in which makes for a more invigorating drive but also means it sups diesel like its going out of fashion.

the corolla is much better looking you can pick up a good late model with less than 80K on the clock for about 5grand in t spirit (mine is t spirit incidentally) and you'll love it.

don't be blinded by the slight expense of having to replace cambelts, there are known issues with the timing chain diesels which are used in the newer models. the 2.0d4d 116bhp used in the corolla has been running since before 2002 and it is a well known engine, mechanics know its quirks and noises and frankly its an awesome engine. i had a 2002 avensis which has the identical engine we sold that with around 300K on the clock. the person who bought it lives locally and has been running the car as a taxi for 2-3 years now so i'd estimate the mileage on that car to be not to far off 500K and it runs like the day it left the factory.

look for one with full service history and the cambelt done. if you get one like that it means up to around 120-130,000 on the clock you have no expense on the car apart from wear and tear and regular servicing. regular servicing is the key to longevity with this engine. if is serviced well it will literally last for ever, if not then obviously it wont.

the clutch can get quite heavy on cars approaching 100K so if this is the case press the dealer to replace the clutch and flywheel for you. the car uses dual mass flywheel which can start to knock close to 250,000 miles where a single mass conversion can be purchased which will never go wrong. only noticeable effect will be slightly more noise on idle but no other issues other than that. ive spoke to people whove had the single mass conversion in for 100K and theyve reported no problems.

anymore questions feel free to ask me since i have the exact model you're after. and regarding petrol or diesel i'd say definately diesel. the drive is so comfy and lazy its funny once you're in 4th gear you can leave it there and go everwhere in 4th gear lol.

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Thanks d4d, thats the sort of info I am after!

Can you confirm if cruise is standard on the d4d spirit?

Also does it have sports seats and decent audio?

There is a bloke at my work with an auto model, it seems very solidly put together.

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So what you are saying is early models belt, later models chain.

So is it better to go for a belt or a chain on the 2.0 d4d?

Is it better to buy an earlier model?

:help:

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1.So what you are saying is early models belt, later models chain.

2. So is it better to go for a belt or a chain on the 2.0 d4d?

3. Is it better to buy an earlier model?

:help:

he has answered all these questions.

1. the 2.0 d4d corolla is cambelt, but the auris is chain and has known problems (i didnt know that)

2. the corolla d4d has to have a belt change but is a solid engine, the auris is a chain but known problems, it up to the buying which to go for, if he wants to save the money on belt changes and chance the usually reliable chain.

3. the best to go for is the late model corolla hatch

as for seats they are all the same shape (except for the t-sport) and just wrapped in different material, nice comfy seats really, not overly supportive when cornering but not too bad.

audio or very good, good setup, usual front and rear Speakers, tweeters, headunit lets you play with settings and there is good volume outa it :thumbsup:

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Thanks Andy for deciphering my unorganised post! the seats and audio issue has been cleared up. i disagree slightly on the audio side it may be ok for some but being an audio enthusiast i find the factory audio system total pants lol! however i will say if you're listening to the radio/cd on the way to work etc it is more than suitable.

my d4d t spirit doesn't have cruise control as far as i know cruise control was a factory option and the guy who got my car brand spanking didn't opt for this. :)

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I shall be on lookout for cruise anyway!

Is it a ballache to fit aftermarket audio?

Another Q!

Is the SR worth a look too? what has the better spec, generally.

ta again.

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SR has the (in my opinion) chav bodykit with side skirts and a big roof spoiler, the more sleek look of the t-spirit appeals to me more personally and the roof spoiler (if you are lucky to get one) is more aerodynamic and rounded rather than more square in shape. SR also has rear 3 windows tinted which is nice but I got my car fully tinted within the week of buying it so that didn't bother me much.

on the other hand the SR is much more suited to changing the wheels/lowering since the bodykit enhances the look of a lowered car with different alloys. if you plans mods such as that then definitely go for SR.

Fitting an aftermarket cd player is no problem you just use a fascia kit to reduce the 2DIN pocket to single DIN. And in terms of adding subwoofers/amplifiers/high end components etc like my car then I am told my the audio shop guys (who are my friends also) the corolla is a dream to work on there is plenty of space to get round and access things and you don't need a degree just to remove the door cards.

As far as i know the only differences between the t-spirit and SR are the bodykit and the SR has traction control as standard whereas it's an option in the t-spirit cars. personally i've never thought "damn i need traction control badly" even in the wet. the car does spin the wheels due to the amount of torque applied to them however it's not a 500bhp beast where traction control is 100% necessary just to be safe day to day driving. in the wet/greasy weather when roads are slippery traction control would be nice for when i set off a little quicker where 2 lanes merge to 1 or something like that however like i said ive never been left wanting T/C badly.

you can purchase a tuning box which takes the car up to 140bhp from the standard 116bhp however personally although i looked into it i haven't bothered with since i want ultimate long term reliability for my car.

if you buy t-spirit then some light classy tints/ hid headlights and a nice stereo are all that are needed and you have yourself a veyr nice car and infact i just described my own car those are the only mods ive made

if you buy sr then you can go down the road of change wheels lowering etc not that you cant with the t-spirit but just that the sr's factory body kit lends itself to these sorts of mods naturally. also my t-spirit has a nice sunroof not sure if the sr has this.

known issues (with both t-spirit & sr 2.0d4d)

1. clutch pedal gets heavy at 90K the clutch itself is fine just the pedal goes heavy

2. clutch pedal squeeks from under the bonnet, hardly noticeable and no problem really

3. window glass rattle if window isnt fully up or fully down slightly annoying but again nothing major

4. if you go lock to lock too fast the steering goes heavy feels like the rack is knackered however its just that you've turned the wheel too fast for the electronic power assist in the steering and again you probably wont even feel it but its good to know the car isnt broken and be worrying if it happens

good points

1. very solid reliable car, cruises effortlessly at 90 on motorway

2. niggly little problems with vags etc, such as bushes needing change at 60K miles won't happen on the corolla mines touching 100K bushes are a ok 100% fine

3. everything else generally won't go wrong. electrics are 100% solid, cabin is well layed out and has a nice premoium feel.

4. you wont get smoked off the lights by anything and everything you can easily keep up with golfs etc if thats what you're into

5. personally i think any car which isnt german or jap is total !Removed! and since this is jap i love it lol.

6. if you get a higher mileage version you may need to change an odd wheel bearing or something but this is neither costly nor timeconsuming and personally i place this under wear and tear rather than a break down

7. there arent 1million covers over the engine, if you want you can diy maintenance if you like without needing a textbook jut to remove hte covers as you do with vags.

anything else?

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the SR is lovely, it has an SR front splitter, front fogs, side skirts, rear splats, rear spoiler, rear tinted windows, different coloured seats, climate control, aluminium finish dash, front and rear electrics.

dont know to much about audio but iam sure it should just be simple enough to upgrade the Speakers if thats all you want, off with door cards, drill out old Speakers and fit new ones.

or would you be looking for a sub and amp?

edit, corollad4d, you bet me to it :thumbsup:

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Again, very informative answers!

Im not into bigger wheels or tweaking engine! was just wondering what the difference between them was :thumbsup:

There seems to be more of the spirit anyway, so I think thats what I will go for!

Maybe the spec levels equate to the older ford specs-

spirit=ghia, and sr=xr, showing my age now eh!

Should add that I have been driving a 2.0 626 for last few years, and want to keep that level of reliability! Only reason its going is cos of rusting!

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yeah, you would be making the right choice with the corolla :thumbsup:

when you purchase IF you should have any problems or queries dont hesitate to post and best of luck with it ;)

oh get a few pictures up of what you buy :thumbsup:

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The Auris generally has better equipment and more modern features, but the Corolla is a !Removed! solid car and just *feels* feels much nicer.

Between the 1.6 VVTI and the 2.0 D4D, I'm a big diesel nut so I'm quite biased, but I have to say the 2.0 is great fun to drive - It really pulls like a train! I think it was the first diesel car I'd driven that had such lovely acceleration and like most of the D4Ds it has an unusually high rev range for a diesel so you can keep going where other diesels would be forced to shift :D

My only gripe is that the clutch feels like it came out of a truck; The pedal is veeery heavy compared to, say, my 1.4 D4D Yaris or pretty much every other car I've driven :lol:

There is even a plate for you to rest your foot when you're not covering the clutch! :D

Deffo give one a test drive to make sure you're okay with that as it can get quite tiring.

I will say the D4D is quite clattery compared to more modern common-rail diesels but this is pretty minor (I actually find the clatter strangely soothing :lol: )

I expect the 1.6 is also a great car tho' if it's anything like the 1.8 my mate has. I swear he'd sleep with that car if could :lol:

There's also this 'lift' thing which VVTI 'rolla people keep going on about all the time... :naughty:

Oh, and get a 5 door one! Getting into the back of the 3-door one is almost as bad as in a Yaris! :lol:

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Not interested in 3 door!

Found out years ago how much a PITA they are!

It seems strange that the auris seems, on here at least, to be a backwards move for toyota.

One last Q, are the turbos generally reliable? that was main reason I got put off octavia, as there seems to be hellova lot of failures across the VAG range!

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Yeah... I really wish I'd held out for a 5-door when I buying my Yaris.

I figured I didn't want to cart people around much so I didn't need the 5-door (5-door diesel Yaris are rare as angel poo!), but atm most of my friends don't have cars, so muggins here usually ends up as the designated driver and trying to get them in the back of the Yaris is really annoying (Albeit sometimes hilarious, esp. when they're drunk :lol: )

I keep an eye out for them sometimes, but I just can't justify changing cars to myself just to get 2 more doors! :crybaby: (That and they're still really expensive!)

In the Auris' defence, it does have lots of niceities, but for some reason it doesn't inspire the kind of near-fanatical following as the older Corolla.

The general consensus is that, despite all the new nifty modern features, the car just feels really cheap compared to the Corolla. I feel they've done a bit of a Ford and spent more on shiny tickbox features at the expense of the core of the car.

Also, Toyota seem to be headed in the sort of fuddy-duddy old man eco freak direction, and it really shows in their newer cars, whereas the Corolla came out of their fun sporty days. It seems to come out even in subtle ways like the steering, handling and balance differences between the Auris and Corolla.

The Auris deffo looks better on paper, but people who've driven both know that the paper doesn't tell the whole story. :(

Not read about many problems with D4D turbos, except from people who ignored the various warnings and signs in the door saying "You must let the smegging turbo cool down after thrashing it!" :lol:

It's certainly less problematic than BWM turbos :lol:

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I deffo be getting a test drive, the only downside Ive seen on cars available is that none have cruise :crybaby:

I have got used to it in my mazda, not just for long drives, ave speed cams etc!

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Yeah, there are a few features which I rarely see on Toyotas and cruise control is one of them :(

I wonder if there's an aftermarket mod available as I've seen a few posts mentions it a while back...?

(I may be hallucinating tho' :lol:)

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the SR is lovely, it has an SR front splitter, front fogs, side skirts, rear splats, rear spoiler, rear tinted windows, different coloured seats, climate control, aluminium finish dash, front and rear electrics.

dont know to much about audio but iam sure it should just be simple enough to upgrade the speakers if thats all you want, off with door cards, drill out old speakers and fit new ones.

or would you be looking for a sub and amp?

edit, corollad4d, you bet me to it :thumbsup:

agree with the above fully just a side note my t-spirit came with full electrics, electric mirrors etc and climiate control. i don't know if my car was spec'd up at factory or if this is standard on t-spirit.

small side note on the d4d turbo - i've personally never had a turbo blow on me and for the last 3-4 years ive been dealing with this engine as course of my work with very high mileage cars which are also given the "don't be gentle its only a rental" treatment i.e. they've been abused yet still hold up ok. vags on the other hand seem to have some sort of mechanism where the odo tells the turbo its reached 100K and the turbo goes pop lol!

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