toyota corolla 1.4 t2 review

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Average Ratings
Performance7.8/10
Practicality8.5/10
Reliability9.5/10
Value for Money9.3/10
Overall rating7.3/10
75% Recommended3 out of 4 Reviews

Review of Toyota Corolla 1.4 T2

By SteveHen Rank: Lance Corporal on 5th Aug 2004

SteveHen's Ratings
Year Manufactured2003
Length of ownership10 Months
Performance7/10
Practicality7/10
Reliability10/10
Value for money8/10
Overall value3/10
no SteveHen's recommendation

Good Points

Good finish, handling and reliability.

Bad Points

Terrible fresh-air system, which heats the incoming air, even when the temp selector is set to "COLD/OFF" by as much as 13 degrees C.

General Comments

After 12 years driving only Toyotas, was initially delighted with my brand new Toyota Corolla 1.4 T2. It handled beautifully, it was very economical, but then I noticed how hot it could get with the windows closed. In winter this was no problem, but in summer on the motorway, or if it was raining, the inside was like a sauna.
Toyota (GB) was about as unhelpful as is possible, and my main reason for getting rid of the car was that the overall Toyota experience was dreadful (dealer and Toyota GB). Also, Toyota kept closing their dealers, so I had to go 20 miles to my nearest decent dealer.
Toyota let me down and denied anything wrong with the car, but interesting that the new T2 comes with air-con as standard.
I'll never buy another Toyota after being treated like that.

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3 Comments on Review by SteveHen for Toyota Corolla 1.4 T2

  1. Ian Forknall Rank: Sergeant on 26th Jul 2006

    This review appears to be more about Toyota as a company rather than about the Toyota Corolla T2.

    The fact that Toyota didn't help you, or the the car is warm inside neither tells me what the car is like nor helps me decide whether I should buy one.

    You say you don't recommend the car, but apparently, the good points are that it is well finished, it handles well and is reliable. I can't think of three more important points to comment on in a car review, yet this review fails to mention any of them.

  2. SteveHen Rank: Lance Corporal on 27th Jul 2006

    Ian Forknall evidently didn’t read the bit where I said how beautifully the T2 handled and was very economical, etc.

    I could have waffled endlessly about all the detailed aspects of the car, but if it is as uncomfortable as it was, then there was no point in wasting readers’ time further.

    Yes, there was quite a lot about Toyota, because car ownership is more than the car itself, but also the after-sales-service and customer care. If these are poor, then it really doesn’t matter how good the car was when new. No car stays pristine for ever – not even a Toyota.

    In the case of Toyota, during the 12 years I owned various models, dealers closed, so that I had to travel further and further from home for spares and servicing, eventually having to go about 16 miles each way to my nearest dealer. As they were quite small I sometimes had to travel even further.

    Also the parts/spares became ridiculously expensive – comparable with Mercedes-Benz prices.

    However, to return to the Corolla 1.4 T2 – later models have air-con as standard, which only supports my criticism of the earlier model.

    Ian Forknall is entitled to write as much as he likes about the Corolla T2, but if he were unfortunate enough to get stuck in a traffic jam on the M25, with ambient temperatures of 35ºC (as we have been having), I suspect he would lose interest in the dials, the electronics, the cup holders, delayed fade-out courtesy light and anything else. Like me, all he’d want to be doing is to get rid of the wretched thing ASAP to some unsuspecting Toyota fan. And talking of fans, that's what you really need in the T2!

    P.S. I went on to replace the T2 with a second-hand Ford Focus LS (2003 model), which cost a lot less than the T2. It handles better than the Corolla and is real fun to drive. Dealers are everywhere and parts are plentiful and reasonably priced. It has virtually all the gadgets that seem to impress Mr Forknall, PLUS air-con, which in the weather we've been having has been a joy. It also has ParkAssist and ClearScreen.
    It's slightly less economical than the Corolla, but that is more than compensated for by the difference in price I paid. It lacks cubby holes for storing things, but I reckon it's one of the most enjoyable cars I have ever driven. Depreciation is probably worse than for the Corolla, but demand for the old Focus remains high, as people seem to prefer it to the new model.
    Don't waste time on the Corolla, the Focus does it all, and overall rather better.

  3. Ian Forknall Rank: Sergeant on 28th Jul 2006

    Hi Steve,

    Thanks for replying to my comment.

    Yes, it is the gadgets and lights and cubby holes that impress me, because most (hell, ALL) of the time, when I'm driving the car, I'm sitting inside it. And I believe that as well as a car looking good on the outside, handling well, and being economical, it has to have appeal on the inside both visually and practically.

    I completely agree that the interior fan temperature is a problem (I also commented on the cars ability to retain uncomfortably high temperatures), and that an improvement would be to have air-con as standard (which I've believe they now have), but reading the review, I felt that the temperature problem and of course, Toyota themselves had maybe overshadowed your review of the vehicle as a whole.

    I feel there is a fine line between an enjoyable ownership of a car and enjoying the car itself, and agree that bad aftersales support can make you wish you'd never bought the thing, no matter how good the car is. However, as this should have been a car review, I still think the car itself should have been the main focus of it.

    If it was a review of car dealerships, then I think the review would have been spot on.



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