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Toyota Corolla Hatchback Manual First Test Review: Don't Call It Hot.Toyota Corolla Loses Manual Transmission and Apex Edition for - CNET
The Regular Toyota Corolla Just Ditched Its Manual Transmission
And that's for a supposedly fun-to-drive roadster. But despite this gloomy outlook, there is still some hope for manuals. Last year, CarBuzz reached out to several automakers to ask about their take rates for manuals , and we found that models like the Lotus Evora GT, BMW M2, and now-discontinued Nissan Z all had excellent manual take rates.
Sadly, those are all pricier sports cars, and for more affordable compacts like the Corolla that most people buy, the manual's future looks bleak. Sweaty-palmed hot laps are fun, but Karl is a gearhead cut from a different cloth - or is that finely stitched Nappa leather? An E23 BMW 7 Series was the first car he fell madly in love with three decades ago, and this affection for Autobahn-conquering luxury sedans has persisted.
Following studies in copywriting and journalism, along with stints in TV scriptwriting and marketing that had far too little to do with cars, Karl kept the fire burning by writing for automotive websites on the side, including a Florida-based auto repair shop and another for Porsche enthusiasts. It all came together when he joined CarBuzz in He has penned some of the latest news, reviews, and features ever since.
Source Credits: The Drive. Meanwhile, anyone who plants their derriere in the driver's seat will appreciate the details Toyota executed oh so well. First off, the shifter. The knob is more elevated than most short-shifted hot hatchbacks and that has the benefit of superb ergonomics. It's on the same plane as the nicely padded, leather-lined center armrest, placing it exactly where your hand naturally falls.
For bonus points, it's also a quick six-inch reach from your right hand's position on the steering wheel, calling to mind the nicely positioned console-mounted shifter of a Honda Civic Si. The shift action feels great, too. The tall shifter doesn't result in overly lengthy throws, and slotting into each gear requires enough effort to feel mechanical but never so much to feel like a chore.
Clutch feel is a big miss, though. The third pedal is exceedingly light and vague in its engagement, enough so to cause a few instances of unintended wheelspin and a stall or two.
We will say we appreciated the auto-off electric parking brake; the alternative is a near-constant annoyance, as in our long-term manual Mazda 3. That bit about Porsche we mentioned earlier? We're talking about the Corolla's auto rev-matching feature.
It's not just that the Toyota can quickly and accurately match rpms for an easy downshift under braking automakers including Porsche have gotten that part right since Nissan introduced the tech on the Z , it's that the Corolla includes a physical button just behind the shifter that allows you to turn the feature on and off.
Porsche frustratingly keeps rev-matching on by default, and turning it off requires the car to be in a specific drive mode—and, even then, you have to find the hidden control. This is part of what makes the Corolla an excellent warm hatch; it's an accessible entry to enthusiastic driving.
Drivers can choose if they'd rather experiment with learning to heel-toe rev-match during downshifts, or keep things mellow and become more familiar with shifting their own gears. We were initially quick to shrug off any need for such wizardry as heel-toe-perfecting wannabe Stigs it's worth noting the pedals are perfectly spaced, and the accelerator is plenty responsive for such maneuvers , but when we found ourselves driving across the city wearing clumsy hikers in place of our usual tidy white sneakers, it was a godsend.
Driving up in the canyons, the Corolla felt genuinely fun. Even at altitude, the engine delivers sufficient power as long as you're willing to wring it out. That handling balance Walton mentioned inspires real confidence, limited only by the Corolla's conservative tires. All that said, the Corolla Hatchback would be an outright failure if it traded dynamic joy for impracticality in everyday use. If the EDSS determines the driver is not attentive and the driver does not respond to prompts to resume control of the vehicle, it can bring the vehicle to a stop under certain conditions.
Road Sign Assist. Automatic High Beams. The AHB system is designed to detect the headlights of oncoming vehicles and taillights of preceding vehicles, then automatically toggle between high and low beams accordingly.
Proactive Driving Assist. Discover Your Corolla Hatchback. Ready to learn more? Starting MSRP. See More Features Build. Find the right offer for you. View Details. View All Offers. Payment Estimator Use the payment estimator tool to assess your payment options. See Payment Options. See All Awards. View Specs.
CarGurus Logo Homepage Link.Toyota Corolla SE Manual (Natl) Features and Specs
Automatic Corollas have outsold manuals by a wide margin. Following the announcement of updates to the Corolla in the USA, none of the non-GR models can be had with a stick shift any longer. The fact that the disappearance of the manual on the best-selling nameplate in automotive history went by with so little commotion underlines the extent to which manuals have fallen out of favor.
But in case you still don't understand why Toyota shelved the manual for its Corolla Hatchback and Sedan, you may want to consider the shockingly low number of shoppers who were still buying manual Corollas. A mere 1. That's an abysmal take rate and makes Toyota's decision easier to understand. However, because Toyota sells far more Corolla sedans than hatchbacks, the sedan brings down the average drastically.
Looked at another way, Toyota sold 18, Corollas in September Assuming around 1. All of this means that no matter which non-GR Corolla you buy, you'll have to settle for the same continuously variable transmission that the other The CVT has its pros, though, as the 2.
Still, it's a pity to see a stalwart of the automotive world contribute to the gradual extinction of the manual. The Corolla manual's poor take rate is hardly an isolated case, of course.
In Australia, the manual BMW Z4 was discontinued last year after just two - yes, two - examples were sold there since the car launched, representing 0. And that's for a supposedly fun-to-drive roadster. But despite this gloomy outlook, there is still some hope for manuals. Last year, CarBuzz reached out to several automakers to ask about their take rates for manuals , and we found that models like the Lotus Evora GT, BMW M2, and now-discontinued Nissan Z all had excellent manual take rates.
Sadly, those are all pricier sports cars, and for more affordable compacts like the Corolla that most people buy, the manual's future looks bleak.
Sweaty-palmed hot laps are fun, but Karl is a gearhead cut from a different cloth - or is that finely stitched Nappa leather? An E23 BMW 7 Series was the first car he fell madly in love with three decades ago, and this affection for Autobahn-conquering luxury sedans has persisted.
Following studies in copywriting and journalism, along with stints in TV scriptwriting and marketing that had far too little to do with cars, Karl kept the fire burning by writing for automotive websites on the side, including a Florida-based auto repair shop and another for Porsche enthusiasts.
It all came together when he joined CarBuzz in He has penned some of the latest news, reviews, and features ever since. Source Credits: The Drive. Join The Discussion Show Comments 8. Contact Karl FuelAffection. Login Sign Up. Popular Tags. By Make. By Car Type.
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