new corolla info.

[ToyotaMan1281]

Hey guys/gals. Just picked up a new car guide telling about all the new models from all the car companies. Here is the info on the new corolla:

- will arrive in late 2007 as a 2008 model

- slightly larger

- more power and safety

- will ride on new MC platform (variable length and width ajustments)

- will ride on longer wheelbase with overall length, width, and height up slightly with improved stance

- applications of high strenth steel are expected to boost the platforms stiffness and rigidity, while improving safety performance (should add to an improved ride and handling over the current model)

- the next corollas exterior design is expected to be more adventursome

- styling is likely to share some of the camrys front end design

- a new COROLLA COUPE will offer a sportier design statement, will use unique parts to differentiate it from the 4 door sedan. Is intended to be a spiritual sucessor to the Celica.

- both the sedan and coupe are expected to share the instrament panel and most features and content. the shift lever will be moved higher up like on the matrix. the interior design will reveal improved materials. expect side and curtain airbags, abs, stability control on the car, allthough toyota tends to make some of them optional.

- the engine will be up to 2.0 liter, 150 horsepower at 6250 RPM, 146 torque at 4500 RPM (the coupe will have 200 HP at 6250 RPM and 135 torque at 4000 RPM) the coupe will have the same 2.0 liter engine.

- a new continuously variable transmission is planned for the base 2.0 liter engine and will likely be a version of Toyotas "super CVT" tuned tuned to allow up/down shifts at six or seven pre selected steps. A 5 speed manual will also be offered and a 6 speed offered on the sportier models. Suspenson will use struts in front with new multi link rear suspension likely to replace the current cars torsion- beam set up.

- rack and pinion steering

- disc brakes front, disc brakes rear, abs

- front wheel drive (no rear wheel drive offered)

[daniel2002p]

contnously variable tranny, is that what I am thinking it is....... if you floor it for example it will always keep it at peak power like lets say 6000rpm while the car is accelerating?

[ToyotaMan1281]

CVT Benefits and Test Drives
Continuously variable transmissions are becoming more popular for good reason. They boast several advantages that make them appealing both to drivers and to environmentalists. The table below describes some of the key features and benefits of CVTs.

Advantages of CVTs
Feature Benefit
Constant, stepless acceleration from a complete stop to cruising speed Eliminates "shift shock" -- makes for a smoother ride
Works to keep the car in its optimum power range regardless of how fast the car is traveling Improved fuel efficiency
Responds better to changing conditions, such as changes in throttle and speed Eliminates gear hunting as a car decelerates, especially going up a hill
Less power loss in a CVT than a typical automatic transmission Better acceleration
Better control of a gasoline engine's speed range Better control over emissions
Can incorporate automated versions of mechanical clutches Replace inefficient fluid torque converters

Cars with CVTs have been common in Europe for years. But it's taken a while for the technology to gain a foothold in the United States. The first production automobile to offer a CVT in the United States was the Subaru Justy.


Photo courtesy Subaru France
Subaru Justy

Sold between 1989 and 1993, the Justy never attracted the attention of American drivers. So what's different about newer CVT-based cars -- cars like the Saturn Vue, the Audi A4 and A6, the Nissan Murano and the Honda Insight? The best way to answer that question is to take one of these cars for a "test drive." The animation below, which compares the acceleration of a car with a CVT to one without, gives you a good feel for the experience.


When you step on the gas pedal of a car with a continuously variable transmission, you notice the difference immediately. The engine revs up toward the rpms at which it produces the most power, and then it stays there. But the car doesn't react immediately. Then, a moment later, the transmission kicks in, accelerating the car slowly, steadily and without any shifts. In theory, a car with a CVT should reach 60 mph (100 km/hr) 25-percent faster than the same car with the same engine and a manual transmission [ref]. That's because the CVT converts every point on the engine's operating curve to a corresponding point on its own operating curve.

Best Transmission:
CVT or Dual-Clutch?
Which is better, the continuously variable transmission or the dual-clutch transmission?
Give us your take!

If you look at the power output curve for the car without a CVT, you can see this to be true. Notice that the tachometer in this situation shows the engine revving up and down with each gear change, which is recorded as a spike in the power output curve (and which the driver feels as a jolt).

CVTs are equally efficient on hills. There is no "gear hunting," because the CVT cycles steplessly down to a gear ratio appropriate for the driving conditions. A conventional automatic transmission shifts back and forth trying to find the right gear, which is far less efficient.

[ToyotaMan1281]

Daniel, dont our corollas have this now?

[caddymac]

Good bye torrision bar rear suspension!