@@kristians2704 an elentra or a mazda3 won't take minimal maintenance and constant abuse for 300k kms... a Corolla, although not perfect, will most likely last 300k km with only oil changes and the occasional repair (maybe a starter, battery, etc.) while simultaneously taking a 40min commute every day. u can get a 3 or an elantra to 300k km easily, but it requires the owner have the brain and effort to do plenty of preventative maintenance and religiously follow the manufacture's maintenance log... a Corolla is just common sense really if u dont care about sporty feeling or gimmicks here and there.
I have one. 21 xse manual hatch. It's a ton of fun. Banging through the gears and reving out the engine makes for a great driving experience. It handles wonderfully too. I love my car.
@@TheJamesLykins I have heard that the shifts are short and sweet and the acceleration is punchy and passing power is OKAY. Was looking at these but picked up a fiesta ST instead. I wanted the rolla from a reliability standpoint and found it to be an attractive hatch
I put 150k miles on an 05 Corolla S manual from high school through college in the North East Snow Belt. Despite adolescent fantasies of being the next Colin McRae, I could not kill that car. A bit bummed there's no manual E-Brake in this new Corolla, but thrilled it's offered in a hatchback.
A relative bought an SE hatch with the CVT(with the physical first gear). I was genuinely surprised by the directness of the CVT in that model. I have been thinking about one (a manual) for my commute. Credit goes to Toyota for offering two good transmission options for this car.
Others have said it and I must concur, having the two of you reviewing at the same time is pretty great. Gets you to play off of each others knowledge and questioning each other to give us more info.
I have ‘21 XSE and it’s an absolute dream car I love the ride, the manual is a blast to drive, and aesthetically it’s a beautiful car. If you’re paying 25k for one you’re getting ripped off. Look around more I got mine for 21k. Great review all in all and glad you were able to take a look at it.
If we take the price of the GR Yaris in the UK and convert it to US currency we get a car that costs $41,500 - $46,500 (£29,995 for the base-model, or £33,495 for the uprated Circuit Pack, according to Google). What's the market?
This is the type of car you buy once. Then pass it on for generations because it literally will not die. You’re not buying it for your kid, you’re buying it for your kids kid.
I bought a '21 Corolla Hatchback SE 6MT. I was compar Civic 6MT Mazda 3 6MT too and I decided Corolla. It's enough performance and equipment for me. I'm very happy 🙂
We have one of these in the family, and have driven it a couple times. What I like, it has a 1990s feel with present day technology. The A-pillar is not bloated, the interior is petite, but functional, and there's not a 3 yard long dashboard/console in front of you. The car feels like a part of your person. If you want a little zing, and spritely backroad driving going into work this is outstanding, reliable, lively, sporty, fuel efficient little chompy. If you are an avid "hot hatch" person, this car isn't for you. I love it because driving slow cars fast, was always more thrilling than driving fast cars fast.
@@verdunian595 that’s not true, you have to include Lexus when you talk about Toyota. And there’s nothing wrong with collaborating with another sports car company. It’s like getting the best of both worlds in one car.
@@verdunian595 They have a page on their website where you can sign up for update emails. It's coming. However, I am only interested if it has the GR Yaris drivetrain. If the recent rumors of a Subaru colab on a hatchback ends up getting us a boxer powered Toyobaru, I'm out.
I believe the 21 Corolla adds the option to choose from having a full spare and less cargo space in the hatch or having a can of fix a flat and more cargo space
I own this car. You are correct about the lane departure, it is crap and I turned it right off. It is also slow. No denying that. But it's still fun. You have to rev it out a bit because most of the power is above 4000 rpm. But once you're in the power the throttle is very responsive imo. The only thing that turns me off on this car is the fact that it isn't turbo'd. This car in a 2.0l Turbo would truly be a lot of fun.
I have a 'Rolla hatch as a daily, its been great. Fuel mileage, decent to drive, great drivers seat. No regrets. Thanks for sharing your experience with the car!
I just bought this exact spec car as a long term daily. Glad that you reassured my decision, it's just a point to point b. I don't want to think about another daily for years now.
Love the dynamic between you guys. Matt's paid his dues and has arrived. Zack's intent and earnest but very knowledgeable about marketing this vehicle. Good vibe both. Keep it coming!
I feel like prices on cars has gone up significantly recently, even within the last few years. 4 years ago I paid $18,960 for my 6-speed Elantra Sport that had an MSRP around $21k. Granted it's missing a bunch of the fancy safety features aka electronic nannies that some of these newer economy cars are coming standard with, but I don't want them anyway.
25k just seems like so much money for something like this. For a few grand more a GTI/GLI or civic si or any actual hot hatch is alot more car, a lot more fun, and will hold value better. I do think these new Toyota’s are a huge improvement over the last gen stuff.
The Civic Si is an excellent car and a good bargain. I reviewed it a few years ago and loved everything except for the touch screen. I do have concerns about the turbo engine's long-term reliability compared to Honda's NA engines of the past, but that's just speculation at this point. Those concerns for for any turbo car. When I think of Japanese car reliability, I'm thinking hundreds of thousands of miles in the future, with nothing but routine services along the way. Direct injections and turbocharging may impact that, although I hope they don't. JD power gave the 2019 Civic 2.5/5 stars for "predicted reliability". You can find a longer definition on their website but the short version is, "Predicted Reliability is a statistically-derived formula that uses Power Circle Ratings (PCRs) from the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) and the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) in order to reasonably predict a vehicle's reliability over time. IQS measures initial vehicle quality during the first 90 days of ownership and VDS measures long-term vehicle quality after three years of ownership." But predictions are not iron-clad. We will see what the future holds. ZK
I bought my 2020 Honda Civic Sport Sedan with the 2.0 K20 Naturally aspirated engine and 6 speed manual as a daily driver. 2020 was the last year of the 6 speed manual on that trim. 2021 is CVT only. Was looking at the Corolla hatch but the steering feel and chassis wasn’t as good as the Civic Sports chassis. The rear legroom for passengers was also far superior in the Honda platform. Like yourself I didn’t expect the 1.5. Direct injected turbo engine to be reliable in the long run so I went with the tried and true port injected 2.0 K20 motor. A great daily driver! I plan on getting the new GR86 based off the new Subaru BRZ for the mountain roads in California (where you drove to be exact) but I’m keeping my 2020 Civic sport sedan as my daily 👍🏻🙂
@@TheSmokingTire yeah it definitely depends on what you want, I don’t really care if a car is reliable for 250k miles as long as it’s fun. The current civic si I want to like it but the rev hang and kinda numb experience just kill it for me, civic is a great car all around though.
I've beat on my 2015 Mazda 3 2.0 6 speed manual Since I bought it new and now I have 250000 miles on it No major issues just recently did the clutch And when I took it apart the only thing that was worn out and broken was to throw out bearingI love simple cars you could just race and not worry about
I work at a Toyota dealership doing new car inspections. I happened to be listening to a recent episode of the podcast where you guys talked about this a bit and was driving one. It's always a treat when we get one of these in.
@@DouEditz I strip all the protective plastic that comes on the cars, test drive them, and put the dealer plate and sticker on the back. Some are a bit more involved than others, but that is the gist of it. I also install various accessories.
Bought a manual corolla hatchback and loved it but it left me wanting a little more sport so I traded it in for a GTI. The Corolla hatchback is an amazing car for what it is and has a lot of tech for the price point
Great review! I totally loved my first ever car...a 1986 Toyota Corolla 4-dr 5 speed. I beat the CRAP out of that thing and rung out 100% every drive...55mph felt like mach 1! I can see this hatchback is one of those you could drive at 100%, stay relatively close to legal limits, and have a blast!
I don't think the 2 Liter is sold here in Central Europe. I did do a test drive to find out Toyota's "new TNGA platform/suspension" , but the body roll and the low resolution LCD were a show stopper for me. I guess you have a more sporty version/suspension compared to us. The body roll was as bad as the CH-R over here. I didn't feel any difference between the 2. I do like the new look of the Corolla and the rest of the interior. They have made a lot of progress in and outside.
As someone who owns a 2020 hatch SE with a 6 speed. They are quite on point with this review. The car revs to the moon, and is very fun to drive. I’ve installed lowering springs (rsr super downs) and a aftermarket cat back (remark stainless quad tip). I average 33-37mpg with most of my driving being city-country roads.
bought this car as my daily with zero experience with manual transmissions on march 6th of 2020, very easy car to drive and fully agree with their comments. miss the turbo of the gti i had but the maintenance is far easier and parts are way easier for someone like me who lives in the middle of no where.
i'm planning on getting one of these, I've got a 2015 mustang gt, i love it, the gas mileage is amazing for the car but my new job won't cut it so i'm planning on getting one it look like a great little car
I own one. It's honestly a decent car, but its far to small to be usable. I thought we could manage but we struggle for weekend trips with myself the wife and 2 dogs. This is a good commuter car for someone, but doing family related activities is a struggle. We are likely going to trade it for a cx-30
Guys i work at a Toyota dealer dont expect this to be on the lot. This would be a special order for us i may get this in dark gray and a black roof. After 5 months i got my hands on a manual 4 door to try but its 29k stupid apex edition adds nothing.
@@matt2m Toyota dealer......Greedy! You guys make killer gross.......because you have so much backend......and lie to all customers lol. Ex Employee I can say it now. Especially these new cars !! You got good people walking in after owning a Corolla for 20 years they want to Buy a $45k Rav4 Lunar Rock XSE With everything under the sun...that will spend time parked at the mall or home 99% of the time. This world is MAD! $30K Corolla. lol
@@DouEditz people need to eat bud and my dealer does not pull that build your payment crap. Her is Msrp our fees and taxes take it or leave it. I will admit people are dumb buying an extended warranty on a Toyota lmao. I’m on salary plus bonus so i dont see those numbers and i dont care i am leaving money on the table but its still good money and way less stress.
I love my 2003 Matrix XRS with the 2ZZ engine that the lotus came with. The hydraulic steering, manual e brake, as much space as a small suv and LIFT from 6200 to 8300 RPM!
For the person that doesn't need something that's performance oriented, wants a more softer and comfortable suspension set up, lower insurance rates, better fuel economy, doesn't want a turbo, wants the Toyota perceived reliability. I don't think many are cross shopping the two. Corolla is more of just a regular car while GTI is more toward a sporty daily. Base prices on Corolla hatch vs GTI is about $22k to $30k. That's a big difference at this price point. Even at $25k for this higher equipped XSE tester, still $5k difference. I get that many people on here are enthusiasts and would happily pay more for the GTI w/o batting an eye. But there's still a market for the Corolla and that's why it still exists.
Good Review gents...I just finished test driving both an SE (w/ 16" rims) and the XSE manuals...in the end I could not get comfortable in either car. I'm a large guy (6') and 250lbs'ish....the seats were a bit to narrow for me and I found the shifter position a bit too high..in the end I went with a '21 VW Golf because of the better range of seating positions for the driver although. you are giving up some nice tech compared to the Toyota..thanks for reviewing everyday kind of cars!
I love Zack's takes. I was dying at the Newton's First Law of Operation. Oh, and I totally took advantage of that Carl Friedrik code. I've been eyeing a nice passport wallet for some time and the key holders were just gravy.
So glad you made this video. Im on the fence of getting a used 2018 gti or one of these new with a warrantee. Still feel like id hate myself for not getting the gti though
I’m sure it’ll be reliable, but I recently drove one with the manual and it felt so slow. The gears are long, the steering’s light and numb, and the clutch is super tricky. Drove it back to back with an 18’ Mazda 3 2.0l with a manual and the Mazda felt so much better. I have a 14’ 3 with the automatic and it’s been super reliable. Still a good car, but I’d take a 3 or a Civic over the Corolla any day of the week.
I’ve driven a six speed Corolla sedan and had the same complaint about the clutch. It felt like it was attached to a string. Other than that, loved it.
Dude... it's amazing you mentioned hill hold. MAN! That used to be the bane of my existence in my '14 Mazda 3. Hated that $#!t hahaha. It's cool to see someone else's perspective
My SE Hatchback DS-CVT new was $18,400 ($20,250 OTD). 16 inch wheels, not 15. Its not a "hot" hatch. It's a nimble Toyota Matrix, which is exactly what I wanted. That said, I do wish Toyota would sell the GR Yaris in the USA.
Has any clutch pedal had “feeling” in it since they went to hydraulic?? Seems to me, they’re all numb, at least in the average consumer category that I’ve sampled.
All modern manuals have a helper spring in the pedal assembly that makes it much lighter at the cost of engagement feel. Usually not hard to remove and it'll work fine.
Here's something few know. Treadwear ratings can only be reliably compared within a brand of tire. A 400 rated Michelin will wear longer than another brands 400 tire generally. The other ratings on a tire are better. Temperature and traction are more directly comparable.
Been driving toyota's my whole life. You can get plowed by a semi truck and still drive the car home as if nothing happened. Toyota's are for people who don't care about shaving 0.1 seconds off their 0-60 time from the red light. They just want to go, and go for ever, and yes you can beat on it for ever and have no issues.
@@hibutmars1024 Yea because they’re in a big rush to build them as fast as possible. The trick is you want one they took their time building. For example a Camry CE won’t be as reliable as a Camry SE, etc... I wouldn’t get any first model years, base models, things like that. If they only took 8 hours to build that car, it’s not going to be as reliable as one they took a long time to build. And that’s the nice thing about them
tyre treadwear rating only translates within the same brand, so a 280 treadwear in yoko might actually be 500 in some other brand, or 350. or 140. it's purely a measure of wear in that brand of tyre.
Hopefully this comes across as constructive - Not feeling the thumbnail text formatting. I actually didn't recognize it was one of your videos (same goes for the Bugatti) at first - it actually almost convinced me they were from another channel I don't regard very highly.... Granted it appears to be a new thing and I have no idea what the analytics are telling you but your old thumbnails had a kind of no-nonsense consistent appeal to them, and they were almost instantly recognizable. What about just having "The Smoking Tire" written across the top or the bottom? Seems like that's better for branding but again, I'm hardly an expert in these things. For what it's worth, I thought the Cobra video thumbnail was pretty solid, especially if the Cobra was a *little* lower in the frame.
You can get a Civic Si for around the same money. More power, mechanical lsd, adjustable dampers, bigger brakes, while still having all the tech and convenience features. Oh and it weighs less.
