http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/ Autoblog Comments for In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 1:12PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
But, it is a different engine. RTFA:
"The Corolla XRS uses Toyota's 158-horsepower 2.4-liter four cylinder in place of the 1.8-liter, 132-horsepower standard unit"]]>Apr 17th 2008 1:51AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 17th 2008 2:25PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 1:12PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
The supercharged corolla fx16?

What about the AE101 & AE111 Levin GT-Z & BZ-R ? ..oh wait, those didn't go to the US, did they? **snicker**]]>Apr 16th 2008 1:54PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
Pricey, could be roomier, heavy, could have more power.

It looks like the XRS is not the good choice I assumed it to be.]]>Apr 16th 2008 1:15PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 2:24PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 1:17PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 8:55PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 1:20PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 28th 2008 12:33AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 1:23PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/I always laugh when I see a "hooked up" Corolla.]]>Apr 16th 2008 4:02PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Apr 16th 2008 1:30PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
Well, yes and no. The old XRS was quick and fun to drive (in that special "shift-like-mad" sense of the word) for it's class, but people were constantly harping on the lack of torque from the 1.8L VVTLi. Toyota remedies this with the 2.4L in the current XRS, and now people complain about it being not extreme enough. They just can't win with you guys, can they?

I agree that this car ought to be hotter, but short of stuffing the 3.5L V6 (which would be awesome, BTW) Toyota has nothing else in it's North American stable (unlike Honda or GM). This car is quick enough and sporty enough for 90% of the population; the other 10% wouldn't walk into a Toyota showroom even if they did have a hotter model.

Seriously. Even if this car had an AWD version of the IS350's powertrain, I really doubt that performance buyers would consider it. It's a Corolla, with all the demographic baggage that entails.

Toyota sells a lot of Corollas. I think that, regardless of what enthusiasts think, they'll continue to do so by making exactly the cars that most people want to buy, not the kind of cars that the gearheard population wants to buy.]]>Apr 16th 2008 1:43PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
Toyota's 2.4L isn't a great engine, and you're right - there's not much else they could have thrown in there without either borrowing from Subaru (which wouldn't fit anyway) or going back to the drawing board. But my comment was more about the complete package: no more high-rpm performance engine, no more six-speed manual, heavier, unnecessary giant tires, etc. The whole thing just seems to be a case of bigger for bigger's sake, not well thought out engineering.

Here's hoping the upcoming RWD coupe brings some performance back to Toyota. It's been missing for far too long.]]>Apr 16th 2008 2:14PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
_This_ is why the XRS isn't competitive. The 2.4 needs to be standard in the base Corolla, and the XRS needs a more powerful engine at around 200hp, to be competitive with the Civic Si and VW GTI.]]>Apr 16th 2008 3:17PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
You see, the thing is, almost nobody in the real world cares. You're blinded by the $$$=HP equation where to others it may be $$$=Reliability, or $$$=Refinement, or whatever. 90% of car buyers just want something that's cheap, gets good mileage, is reliable, is stylish and doesn't drive like a toy. That's why the Corolla is the best selling nameplate in the world. Not Mazda3, not Cobalt and not Civic.]]>Apr 16th 2008 5:28PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/
That would be the JDM Corolla Blade Master G. Build a few hundred of those to US-legal spec and that just might get the Corolla some respect here.]]>Apr 16th 2008 11:31PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-toyota-corolla-xrs/Toyota's fault, not the ed. staff...
I was pleasantly suprised to read something negative about a Toyota though...
It felt good writing that, didn't it ;) ]]>Apr 16th 2008 1:31PM