THE EMPIRE
Hey team
So, its fun to make films about fast cars and big trucks, but when we got the chance to review the new Toyota Corolla, it triggered my old memories of learning to drive, going on missions in my friends mums Corolla, doing silly things like handbrake turns in carparks and riding on trays.
But what it also reminded me was how simple and yet great those cars were, there wasn’t a lot to them but they always seemed to keep going no matter what and started first pop everytime.
I wanted to know if that’s still the case with the newer Corolla, so we found out..
Something that didn’t make it into the video was the gearbox, as that for me was something very new. The CVT gearbox was something I hadn’t ever driven before and something that I was eager to experience and understand.
The CVT is far from a normal dogbox with slotted gears that slide through a transmission giving various ratios of output relative to what gear is selected, I’ve added a video on exactly how it works.
What I found with the CVT was that for 95% of the time, you’d never realize you’re not driving a normal, standard automatic gearbox. the changes seem normal and in this car you can even use the paddles to drive it somewhat like a manual mode Auto. The only time I realized any major changes was hard and prolonged acceleration, for example joining the motorway from a standing start and giving it some jandal. The major thing I felt was like a clutch slipping, it didn’t feel direct like a dogbox, because it isn’t. The feeling at first felt like something was wrong and this is why this didnt make the video as I had to do more research to see what was actually happening. As I said, most people wont even notice the differnce and those that do having watched the video will understand. Being somewhat of a non-event having understood what is going on the only thing I’m now curious about is how long it will last and what servicing costs would be like. Time will tell, Subaru have had them for a while too so if anyone knows please let us know your experience and comment below or on the social media and let others know your findings.
Until then we shall see you next time, on The Open Road!
Latest posts by Nic (see all)
- Webisode #98 – NZ Motorcycle Show - October 7, 2024
- Webisode #97 – Building Motorcycle Communities - October 2, 2024
- Wind Therapy - September 19, 2024
- Motorola Edge 50 Pro – Review - September 12, 2024
