When : 14th Aug 2007Where : Around Melbourne, AustraliaWhat a pleasant suprise this was as we walked into Budget Rent A Car to rent the cheapest automatic car listed on their brochure. It was suppose to be a Hyundai Getz Auto, but we were pleasantly suprise by the friendly staff that we were gonna get a brand new Toyota Corolla which is not only BRAND NEW but much bigger than the Getz.Wow, this baby only clocked 97kms when we took it and was jumping with joy as we drove it out of the car park! Immediately when we got in, the brand new car smell greeted us and the view from outside and inside looks very promissing. Here is an exterior pic:
From the front.
From the rear.From the outside, it looks quite similar to the previous Seca model. The most obvious difference is the the shapier front with bigger headlights and new rear styling. Its still pretty much "hatchy" as the previous model. This 1.8 model came with steel rims and all round discs (something usually missing from Malaysian cars). We stopped at the Royal Botanical Gardens to take some pics and say to ourselfs "Now what do we have here?". It wasnt long before an Ang Mo stopped and ask us "Is this the brand new toyota model? Wow..great! Cheers mate".
Inspired, we continue to take more pics:
The 1.8 VVTi heart. While economical, lacks punch to pull this car. Engine bay is neat and clean.Interiors:
Meter cluster is nice and tidy. Its easy to read in the day or night and the LCD has multi functions. Pressing the trip knob, switches from outside temp, to trip meter to consumption readings. Speaking of outside temp, check out the reading on the dash, 8 degrees!!! Beats Genting anytime! Whoops, we clocked 1100kms since we took it, gave it a good runin travelling around town and up the Great Ocean Road. Thankfully Budget rentals are unlimited KMs ;)
Dashboard is very functional and you will notice that there is a great distance from the steering to the glass. Lots of space, not really sure whats its used for (probably extra crumple zone and sound proofing the engine bay?). There is a rather imposing centre console where the gear lever and handbrake sits. I dislike the feel of the handbrake, wish it sits abit lower. But for those rally drivers out there maybe this goes well. Changing gears is easy and pretty standard stuff. 4 Speed auto seem to give all the right revs for the car. However, still feel the engine is struggling to pull the car at times. Steering is pretty standard toyota stuff with airbags and all...feels good even after long drives. Legroom for driver and co pilot is ample and very comfortable. Seating position is also good but the small rear view mirror just gives too many blindspots. You will need to get a bigger clip on mirror to boost your view angle.
In the rear, we didn't get any complaints from rear passengers. There is enough room and seat belts for 3 persons. The door handles gives a slightly classy look in silver and is a nice touch.
The rear boot is quite decent for a hatch. It fits one 28" bag with no worries. After putting that bag, nothing much is left though.
Something I found in larger luxury cars...vanity mirror lights! I last saw one duing the BMW 325I test drive..hehe not bad eh? Oh yea, the stereo comes with an AUX port. So plug in those iPod baby and let the good times roll. I tried with a Creative Zen player and sound is pretty decent. Max volume on your MP3 player though...hehe
Overall a nice package, but i doubt will appeal to msians who come here seeking those reaaaallly hard to get models like Accord Euro, WRX, Mazdas or Mitsus for the $20-30K range. But worth considering as a 1st time car for ur teenage kid eh? :p
