I have a current model Toyota Corolla and I'm not happy with the start-up. The engine races to 2000rpm, then very slowly drops back to 800rpm. Even after a 15-minute stop, when the engine is still near operating temperature, it repeats the stupid performance. I'm also unhappy with the fuel consumption, which is never lower than 10 litres/100km no matter how conservatively I drive it. The dealer's answer is that that's the way it is.
I can imagine that it's an annoying habit and I would also like to fix it if it was my car. Does it happen when the airconditioning is turned off? The reason for having the idle speed up when the engine starts is usually to ensure it doesn't stall when under the extra load of ancillary systems such as airconditioning. If that's the case, I would expect it wouldn't happen when the airconditioning is turned off. As for the fuel consumption, 10 litres/100km is on the high end of what I would expect. Something like 8.0-9.0 litres/100km is what I would expect. Contact Toyota direct on 9647 4444.
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