10th gen vs. 9th gen 'Rolla ? Power and handling wise

[mxben]

I haven't tried the new corolla so far. How much improved the new corolla really is? Can you feel the few more ponies? Does the electric assisted power steering makes for a more precise feel and does the wider track makes it stay a little more upright in high speed cornering?

[joeylgarcia]

my corolla has the 1.8L engine (automatic) so i would say it doesnt have much power. just right for city driving. i guess it would be just ok for long driving too. about the handling there is still so much to add or change to the suspension and underchassis to make handling better for the 09 corolla. but i know the 09 corolla is not an expensive car so i do not expect much from it. if i wanted everything in a car i would have bought the bmw or mercedes benz. but the thing is my first priority is saving gas and having a cheap decent car with some reliability so i chose the 09 corolla. bottom line i am happy to have this year's version of the corolla. just have to wait a year or more before i start adding or changing things with my car.

final word: do not expect too much from the 09 corolla.

[Tigmd99]

Originally Posted by mxben

I haven't tried the new corolla so far. How much improved the new corolla really is? Can you feel the few more ponies? Does the electric assisted power steering makes for a more precise feel and does the wider track makes it stay a little more upright in high speed cornering?

I have a 2005 Corolla LE (auto). I testdrove a 2009 Corolla XLE (auto). Here are my notes:

- 2009 is A LOT smoother, esp. over bumps. It was actually the most surprising finding during my testdrive! 2009 rides like a luxury car...very smooth. (Notice that i wrote luxury car, not sports car because the handling is similar to past Corollas.)

- Power is about on-par but with a bit less engine noise. Powertrain responsiveness is about the same...real hard to tell the difference for me...it is possible that the powertrain smoothness is slightly better in the 2009.

- Road noise is significantly better in the 2009. But, it is not a big difference. Wind noise, on the other hand, is A LOT better in the 2009.

- In 2009 model, steering is not nearly as bad as reviewers have stated. Yeah, on the highway, it is more sensitive to steering input, but i did not have any problem keeping it straight. Of course, the 2005 steering was a really good unit...surprisingly good for an econobox...so, yeah, this is probably the worst thing on the 2009 as compared to my 2005. However, again, it is NOT a big deal like what some people make it out to be.

Remember, this is an econobox, not a sports car. However, this is the MOST luxurious riding econobox at this time on the market. So, if you're buying it for cornering prowess, then you may want to look elsewhere. For me, i would be upgrading soon to the 2009 model...no doubt in my mind that the 2009 many benefits outweighs it's few faults.

Hope this helps.

[andys09xrs]

My 09xrs handles like a charm but I did do my megan racing coilovers suspension set up. The ride is so stiff and on corners well you should just be in the car. And for power umm I have headers and intake , exaust and it feels great when im drivin down the road.