# toyota corolla T sport



## tom-coupe (Jan 17, 2009)

whats anyones opinions on these cars iv seen that there becoming quite cheap at the moment. and into a reasonable age and milage. 


thanks


tom


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## dubber (Oct 2, 2011)

All i can say is mechanically these are good, generally. :thumb:


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Great car, I had a compressor version and it was streets ahead of the civic type R imho.


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## Car Key (Mar 20, 2007)

bigmc said:


> Great car, I had a compressor version and it was streets ahead of the civic type R imho.


 You drove a CTR? EP3? In what way was it streets ahead?


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

T Sport is pretty dull, engine is poor compared to the civic and even the Clio 182, there is a reason its cheap....


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## tom-coupe (Jan 17, 2009)

iv always wanted a CTR but the insurance is a killer on them over 200pm which is far too much for a car lol.


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

hmmm i dont think the type r is worth 200pm compared to the t sport


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Cracking cars - I had one for 2.5years and only car (other than my 1st) that i was sad sell.

Zero problems with it in that time and still doing fine (sold it to a friend who still has it 3 years ago). The brake pads are rock hard or disks soft as they tend to wear out at the same rate. I think my car had at least two sets of pads and disks in 50k miles.

I test drove the compressor when they 1st came out after having the regular one for a year or two. The interior felt better, sportier handling and looks better......and i would have bought in in a heartbeat if it had the same engine....but the supercharger smooths everything out so it feels slower but your going faster which is a dangerous combination!

Against the EP3 it's a much nicer interior, better spec'd and slightly more forgiving ride. The 'lift' is essentially the same as VTECH and the regular TSport is very similar in driving style and performance, the compressor will be a little faster, especially with the low down torque off roundabouts etc - I've been in a few EP3 but never driven so can't comment on driving.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Car Key said:


> You drove a CTR? EP3? In what way was it streets ahead?


Yes I have and didn't like the ride/handling nor the fact the engine is poor when not on vtec, the T sport is more refined, better inside, better looking (imho), the compressor is much quicker than a type r too.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

All the road tests at the time did not rate it as a drivers car - its a Toyota so will be reliable but surely the main premise to a "sporty" car is that it is fun and good to drive

I have driven a few and they left be cold - efficient but univolving and dull


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

good engines but i wouldn't own a corolla till i'm over 75 years old thanks. 

Celica 190's got the same engine, lot better looking


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## johnnyc (Nov 18, 2008)

you talking about the old corrolla or newish one.

my uncle has the newish one. cant say its quick but its a nice car. His is slightly modded so looks nice.


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## Th3Doctor (Feb 2, 2010)

bigmc said:


> Great car, I had a compressor version and it was streets ahead of the civic type R imho.


:lol: :lol: :lol: Do you mean this ugly uninspiring heap?

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/62605/toyota_corolla_compressor.html

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/48797/toyota_corolla_t_sport.html

Vtec FTW! "Streets ahead" lol


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Th3Doctor said:


> :lol: :lol: :lol: Do you mean this ugly uninspiring heap?
> 
> http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/62605/toyota_corolla_compressor.html
> 
> ...


Yes because the bread van civic is handsome!! I don't care what evo think either tbh they're more biased than the bbc when it comes to reviews.


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## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

My brother had one of these and it certainly was not a dull car!!


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

turboyamaha said:


> My brother had one of these and it certainly was not a dull car!!


Does he have er, Eyes? They are prob one of the ugliest cars on the market loooooool


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## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

jay_bmw said:


> Does he have er, Eyes? They are prob one of the ugliest cars on the market loooooool


Thanks for your concern!! Yes he does have eyes!
I meant this car was not dull to drive!!


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

...and we drop to pointless arguments.

It's horses for courses- the Type R was obviously more popular at the time as you see more of them on the road and they were both £16k new; and they continue to be popular as market prices reflect this.

On the other hand if I wanted a Type R/182/pug 180 I would have bought one, my decision had nothing to do with price and I have no built in TSport bias. Interestingly I suspect a lot more TS owners have tried a Type R than the other way round.

I just remember my friend who bought a 182 getting a hire car to go on holiday with as his car was far too uncomfortable :lol: and saying he wished he had a TS.


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

I bought one a few weeks ago and love it, a dull car it is not!!  I would have it over a type r any day!  :thumb: Have a look for my thread in the showroom.


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## Th3Doctor (Feb 2, 2010)

bigmc said:


> Yes because the bread van civic is handsome!! I don't care what evo think either tbh they're more biased than the bbc when it comes to reviews.


Every single review I have found on line says the same thing - Flat noisy unresponsive engine with a nasty notchy gear box. Now try and find a review of an ep3 or any type r for that matter that says the same thing. I'll save you some time if you like. - You won't

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/49195/toyota_corolla.html

http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/cartestreports/2004054.html

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-driving/toyota-corolla-t-sport-1003296.html

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=768958

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/61414/toyota_corolla.html

All reviews agree on the same points - very poor gear box and uninspiring engine. Even the guy on piston heads -who owns one- stated it wasn't as good as the CTR.


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## richtsport (Jun 6, 2010)

who cares! i have to say i like both cars but in the end picked up a t sport at the right time for the right cash. if we are honest they are a very similar car.


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Th3Doctor said:


> Every single review I have found on line says the same thing - Flat noisy unresponsive engine with a nasty notchy gear box.


The gearbox is notchy, I'm not arguing - but on the point of the engine the Elise and Exige use exactly the same engine and gearbox in exactly the same state of tune in their line up. The supercharged Exige is the exception, they did their own supercharger mods rather than use teh compressor design.

You driven a TS? Been in one?


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Toyota coralla t sport is not a bad car, its very reliable plus the engine after 6,200 rpm kick's in power wise, the second cam shaft lobe, and it livens the drive up, the noise is nice across that rev range as well.

The best thing to do is test drive a civic type r, but alot these are going to be thrashed to the limits, and compare it to the toyota corrolla, the civic might have a more engaging drive, the gear stick is placed on the dashboard, plus they have comfy bucket seats.

Another alternative to the toyota range is the celica t sport, they discontinued these engines due to euro emissions, same engine found in the corolla, plus the compressor corrolla has more bhp, i believe around 215 bhp, comparing to the normal t sport range......


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Th3Doctor said:


> Every single review I have found on line says the same thing - Flat noisy unresponsive engine with a nasty notchy gear box. Now try and find a review of an ep3 or any type r for that matter that says the same thing. I'll save you some time if you like. - You won't
> 
> http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/49195/toyota_corolla.html
> 
> ...


The gearbox is notchy I'll give you that, have tou driven one? The engine is far from flat and unresponsive, it's very akin to the vtec yo - hit 6200 when the timing changes and the lift kicks in and it's off. I'd suggest you open your honda fanboi mind and test drive one.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Trip tdi said:


> Another alternative to the toyota range is the celica t sport, they discontinued these engines due to euro emissions, same engine found in the corolla, plus the compressor corrolla has more bhp, i believe around 215 bhp, comparing to the normal t sport range......


215bhp standard but for around £1500 you'll get 275 bhp which puts it into another league again.


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

I put nearly 100k on one, that's miles, not price In a straight line they are fast and in related world terms it's on par with a type r. Cornering is a weak point and it gets tiresome having to keep it at 6200 tomorrow to get even mild performance. I eventually destroyed the engine but that story is best left for a thread of it's own Gearbox wasn't great and it drops out of 'vtec ' between first and second.


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

The CTR doesn't look as nice as the CTS IMO, I don't like how long the rear looks, past the doors. I don't like the gearbox in the dash and they're prone to failing. The seats are too hard and so is the overall ride. The EPS Honda failed big time when designing that and the steering doesn't feel natural, they ditched it for the Gen8 models IIRC. The CTS also has EPS but it is sooo much better than the CTR, alot more responsive and you feel connected to the road.

Rich, nice TS there, same colour as mine although it's a PFL :thumb:


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

If you can get 275bhp from 1,500 change, i would go for the toyota any day long, would not bother with the civic type r.....

That will be a very understated car indeed, people will be shocked on the performance levels.

Go for the 215, then boost to to 275bhp, your laughing then... i go with Bigmc on this one, he knows what his talking about, trust me.....


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Not saying they are a dull car to drive , just cant see why for simmlar money you wouldn't have a celica 190 t sport, however that is just my opinion.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

jay_bmw said:


> Not saying they are a dull car to drive , just cant see why for simmlar money you wouldn't have a celica 190 t sport, however that is just my opinion.


A celica will have the sleek lines no doubt there, they done a gt version in one of those, but that big spoiler and side skirts were awful.... the wheels looked to small.

Seriously having a t sport corolla in compressor edition, and tuning it to the next level, will impress the driver and leave alot of cars standing, just would be very understated, a dark horse in other words, might not have the slick looks of the celica, but boy will it shift like hell.

Even in basic form, the power is lively at 6,200 rpm, i've been in one....


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

Shame they didnt put the compressor in the celica gen 7 sure it'd have been a hit.

i had the lowly 140 and always thought it needed more power


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Celica had it's days, they were good cars, its just the euro emissions killed it off, plus with the mr2, Toyota did not want to continue the model range, if they did, they would of needed to change the emissions, so building a new version of the 1.8...

Corrola, is still there in Asia, thats what they are called over there.

Auris is the replacement here for the corrola.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

jay_bmw said:


> Shame they didnt put the compressor in the celica gen 7 sure it'd have been a hit.
> 
> i had the lowly 140 and always thought it needed more power


I'm surprised at that tbh, it would have made a nice addition to the range.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

deffo, when i was on the celicaforum the main thing was engine upgrades supercharging etc. pure in need of more power. not like the gen 6 which had a 2.0 turbo 4wd or a 2.0 180bhp unit to choose frrom, was a lot better built too


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## johnnyc (Nov 18, 2008)

just found some pics of my uncles corolla. 

























i believe he said he chose the corolla over the ep3 because its more unique when modded.


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

Cool, what skirts are those and is that the TTE front grille?


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## mrbloke (Oct 13, 2010)

bigmc said:


> I'm surprised at that tbh, it would have made a nice addition to the range.


Yeah, they missed a trick with that, the Gen 6 had the GT-Four. They really should have done the same with the Gen 7. The Gen 7 cars require a fair bit of effort to mod for performance.

I do like the 190 engine, but it just delivers no torque and the power is just not accessable unless the mood takes you. It is bulletproof though, 6 years of driving and no issues at all for me. The only thing other than consumables I've needed was a new battery (and that was changing the original after 8 years).


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## Th3Doctor (Feb 2, 2010)

bigmc said:


> The gearbox is notchy I'll give you that, have tou driven one? The engine is far from flat and unresponsive, it's very akin to the vtec yo - hit 6200 when the timing changes and the lift kicks in and it's off. I'd suggest you open your honda fanboi mind and test drive one.


I would never drive one the looks are just to "yawn" boring for words - all type r vehicles are an event to look at and to drive. The complete package if you will. 50/50 pace and looks. What you have with the T sport is an 'also ran' boring beyond belief in stock guise and when modified? Well as one of the last posts shows. looks like somthing that was expelled from the maxpower school of modifying for being too ****e.

Also: I'm not saying the engine is flat an unresponsive the reviews were or words to that effect. I kinda like the fact it's N/A like the vtec. As for the compressor modification the lack of a dedicated LSD meant that the already compromised handeling/gearbox combo had even more trouble putting the power down resulting in buckets of frustrating wheel spin.

In a straight line drag the CTS (SC version) may nose a ctr but round a track it would have its clock cleaned. FD2, FN2 CW, and JDM EP3 all have bolt action gear boxes coupled to LSD equipped drivetrains = goodbuy T sport.

Others on the post have mentioned modifying the compressor version well for 4k TDI can bolt a turbo or supercharger to an EP3 that (because of the bigger displacement) can see power rise well over 350bhp a few guys over on civinfo have done it.


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

Th3Doctor said:


> I would never drive one the looks are just to "yawn" boring for words - all type r vehicles are an event to look at and to drive. The complete package if you will. 50/50 pace and looks. What you have with the T sport is an 'also ran' boring beyond belief in stock guise and when modified? Well as one of the last posts shows. looks like somthing that was expelled from the maxpower school of modifying for being too ****e.


My sentiments about the CTR but it's each to their own in the world of cars...you like your CTR and we like the CTS! :thumb:

It's petty slagging off someone's pride and joy though just cos you don't like it. I'm not keen on the skirts on that car but the rest of it looks ok, nothing like you would get out of maxpower!! :wall:


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

You're right in the fact a ctr is an event to drive, it's one I wouldn't choose to do again as it's harsh, crashy, unwielding in everyday conditions and looks like a wheelie bin inside.


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## johnnyc (Nov 18, 2008)

not really sure on the grill but i think its a carzone kit. not sure about the front lip either i think thats standard.

http://www.jkautospares.co.uk/image...s_sirius_roof_spoiler_cz204400_1312292220.jpg


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

johnnyc said:


> not really sure on the grill but i think its a carzone kit. not sure about the front lip either i think thats standard.
> 
> http://www.jkautospares.co.uk/image...s_sirius_roof_spoiler_cz204400_1312292220.jpg


Cheers, they have the grille on there. The front lip looks the same as mine so a TTE one :thumb:


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## Th3Doctor (Feb 2, 2010)

johnnyc said:


> not really sure on the grill but i think its a carzone kit. not sure about the front lip either i think thats standard.
> 
> http://www.jkautospares.co.uk/image...s_sirius_roof_spoiler_cz204400_1312292220.jpg


See this is what I'm talking about... Demon tweeks anyone? Anyone at all?

Awful


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## Th3Doctor (Feb 2, 2010)

Pezza4u said:


> My sentiments about the CTR but it's each to their own in the world of cars...you like your CTR and we like the CTS! :thumb:


Agree to disagree



Pezza4u said:


> It's petty slagging off someone's pride and joy though just cos you don't like it. I'm not keen on the skirts on that car but the rest of it looks ok, nothing like you would get out of maxpower!! :wall:


I'm afraid it does look like something out of max power i got quite a few issues of the magazine in my time and that moded T sport looks like it would have been skulking in the background in the cruise section in the back pages in some god forsaken McDonald's car park. It certinatly wouldn't have made a feature car.


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## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

I hate bodykits like that and prefer the subtle look but that car doesn't have a full kit though. It has a standard front end bar the grille, different wheels, rear lights and not sure on the rear bumper, might be standard with a diffuser fitted. The skirts I don't like but apart from that the rest is standard. I used to read Max Power all the time 10+ years ago and there were some hideous looking motors in there!!


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