teal98

This engine in the Camry gets 22/31 using the old EPA system. Road tests from magazines confirm its relative efficiency.

What do people think about a Volkswagen R32 competitor from Toyota?

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2572E4000AB87E

Z28x

So much for the Corolla being a small fuel efficient car. Should be pretty quick though, torque steer will be crazy.

SSbaby

The problem is the latest Corolla has put on between 110-350 lbs. So a (heavier) V6 is really a necessity if it's to develop good performance.

latinspice-94T/A

NASTY!

The R32 on the other hand is a very nice looking hatch with an awesome interior and ergonomics.

Z28Wilson

Corolla is moving up in size. It will no longer be Toyota's small car offering. Yaris will be. I personally think this is a bit of a mistake since Corolla has always been associated with small and economical. It's especially a mistake since Yaris is not an impressive seller AFAIK.

Silverado C-10

I've noticed that even the current corolla is as big as/similar in size to the 80's/early 90's camry.

My question is, what the hell is Toyota doing? They keep adding bigger and bigger vehicles to their lineup. The 08 Sequoia will be "tundra size" which means most likely bigger than both the tahoe and explorer. Tacoma, 4 runner, and rav4 have all been considerably upsized. They also keep adding vehicles to their lineup... Scion... there's 3 of them now... Yaris... the lexus brand is expanding.......

Is Toyota falling into the same track that began Detroit's downfall so many years ago? One can only hope

Eric77TA

No no no. Don't you read the news? Toyota only makes the Prius and super fuel efficient cars. What are this Tundra and Sequoia you speak of? It's only the Americans that make those big, nasty, dirty inneficient trucks. Toyota only makes magical fuel efficient cars sprinkled with fairy dust. Their exhaust plants trees as they drive by.

soul strife

Quoted for truth.

Z28Wilson

It's all about marketing. Sooner or later you would think that Hollyweird and the general public would realize that selling a few thousand Priuses a year does not reflect Toyota's "commitment" to the environment as a whole. Not when you've got EPA rated mid-teen Tundras and Sequoias pounding the streets, at far greater numbers.

But that is the corporate marketing impact of a car like the Prius. Which is why GM needs the Volt in production. ASAP.

Silverado C-10

Thanks for the laugh

Eric77TA

2008 Scion XB is rated at 22/28 (24 combined) vs. 26/31 (28 combined) for the old model when both use the new 2008 testing standards. But no one will say that Toyota are "backsliding" by making a new model LESS fuel efficient than the current one.

Tahoe actually gets better mileage than Sequoia - 14/19/16 vs 13/17/15.

I just want to see vehicles get compared on equal footing without any sleight of hand. I agree, we need Volt ASAP. And as I've said on several other threads, I want a diesel Astra!

Silverado C-10

That's because the new XB is, (once again,) larger, heavier, and more powerful than the previous gen XB.

Dee Dee Dee Toyota

georgejetson

My mother-in-law just bought a new Camry. I was shocked at its size. I haven't looked at the actual measurements, but I swear that thing is almost as big as a Charger. You could put an old Camry in its trunk.

Threxx

If I'm going to buy a small car I either want it to be an amazing performer, or have amazing mileage, or both.

I'm suspecting that car is going to have 'ok' mileage at best, accelerate pretty damn quickly, and handle like a washing machine.

Not a very interesting combo to me.

I do love the interior of the new Corolla though - at least based on the initial pics I saw. And they supposedly have some sort of new relatively low-power gasoline motor that will go into it that gets some pretty incredible mileage for a non-hybrid vehicle, even of that size.

R377

It's not just Toyota; pretty much every time any manufacturer redesigns a car, it's bigger than its predecessor. Think Civic and Accord (which grew so much they had to slot in a new entry-level model to cater to those wanting something the size the Civic used to be). BMW 3-series have grown substantially over the years. GM's also guilty with most of their cars, e.g. CTS, j-bodies/delta, epsilon, 355s, 360s, 900s, and so on.

I'm not sure why this is. The only reason I can think of is cars naturally have to be redesigned every 4-8 years. But if they keep them exactly the same size it gives them nothing to brag about to their customers. I can't see them saying "come see the brand new Civic, it's exactly the same size as before except heavier and less fuel-efficient". Making cars bigger allows them to say they're bigger than their competitor, and also gives them an excuse why they keep getting porkier.