the current corolla, like the current camry, definitely took a step back in interior material quality.

 

I'm 17, and IMO, I find the exterior pleasing. It definitely ditched the bland, pound cake look, though it still doesn't look aggressive, even with the S/XRS body mods. But it's subtle enough to let everyone know it's an econobox, which is its problem!

As for the interior, black, grey, and tan/beige are too typical nowadays. It needs something like saddle brown, which would match nicely with the black dash, center stack, etc. and brushed aluminum accents. Two-tone interiors makes the small details of the car stand out more. This is an image I pulled off of Craigslist, so sorry for the poor quality:

 

There is nothing wrong with the interior design. It is waveform, and simple. All the buttons you NEED are on the nav unit. Don't make the mistake honda did and put 14092813902 buttons on the center console.

You do not need any more than that.

All you people who are suggesting things need to remember what the design budget is.

as lexus owners and enthusiasts, we are being too harsh against the corolla S' tackiness. We drool over $3000 bodykits. The Corolla shopper has lower standards.

to the OP, what is your project goal anyway?
it's really hard to improve on what is not broken, while keeping costs the same or lower.

 

Yeah I don't think so. Build as in build quality. The quality of the materials used, the quality of the paint/body panels/galvanized underbody/interior parts. Just feel the headliner and tell me that with a straight face. It's not even close. I find this post rather amusing actually. The trick, like I said, is to suprise. The Corolla doesn't. It's something they could learn from VW, as even the value-edition $17,000 Jetta has better sound insulation than both of my ~$26K Accords (when new). Plus the doors close with a more solid thud. Drive one, and tell me it's a cheaply constructed car. It's simply not true. You can spew the same broken record about having bad reliability, not making it past 200K, blah - You can say the same about the S-class. Is that a cheaply built car too? Two completely different things.

 

Why can't the Corolla get the Intergrated Turn Signal Lamps like the Scion TC

I'll be honest I love the current generation exterior looks a lot, just a better engine and transmission would help a lot.

24/Male

 

Yes, lets try to have a difference so our 2IS's arent being called "re-badged corollas

IMO: I think the car needs to sit lower, not SUV height

the rear tail lights could be more aggressive and sharper.

Interior wise: PLEASE dont copy honda's interior, but i think it looks horrible and cluttered.

How about real CF for the panels i know i know.. im pushing it

better looking navi/radio set up, the current set up makes it look aftermarket not as clean as a oem system should look.

im a 19 year old male whos brother owns a 06 corolla, i think he feels the same way on some items i listed above. He had to drop the car 2" and the car still has a 1" wheel gap.

 

Actually doesn't look that bad

 

The current Corolla is quite attractive in a conservative way. The problem is its lackluster mechanical bits. The 4AT doesn't allow the engine's power to be used well. Put a 6-speed slushbox in it and you'll have decent accel for a 1.8L, and a low RPM on the highway.

Personally, I don't really care for the S body kit. I don't need the car to make a statement about something it is not.

 

Pros:
- Sail-mounted folding side mirrors, as opposed to flag-mount type mirrors like on the 2IS.
- S/XRS body kit and black trim adds "flavor" to bland vanilla styling. It's not as tacky as the Pontiacs of yore. I'll get flak for this, but I don't like the L-tuned front on the 1IS.
- Best looking steering wheel, especially compared to civic or sentra.
- Center stack design on par with Mazda, much better than civic or sentra

Cons:
- It looks tall and skinny, and could easily tip over. I've been in a rollover accident!
- Really big tire gap from really high suspension.
- Hideous rear bumper (especially with those reflectors)
- 2-piece rear lip kit??
- Tallish hood (is this to satisfy European pedestrian safety laws?)

male/30

 

I understand what you're getting at. Yes, German cars often use better materials. But for me, what good is it if the car doesn't last and is always in the shop for expensive repairs? I don't relate that to "quality". And yeah, the last gen S-class was one of the worse quality cars out there.

Go out and ask people what they think when they here "Corolla". It's almost synonymous with quality. It's why it is the best selling car in its class despite it's "boring" image.

 

Man, I just cannot stand silver painted plastic. It's pathetically cheap.
Ah, no. Corolla is ALWAYS synonymous with reliability, not quality. Huge difference. Not saying the corolla is not a quality built car, but it is not what people think of when they hear the word Corolla.

 

WOW this thread grew fast! I wish I could have seen this yesterday but I was stuck in meetings all day—
Annd here’s my really long response:

MPLexus301—Ah, yes the infamous Toyota/Subaru RWD coupe project- I inquired about this as well, and the answer I got was not all too pleasing. Basically, as I’m sure you’ve all guessed, it was a No-Go. I can’t say exactly why that is, but it’s pretty much determined at this point that it will not be developed further. =/

As for the tC, the next version of the tC( Not sure if it will be called tC still, or if the name will be changed) has a pretty distinct look, which I think will fit into the Scion brand. It definitely will not be RWD and the pricing points will remain under 20k, to keep it an entry level vehicle.

And for the Corolla, I’ve seen some of the preliminary sketches and I will say, they are on the right path for sure- They were all very aggressive and the rooflines curved in such a way, that they looked like 4 door coupes.

I certainly agree, the Matrix needs a new design as well—I think I am only working on the Corolla right now though—I’m not sure when the Matrix will come into play, or if it will be based off the new Corolla’s design, and just offered as a hatch version of it. The Matrix really hasn’t been discussed.

Yes, we have definitely looked at competition and Corolla is definitely the forgettable, boring, bland car in it’s class- I am hoping that the production vehicle looks close to the sketches, and while some will say that it’s not possible, I do have a little hope- I saw the sketches of the Celica (the last gen) next to a photo of the real deal, and I say, they got pretty close to those sketches! So perhaps there is hope!

pbm317- Thanks for noting your age in there—I can’t really say much regarding any performance aspects of this vehicle, or the Corolla (Because I don’t know anything yet in regards to the performance enhancements) but I do know that at the end of the day, it will be a Corolla and so…can’t expect it to be a lot faster..but we shall see!

Bitkahuna—haha yes, I agree that “kit” was a pretty lame attempt to make it look better! The sketches I saw look more promising

DASHOCKER- Ooohh bigger tires would be nice indeed—but as mmarshall stated, people who want Corollas (or most Toyota vehicles, actually) want smooth rides. This is why we don’t typically offer a wide variety of bigger rims with low profile tires (I don’t see why we can’t offer them as an options though…with disclaimers hehe) – I guess the 18s that were available for the Yaris got many complaints because people didn’t realize you can’t go over potholes fast and not expect damage to occur….


Suislide- thanks for showing that comparison…yeah..that’s pretty sad isn’t it. =/

TRDRAV4—thanks for the link to the ToyotaNation forums—I was looking through there before I started working on this project, but I did want to specifically ask a group of people who probably didn’t have a Corolla, to inquire why they would never consider it.
However, I could definitely get some good feedback from Corolla owners as well- Looks like I need to sign up to yet another forum haha Too many passwords! ahh

Herbvdh—thanks for that input! I’m surprised you actually like the interior (other than A/C controls)—Hmm, does it have anything to do with the fact that everything is simple and relatively easy to locate on the dashboard? Or…what other reason?

1SICKLEX- haha very brutal, but that’s just what we need thanks for the detailed feedback, with the humor thrown in haha I’m sure the design team will get a kick out of this one =) I can say, the design team who designed the current gen and previous gen Corolla are much older than the team who is working on the next gen Corolla- And so far, they share many of the opinions that I have, and that I’ve seen on this forum and others. Thank God> And not to worry, the sketches don’t resemble a Lexus at ALL

I will say this, in regards to your mention of the design team—the reason why a younger design team was brought in for the Corolla is because old people have been designing the Corolla and Matrix with what they think the young kids will like (obviously fail) and they see that our competitors are way ahead of us. It has also been determined that by about 2025, Toyota’s main customer base will be dying (not to be blunt here, but that’s the plain fact), so we need to start attracting a younger crowd NOW haha- Thankfully they are realizing this and doing something about it. I can only hope the next Corolla actually looks as good as these sketches…otherwise, I was never part of this project (so people don’t’ hunt me down hahaha)

JLSC4-- thanks for your input and age =) We are trying to add a “premium” feel (at least to the interior) of this car, but of course, nothing like a Lexus—as you mentioned, it’s a $16k car, so…it won’t look or feel like a $40k car hehe

TRDFantasy- Interesting point! I agree, it shouldn’t look like a Lexus, and from what I’ve seen, the sketches look nothing like a Lexus As for tacked on body pieces, that is definitely a common complaint of the Corolla (and others) as you’ve seen—so I’ll be sure to dig that point in at my next meeting this week!

Performance, well, I can’t really say anything about that—only working on exterior and interior right now =/ But of course, I’ll make sure these suggestions are heard!
Interior- we are going for a more premium look and feel to the interior, without going to Lexus-luxury of course. Another thing that was brought up is to do away with the “T” shaped interior, and change up the styling—It’s hard to explain without pictures, but the interior sketches I’ve seen are far from boring and bland, but without getting too crazy and spaceship-looking haha. As far as options go, well, again…not my say for this particular project =/

I know we have a long way to go, especially with the other Toyota vehicles, but we have to start somewhere, and Corolla was chosen to be the starting point. –I can say that I’m pretty sure Camry will always be pretty mainstream and “Vanilla” since that’s our signature “one size fits all” kind of car that sells in masses. But we have some work to do on the others, for sure

mmarshall, just out of curiosity, how old are you? Haha you don’t’ have to give exact age if you don’t want, but perhaps an age range?

felixsc300- ah, interesting—so you like the two-tone dashes? Hmm, well we haven’t got into colors just yet, but I’ll certainly keep that in mind for the next couple of weeks !


Dunnojack—Well, the goal is to make the Corolla appeal to a younger audience- I stated this a few times above (but I know it’s a super long post and you all probably don’t wanna read that big thing haha), but essentially, the core customer base of Toyota is older people and by 2025, they are going to stop buying cars because to be straightforward, there aren’t going to be many of them alive by then, so we need to start appealing to a younger crowd with certain vehicles, like the Corolla. (The Avalon will probably always be an old-person vehicle haha)

We are looking to make the exterior sportier, and the interior better looking, without crossing into luxury market—Premium is the word that keeps coming up, especially in regards to the interior and the materials used. We also are trying to get away from the “T” shaped interior, which is typical, especially in the Corolla, while keeping it from looking like the Hondas with the buttons everywhere.

ExTrEmE99 and MaxNine- In regards to the height of the vehicle…well..this was brought up—Nobody likes Wheel Gap. This is what I was told in regards to wheel gap:
The cars cannot have zero or too little wheel gap because of tire chain requirements.
BUT that doesn’t stop us from offering packages that have lowering springs…now…a whole new battle will be having springs that lower the car a decent amount—not SLAM it, but at least get rid of the gap instead of lowing the car .5inches so that there is still a wheel gap…but that will be a battle with engineering, not with the exterior/interior design team =/


Tall and skinny look—hehe yeah, that’s come up a lot too when describing the Corolla—The sketches certainly steer clear of that tall and skinny look—so, hopefully that won’t be an issue for the next gen, hopefully =)

Thanks to everyone again for all of this feedback—I will print out these comments and take them with me to the meetings, to ensure I don’t’ forget anything

 

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies IntegresS. It's nice to know Toyota is taking this seriously, in terms of needing to get younger buyers to the brand. You're right that it has to start somewhere, and the Corolla would be a good starting point. I personally don't have many problems with the Camry's exterior styling. I think it looks pretty good, as do a lot of people. There are just some minor things like the tacky body bits. I also agree the Camry likely won't get too radical.

I have hope for next-gen Toyota interiors, as Toyota seems to be heading in the right direction with the Venza and new Prius interiors.

Even though you're not part of features or performance for the next-gen Corolla, if Toyota is working on a more interesting design then hopefully that means they are taking into consideration performance as well, particularly the XRS model.

 

I think someone mentioned this already but if Toyota wants the Corolla to appeal to a younger demographic then a coupe variant is a must, and a real good marketing team.

 

Corolla is not a bad looking car, but the tall and skinny look just does not suit the car at all. The "S's" bodykit make the car look way too small for the kit that it is trying to support and that hideous rear end just needs to die immediately. The tail lights on this car not only bulge out but are horrible looking; and the reflectors in the bumper make it look more "clown silly". The front end needs to be redone and projectors are a must, or at least the option for them on the "S" model. Understanding that it is a $16K car, why does it have to FEEL like one. I recently rode in one with a co-worker who owns an 08 and I hated it. Car felt like it was jutting around, kind of like a hyper, bouncy feeling to it. Ride height of this car was def not a plus for me, as it felt like it would tip over with sudden lane changes and/or cornering. Interior was OK, but not too impressive. Felt underpowered compared to other vehicles in it's class. Just something, for me, that I would not even consider for a Daily driver. I am 35 for the record, and have been a big Toyota fan for years. Recent displays have definately sent my eye straying in other directions.