Toyota's Biggest Mistake? Why The Corolla T Sport Does Not Deserve To Be Forgotten 

I took my drivers license in the 4-door version of this. A local driving instructor was mad enough to have one of these, and me and my mate actually based our decision on what driving school we should use based on the car. That was a fun piece of kit... Will never ever forget the first time om a motorway ramp. Took it up to 4000-4500 RPM, just like my parents would do, but then the instructor said "Take your feet off the pedals". Then, using his set of pedals, he absolutely ringed it down the ramp. I was so amazed by the performance I nearly forgot that it was me who was actually holding the steering wheel.

There was a limited TRD version of these with a supercharger and was an absolute hoot. Toyota at that stage was going through their no fun allowed phase and did absolutely nothing to market the thing or get some press about it.

Having owned a T sport, i dont understand the hate and critisicm. Yes its not an EP3, however its a cheap entry into a fun hatchback that'll take a very generous amount of abuse, stick some coilovers on it, some decent alloys and tyres, better air filter and a decent exhaust, and it'll give the same amount of fun that an ep will (also owned an EP3). Great cars and i would definitely recommend looking into one if you want a cheap hot hatch that offers alot of enjoyment!

When you get the gear changes right with this engine it is so satisfying and rewarding to drive.

About 10 years ago I test drove a Compressor version located at a secondhand car sales place. It had a modified exhaust and sounded fantastic - a truly great drive. I didn't buy it because I really needed a diesel for commuting, but it'd one car I always think about to this day. I now have a GR Yaris and I still think the T-Sport Compressor would make a good car!

Another car with a MCM Chopped sticker on. Home of the the worlds greatest Off-Road 4X4 youtube channel!

Had two of these, and two Celica T-Sports as well. Another reason why they didn't sell well was that the published 0 - 60 figure was over 8 seconds, whereas in reality it was closer to 6.5 seconds, I still don't know why they did that. The VVTLi crossover is only an issue with the 1st to 2nd gear shift. In all other gears it really is rather easy to keep it in "lift", at least once you have driven one for a short while. They really do need a cold air intake to really make the most of that induction noise though. I think the 2ZZ is a much more fun engine than its Honda counterpart, the crossover is more aggressive, and it has a nicer induction tone. They are also a much better package, way more kit as standard, and the interior is better screwed together. The EP3 usually doesn't even come with AC, whereas the Corolla comes with automatic climate control as standard, as well as auto wipers and other things. Cheaper to buy and insure as well. But the steering feedback on the Corolla leaves a lot to be desired when you are pushing the limits (i.e there is none), and the suspension could use a little tweak as well. The Celica is better in this regard because it has hydraulic power steering and is a little firmer. That said, being Toyotas, I absolutely wrung the necks of all four of mine, and none of them missed a beat, not once. I just kept them serviced with good quality fluids and filters, and let them come up to temperature.

I hope you can track down a "Toyota Blade Master" to review. The 2007 Corolla shape, with the 3.5-litre 276bhp V6 plonked in it. I have one, and it's awesome. 0-100 in about 6 seconds.

You cant make this stuff up, Jay, I was literally about to email you as I just purchased a Face Lift Corolla T Sport for you to review, and here you are !!

My brother has a T sport Compressor had it 12 years daily driver for 8 of them Great sounding car Toyota reliability 👍

I have a friend who has one of these and done all the bells and whistles on it. He's just patiently waiting to supercharge it now! Absolutely mad car and really fun to be a passenger in.

It's Called a RunX in South Africa and people really love these things

These are kinda big in the Caribbean as tuner cars, most people 2zz swap them & there named the runx out here

You're right. We were spoiled for choice back then, and the T-Sport didn't look all that interesting in that mix. ..but looking at it now, hearing that amazing engine rev, looking at prices, i'd rather fancy a T-Sport tbh. This was a welcomed eye opener. Thanks. ..but i do agree.. Power band needs to start earlier for the car to be truly usable irl.

I had a facelift as my daily for 5 years, did over 100k and it never let me down. I had Tein coilovers fitted which really improved the handling but the ride was awful! Great little car and I liked that people did not really know what it was. Thanks Jay for the content

God I cannot express how much I miss mine. It was madness as my second car I'd ever owned with only 9 months driving experience. Above 6k revs it was just mad to drive.

I had one of these. Best car I've owned by far. I were able to give it as much stick as I wanted to and it never let me down. Just regular maintenance and it were running awesome. Had a couple of modifications but nothing drastic. Lift were so much fun and better than vTec in my opinion.

Just bought one Facelift T-Sport from late 2004. 274k km on ODO ! Well preserved and serviced, it is still in 2024 a car which gives you a lot of fun, while beeing daily driven. Got a set of used aftermarket 17" wheels for the grip (mounted with 215/45/17 tires) and the road response through the steering wheel feels better. Everything else stock on this car. Really love this car 😊

I have a pre-facelift T-Sport. I’ve had it for just over 1.5 years and it’s fantastic. Considering it’s a 20 year old car with 143k miles, it’s been really good to me. The only major repairs needed in my time as its owner were a new clutch at 127k and a new alternator at 139k. The handling is pretty decent considering how forgiving the suspension is over bumps. I will slowly modify mine the way I always wanted. It’s getting an exhaust this weekend and I can’t wait to hear it in lift

Same engine I have on my Celica once in lift really puts a smile on your face

It was called the RunX RSi in South Africa and there was also a limited edition TRD version that only had 20 or so available here. The engine had to really be revved to be enjoyed which made it difficult to drive in the city if you wanted to have robot to robot type races (that's a traffic light to people not from SA).

I owned the TTE Compressor version for a few years. I loved it. Especially the wine & howl from the blower.

I still remember the Top Gear mag review of this and the Civic Type R. "Whilst the Civic Type R is hardly powered by a torquey engine, it feels like a 7.0L pushrod V8 compared to the Corolla" Or something very much like that!

I owned a Compressor model for 4 years. Took it from 50,000 to 100,000 miles and the only issues I had were leaking Eibach shock absorbers (unique to the Compressor and a well known issue). Replaced them with adjustable coilovers. The exhaust also needed replacing, and again being unique to the Compressor, you can’t get a replacement so had a custom one made. I really enjoyed the car, it was a great all round package and felt extremely quick higher up the rev range. Replaced it with a Mk7 Fiesta ST and MASSIVELY regretted it. Should of kept the Compressor.

I drove one of these on a Toyota track day at Brands Hatch many years ago; these things were rapid, but the Celica - with the same engine - was a better drive.

There will be a Corolla GR coming next year. It will be sold in the US and Canada where the Yaris GR isn’t sold. It should come to Europe and Japan as well.

Got a facelift tsport myself and I love it. Tbh I have modified it . Custom exhaust ,blitz sus air intake, k brace, rear arb , compressor front strut and completely stripped it. Completely diffrent car. Climbs revs much better and handles well 👌

The VVT-Li holds the lifted state when you are shifting up above 6000 rpm. Jeremy Clarkson demonstrated this on the Exige with the same 2zz-ge engine.

I have been dreaming about this car for a while now. Because Toyotas are realible, this car sounds amazing for what it is, it is quite a sleeper and almost 200hp is more than enough. I have been planning installing dual calibers to rear wheels and hydraulic e brake for winter drifting.

Squid work best when damp, unlike squibs, which aren't so keen.

I have two PFL in the garage now, I really love this car. It's great fun for very little money !

I've still got mine! 18 years on and still just as good as the day I got.

I like this car. It’s got some fun in a practical package. I’d love to drive the compressor version. These are wonderful cars. I love the Toyotas from that period, bit sleepers.

Never knew this version of the Corolla existed. Thank you for making this video. Keep up the good work.

I have one of these on top of a few other toyotas, they are very rewarding to drive, you do really have to abuse them if you want to get going but they do take it very well with regular maintenance, there are some downfalls with things like lift bolts etc and stretching timing chains. I have a TRD strut brace and BC coilovers on mine and it massively helps with no body roll. I think you have to look at these as their own thing not an ep3 competitor as they really aren’t on par with the ep3 but what they are is fun, cheap and easy to maintain so can’t really go wrong!

I turned 18 in Sept 2002 and i ended up getting the 1.6 petrol version of this corolla in the T3 configuration. I REALLY wanted this version but the insurance just wouldnt allow it. The 1.6 manual version was great, had A/C, Sunroof, CD player with a nice 5 speed manual gearbox. Had it for about 4 years from new but i really wanted the TT sport.

You guy's are lucky! In Australia we only got the 4 door version and never the compressor!

every one who knows this one knows its as good as a civic... this engine is so good

Really appreciate this video, thank you. Fair and honest opinion which really poked my curiosity. I have now test driven 3 and will purchase one this week!

Good fun, lunch time video James, thank you very much! A new car to me, so very interesting. Did almost call out "V TEC yo" hearing the engine.

I had the original T-Sport, then the facelift, then the Compressor model. The TTE Compressor version was by far and a way the most powerful of the 3, it seemed to outperform it's statistics on paper and felt the most stable, I believe it was even lower than the facelift version as standard, and had additional under floor braces too. My 2005 facelift one was a very lovely car as well. The original 2001 version's handling was no where near that of the other two as Jay describes in this VT. Miss them.

The TTE compressor versions are coming up for sale a lot recently. Because there are no parts around for the supercharger, i have heard stories of people who have blown the supercharger and the car is just sat in the garage years later, as there are no spares available. The standard T-sport engine is also so highly strung that you can not really pull masses more power out of it, and so the supercharged models are known to blow up for that reason. The normal T-sport is an awesome car, i have one as my first car.

I owned a T-Sport for many years ago for a daily car. Most reliable car i ever had.. Sold it and missed it. Bought a TTE Compressor a couple of years later. Sold that one to. Actually, i never missed that car. Most of the TTE parts are bad quality and no fun. To me as previous owner, not worth it. Buy the T-Sport instead. 2017 i bought another T-Sport. I only use it in summer. Spent a LOT of time with this car making it, to me, perfect. MWR stage 2 cams is the only aftermarket part needed to gain this nice power in low to mid revs. No map or tune needed. You almost cant feel the change from low to high lift. Works perfect. Will never sell this car. Its a fun sleeper and, to me, a classic car. Makes me smile every time i rew it to the red line. :)

I currently own a compressor version of this beauty! I LOVE IT!!! I think the great thing about this, is that because it was not known in the early 2000's, it will become a very rare and speciel car in the future and therefore maybe become a hidden classic - but all I know now is that the price will increase and i will just keep on loving mine :) Great video btw

Great review bro, love that induction sound that corolla makes seems fun to drive

These were badged as a RunX RSi in South Africa, similar specs. Down here we love these cars and they're everywhere!

Great review, I've owned a facelift for a couple of years, was one owner from new and has only done 66k miles. My ragging days are over so I just enjoy the great build quality. I don't use lift much but its rev range feels quite limited, I only use it to scare passengers. The only niggle for me is mine has a high clutch and getting into gear is quite stiff, I always have to watch I don't stall at traffic lights. My previous car was a Proton Satria GTI which was a great fun car, it felt like a tin can compared to the Toyota's heavier build.

had mine since 2005 and still going strong at 180000 on the clock might get another year from it before breakers

I had an 03 PFL and loved it! Set of lowering springs was compulsory though lol. Get your gear changes right at it made you smile. Fun fact: Toyota lied about the 0-60 times for the Corolla so it didn’t affect the Celica T -Sport’s sales

Thanks for this review. I own one of these and i can agree with everything you have just said. For some reason it looks more boring in the video than in real life. I had a little race once with an EP3 Civic Type-R on a dual carriageway coming out of a roundabout up to the next going from 2nd, 3rd and 4th and they were neck to neck really in the straight. However when we came to the braking zone up to the next roundabout the EP3 was just gone. Brakes and the handling need improving massively if anybody wants to enjoy this car to its full potential. It is still a lovable hot hatch even with all of its let down qualities.

LSD from a mr2, bigger 295mm discs and calipers from the avensis, sixth gear and baffled sump from a 140 celica, eibach springs, bilstein shocks, fat rear anti roll bar, short shifter and pilot sport 4 tyres = loads of fun 😁

I had one of these for my second car. Was really fun to drive on it's own but when you were trying to chase an EP3 or even an ST150 down a back road, it was clearly outclassed. I liked it though.

Loved mine, sold it to my brother and he still has it. It just won’t die….you have to work so hard to keep it on cam but when you do it is surprisingly swift

I had one for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. Pretty much bullet proof and surprised a few people as they thought it was just a standard corolla.

This is a very educational video and also very professional good job!

I had the Supercharged t-sport in this same colour I tinted the windows to the max, I even tinted the headlights and taillights. Got the exhaust de-catted the car looked like a little beast. None of the mods made the car any faster it was all show no go. These cars don't really have any potential in terms of performance. Now I have a turbocharged Championship white Integra type R which is bags of fun.

Here in South Africa, these are called RunX RSi, and they're very popular & sought-after cars. Most car enthusiasts love them, although they do carry quite a hefty 'Toyota Tax'. Out here you can buy a Hawkeye WRX or even a GT86 for about the same, or in some cases, less than 1 of these, lol. But they're great fun.

In America we got the Corolla XRS, sedan only, no supercharger option. They're really rare and when you see one you can tell the owners keep them flawless. I'm always jealous of the hot hatches we never saw over here

Makes me long for a cheap Corolla XRS here in the US. Now I just gotta start saving up for the GR Corolla.

Such a shame Toyota didn't release it as the facelift version from the start, I think it would have sold much better. Adding a few comforts like maybe cruise control would have really helped too. One featured is a really nice example.

What I don't understand is why did Toyota put this engine in this car, but not the MkIII MR-2? 🤨

Fun fact: the swiss got a supercharged Version of this car. Backed by the factory warranty. Same for the 2003 Yaris RS, a supercharged 1,5l

Where this engine shines the most is precisely in the car that didn't had this engine as an option. The MR2 W30. I have mine tuned to 220bhp, and VVL droped to 5800rpm so i dont have to hit the rev limiter everytime to keep it in the lift zone. Also agreed on the baffled sump and i might add the billet oil pump gears.

Long time JayEmm viewer, but somehow missed this video, I only found it when looking to fit a rotrex supercharger to my t sport. It's a pretty great daily driver, great on space for what it is but I use my Disco most of the time. You're right about the engine, you've got to rag it to get the performance out of it, you feel like you're going much faster than you are! I love mine, had 70k miles when i bought it, now only use it as a summer hot hatch, just over 80k. There's much faster cars but I love driving it and I really can't see myself selling it anytime soon, it's a weird car with a pretty cult following, love that you made a video on it

Guyana South America have plenty of these but it's called Runx and Allex equipped with a crawling 1.5L 1NZ-FE snail of an engine due to high customs tax and duty on higher CC engine. Most of these are used as taxi because it's fuel efficient and don't break down even through storms although most of them are over 300,000km.

Quicker than a type r especially in wet conditions I used to own one

I remember taking a Yaris T Sport in part ex during my motor trade days, great fun little car and actually makes me really kind of want a Corolla T Sport

I just got one and I love it a 2005 Toyota Corolla sports mode

I had the facelift version of this and it was brilliant. Surprised a few people with its grandad looks and with some handling modifications it handled surprisingly well. Not fast by any means but a great runner

And don't even forget the Corolla T Sport (TS) Compressor (by TTE), who is even rarer than the normal T Sport.😃😄😁🤩🥰 Btw - The Corolla E12 series is for the most one of the best of its series ever and is even placed above the "sucsessor" Auris with up to MY'13 at least, when it comes to quality - aspecially of the interior and its materials as well as the design (in and out) and useability.

Ah yes, The T-sport. The donor car for many an MR2 conversion.

These cars hammered I remember driving 2 of them and wow. What a car 🚗 awesome motor hardly a failure . Lotus Elise use the same engine borrowed from Toyota.

I had a 2005 Corolla T-sport NA 192bhp,it was so damn fun to drive on trackdays and in the twisties! :D

I really like them! Th series with a compressor output 225bhps. Regarding the airbag lights can be two things: clock spring but is very rare or the most normal issue the seats airbags connectors. Battery disconnected, first negative terminal then positive terminal, ignition on for 15 minutes, unplug the yellow air bag connectors under the seats, clean all the connections with contact cleaner, put the connectors back properly, check all the connections and with ignition off connect the battery, first the positive and then negative, and hope will be ok.

Have one of these as my shopping car, good fun. They are overgeared, I solved this by fitting 195/45/16 tyres which reduces the overall gearing by about 10%, reduces the unspung weight, lowers the car a tad and reduces sidewall height. Tyres are cheaper too. Good fun and cheap to insure.

I bought one of these in 2004, at that time it was a fun car to drive. I had it for 11 years as a dayly driver without any trouble at all.The only things i didn't like about it was that it hade no Cruisecontrol , and that it was a bit to loud becuase of the high rpms on the highway.

Cool review. Another idea fpr a rare JDM car worth checking out is the 2003-2007 Honda Accord Euro R (Japan or Singapore import only)

I had one as my second car for a couple of years, great car!

My dad imported 2 of the 5 door version of this car way back in 2004 and one was converted to a 3 door with a full roll cage and let me tell you that car used to fly down the road with all the weight reduction that was did on it, sadly that one got hit pretty hard while it was parked thankfully and was a total loss. I now have the second one as my first car and that one flies too but I'm looking to do some basic mods, intake and exhaust for sure and maybe I'll stick on some 17x8j rims

I had the 2005 Corolla XRS brand spanking new and liked how it was geared so I could hear it change over. It's not like you're racing every single time you take off, jfc it's a daily driver COROLLA!

I have a 2006 model I bought new. Have 90 000km on the clock. Don't think I'll ever sell it. It's become my weekend drive

equivalent of corolla XRS in states, basically this car with 4 doors, come also with 2ZZ-GE and 6 speed manual.

Test drove a 2004 5 door back in 2008. Frustrating lack of torque in the higher gears but I rather liked it. Slammed into the limiter at the top end sounding like a banshee. Also very comfortable ride for a hot hatch.

I have a 2004 model and love it. It has been so reliable and so fun to drive. The lacquer is gone off it (it's red) so it looks like a shit heap. Apparently the head of Toyota asked the guys in Yamaha to make him an engine that would do 10,000rpm for 24 hours straight and this is the result.

I knew someone who had one of these (on lease) and managed to put it into 1st gear at 80 mph which did not end well ! My own Toyota got 'treated' to 3 services in 248,000 miles and still didn't let me down for anything more than battery failure !

Just didn’t look like a hot hatch, but the compressor is a very cool car

never knew the 2zz corollas came in 2 door, they didn't offer it in Australia in that version, it looks way better.

I bought a gen 2 when it first came out and it's worth mentioning that it wasn't just the Civic type R, there was also the MG ZT. At the time these three were considered very close rivals with the civic just getting it. The T-spot logo relates to TTE (Toyota Team Europe). Based in Germany home to to the F1 team and other factory race cars. They also advised bespoke car tuning to the mainstream for any car make, model but it never took off, neither did the F1 team.

How far are you from Calvin? Lolz. This is actually pretty funny.

Interesting comment about the 2zz lift zone, I find no issue keeping in lift from 2nd in my gen 7 gt when hammering it, and having recently driven an ep3, they too have 2000rpm on the vtec crossover but its 5800-7800 and strangely didn't feel as aggressive as my 2zz which I was so surprised about

I have a 2003 Yaris T-Sport, fantastic little hot hatch

I used to own one and enjoyed it quite a bit. I have some videos demonstrating how it falls out of lift and one of me changing keeping it in lift. 1st to 2nd is the "hardest" to keep her in lift. Shame the rockers are made from chocolate 😪 very good bang for buck.

I have the SR model of the Corolla from 2006 with 4 doors. It’s my first car and I love it so much. Not much of a difference visually between the T sport and SR except for the interior which I’m a bit jealous of I’m liking the look of those leather seats.

Good idea, hot hatches were popular. So put the Celica engine in a Corolla but they didn't sell very well despite being actually a pretty good car but there were better hot hatches available.

Well put video. Thaks for the Tip on the rear shocks.. Thought the white clocks were only on the compressor version? I've owned a 06 tte compressor for 2 weeks, abit of a Edd China job. New clutch and oil for the s/charger. New mobile1oil x filter, all breather pipes cleaned out, new plugs, air filter, set of tyres tomorrow. Can't find a road to cane it that's long enough. Brakes upgraded then a trak day. Got to say my last car i had that was quick was a Alfa 166. This Corolla would mince the Romeo. The compressor is a awesome drive..

VVTL-i stands for Variable Valve Timing and Lift intelligent. Not sure why I remember that, but it's in there if it ever comes up in a pub quiz

Why didn’t Toyota offer the facelifted Corolla T-Sport in 5-door form in the UK, like they did with the pre-facelift? Why the facelift was only offered as a 3-door in the UK is beyond me.

That car sounded 👌 😍. Surprising as I've driven a 2zz lightly modded celica

Love your videos but James it's damp squib not squid . Had many happy years in Honda Prelude s with the VTEC in . Much fun when giving it some but civilised when just mooching .

On the topic of hot hatches this sounds very similar to my 1996 N15 Pulsar Autech that I owned . Loved to be revved out to 7500rpm. Would love to see you test drive one or a Starlet Glanza.