Toyota Corolla 2010 News

Toyota Australia is recalling 48,000 Corolla and Rukus vehicles to check installation of the passenger side front airbag inflator.

A number of potentially hazardous faults have been identified in vehicles sold in Australia, prompting a wide range of recalls.

Cars are either being built worse -- or companies are getting better at detecting faults.a range of models made over the last 10 years replacing potentially deadly Takata airbags in 1.3 million cars in Australia. a second, airbag-related recall for the Priusreplacing potentially deadly Takata airbags in 1.3 million cars in Australia

This will go down in automotive history as one of the weirdest automotive recalls of all time.

Toyota issues its seventh recall in six months, doubles up on one from last year.

The world's favourite car is better than it was, but still has a few flaws. The starting sticker, though, is a winner. "I'd rather spend five years in the i30 than three years in the Corolla,'' Paul Pottinger said at the COTY judging. And the cabin reflects a totally different design approach. It's still Toyota efficient, but it breaks away from the blandness with the potential for some personalisation. Visibility is great, despite a slightly pinched view through the rear window, but the real delight comes in the new driving position. Toyota has finally recognised that people don't like to sit with their hair brushing the roof or jammed up against the dash, which means you can sit back in comfort and also enjoy front seats that are nicely shaped and padding that's just right. The steering is light, the car is easy to park and even thought the boot is no bigger it is easier to load. It's also good to find. Full sized spare in the starting price car. So, how does it drive? It's very, very good for a Corolla, and good for a Japanese car. But I've just been spoiled by Golf 7. The Corolla gets along nicely enough, promises great fuel economy and is pretty quiet on all but the worst surfaces. But it doesn't have the limo-like cushiness or the library-quiet cabin of the Volkswagen. Now we come to the gearbox... And I have to say that CVTs are about as popular as brussel sprouts with the Carsguide crew. But Toyota's engineers have added bearnaise sauce with a system that almost -- but not quite --eliminates the horrible flaring and slipping clutch sound while also giving a seven-speed drivers mode that's not as bad as a fake manual. The overall impression is a car that's more complete, and returns the Corolla to the top of the small car heap. Toyota Corolla Ascent auto Price: from $21,990 Engine: 1.8-litre 16-valve four-cylinder Transmission: CVT (with seven-speed “manual” mode), front wheel drive Power: 103kW @ 6400rpm Torque: 173Nm @ 4000rpm Fuel use/emissions: 6.6 l/100km, tank 50 litres 91RON ULP; 152g/km Brakes/safety systems: Driver and front passenger airbags, front seat side, driver’s knee and curtain airbags, stability control (Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control). Dimensions: Length 4275mm, width 1760mm, height 1460mm, wheelbase 2600mm, cargo volume 280 litres, weight 1270kg Wheels/tyres: 16in steel wheels Win $5,000 in our People's Choice competition.  

Government, especially, state government, regards us as cash cows to be milked dry with fees, insurance, registration and road infringement system cynically designed not to prevent transgressions, but to profit by them (all the while hypercritically admonishing us to drive "safely").City dwellers, forced to drive for the weeping inadequacy of public transport, spend years of their lives stationary in choking traffic. Their country cousins brave ruined roads, often without as much as a centre line.In NSW (forgive the state-centricity) a multi-billion dollar bureaucracy called the RTA goes so far as to stridently oppose any form of training for young drivers, instead thrusting the onus on unqualified friends or relatives to instil in callow kids.It also bans learners and P-platers from the safest cars known to humanity on the Orwellian premise that anything with forced induction is "high performance" and therefore unsafe. So it is the RTA withholds from the very drivers it says are most vulnerable cars that are – actively and passively – the safest cars yet devised because they are "unsafe"!No, Johnny, you can’t drive a 90kW Golf because that turbo charger makes it a fully sick road rocket, but you can go forth in a VB Commodore... (Hilariously, this inept and decadent cabal are also in charge of road building in the nation’s most populous state...)So it is that we're treated to sights such as I saw earlier this month on the M4, described on its website as a "key piece of transport infrastructure in Western Sydney".There she was: a green P-plater in a 20-year-old Corolla, sticking hard to the right-hand lane – despite the rapid succession of signs telling her to "keep left unless overtaking" – doing no more than 90km/h in a 110 zone, while a rapid succession of vehicles travelling up to the speed limit were forced inside. The last I saw, she was still there.Nice work Dad, or Mum, or cousin Narelle, or whatever clueless acquaintance has tutored her in the ways of the open road.Meanwhile, elsewhere, uniformed and armed tax collectors, as the Highway Patrol have become, were squatting behind a radar keeping the stream of revenue running and the RTA was rolling out the first of a series of mobile speed cameras.If the endless federal election proves anything, it's that the old certainties have disappeared.Politicians from the PM down enjoy their richly-salaried and entitled sinecures at our behest and it’s dawning upon even the most complacent, corpulent party animals – without actually naming the Member for Grayndler –they might have to do a bit work in their electorates.Don't be shy. Don't leave it to a pollster to ask you. Remind your local member that their career depends on your goodwill, that you own a car and you vote.

Every day driving habits can make or break the budget when it comes to daily driving. A list of tips to improve your fuel economy is something the rally ace believes can benefit drivers young and old. Fuel economy has been an interest of the retired 55-year-old rally driver, even before it was used as a competitive advantage. "I've always been interested in fuel economy, even at university purely from the necessity of getting 50mpg out of my Mini, and in my rally career as well," he says. The multiple production-car champ recently got behind the wheel of Hyundai's new i20 in Sydney and aimed for Brisbane - a 936km trip - on one 45-litre tank of fuel, but the quest saw the bright lights of Bundaberg in the windscreen instead. The final trip distance was 1269km, using on average 4.2 litres per 100km, with the only real concession to hard-core economy driving being no air conditioning. But the Adelaide rally ace believes there are simple things that every driver can do to improve fuel economy, without freezing or frying, before they turn the key. "If you want to save fuel, the over-riding one is choosing when to use your car - the actual number of times people don't combine the journies is important. For example, make sure you don't drop the kids at school, go home and then come back to the shops, minimise the use of the car, thinking about what you do with your car every day." Mr Ordynski also believes car choice is important but drivers also need to learn the best way to drive their chosen vehicle. "No matter what vehicle you choose, learn how to drive it efficiently, take the time to learn a bit about your car. If you really want to drive efficiently, learn where its optimium performance bad is," he says. The motorsport veteran firmly believes a well-driven manual vehicle is far more efficient than either a conventional automatic or the increasingly-common double-clutch automated manual. "We're a country besotted with automatics, but there is no auto or DSG that's better for fuel economy if the driver knows how to use it (a manual gearbox) properly," he says. A small amount of research to find where the optimum operating range for your vehicle can be beneficial, says Mr Ordynski. "If you look at a graph of the torque you can work out the most efficient operating range. It doesn't effect the speed of driving at all, one of the most common things I see people doing incorrectly, the number one thing is operate the engine outside the most fuel-efficient band," he says. Australia's national vehicle fleet average is 11 litres per 100km, that's petrol-powered vehicles, if you could cut that in half by choice of vehicle and driving technique, that means big savings in cost, fuel and CO2 emissions." Drivers should also be focussed on the job of driving - for safety's sake as well as fuel economy. "One of the things about driving for efficiency is that it forces you to think about it and look ahead, I think it makes you concentrate on what you're doing, which is something I think the average motorist doesn't do. Every time you use the brakes it costs you fuel - rolling off throttle and conserving momentum coming up to traffic lights and things like that," he says. WHO IS ED ORDYNSKI? A stalwart of the Australian motorsport scene for more than three decades, rally driver Ed Ordynski, 55, has been successful in a wide array of motorsport-related activities, conducting product launches, writing for magazines and training competitors and actors both here and overseas. He has also served as Chairman of the Australian Rally Commission and Manager of Motorsports Training Australia. The Ordynski name is probably most closely linked to the Mitsubishi brand, having driven a Galant VR-4 to top spot in the 1990 Australian Rally Championship, which included the Group N production car title that year and continuing a long and successful relationship until his retirement in 2005. The Group N category title was on his mantle three more times - 1993, 1994, 1995 - all in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. Ordynski has also spent time in big, rear-wheel drive Holden Commodores, winning the 1995 Round Australia Trial. He has competed in China, Sweden, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Ed's record-winning eight Group N 1st placings in Rally Australia, in the World Rally Championship, is unmatched. ED ORDYNSKI'S TOP 5 FRUGAL AND FUN CARS ED ORDYNSKI'S FUEL-SAVING TIPS Plan when you need to use your car to avoid unnecessary journies and peak-hour. Take a little time to learn about the way your car operates for best fuel efficiency. Choose an energy efficient vehicle. Concentrate on driving smoothly and anticipate traffic flow to conserve momentum. Keep tyre pressures at maximum recommended level and have your car serviced at correct intervals and keep wheel alignment at manufacturer specification. Avoid carrying excess weight and remove accessories which affect the aerodynamics (eg. roof racks). Choose a manual transmission and learn to drive it properly for optimum fuel efficiency. Avoid use of airconditioning and keep windows closed. Do not use cruise control but do focus on keeping a constant speed and conserving momentum (eg. gradually reduce speed up long hills). Switch off engine if going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds. Drive off as soon as the engine is started, especially from a cold start. With diesel engines, minimise throttle percentage, using the tallest gear with the least throttle opening. With petrol engines, minimise engine revs, regardless of throttle position, using the tallest gear the engine will allow without harshness. If you must drive an automatic, learn how to encourage it to stay in tall gears with the torque converter locked as much as possible. Steer smoothly on the correct line through corners to avoid using energy from unnecessary angle on the front wheels. GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE The Green Vehicle Guide provides an overall rating for all new cars sold in Australia based on their combined greenhouse rating and air pollution rating. The top ten overall performers and top ten sellers are based on the best performing variant for the listed model. Variants with different engines and transmissions may have lower scores. DRIVING TIPS Drive smoothly - aggressive driving can increase fuel use by up to 30 per cent, so avoid hard accelerating or braking and look ahead to read traffic flow to conserve momentum. Maintenance - a well-maintained engine can improve fuel economy by up to four per cent. Change the oil regularly, check the air filter and follow the car manufacturer's recommendation on servicing. Check the air pressure in your car's tyres - quite apart from being safer and improving longevity, a properly-inflated tyre can help with fuel use. A tyre under-inflated by one psi (pound per square inch) can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as three per cent. Get the weight out - some research suggests for every extra 45kg carried, there's a two per cent reduction in fuel efficiency. Remove roof racks or roof bars - the reduction in your car's aerodynamic efficiency can hinder fuel economy by as much as five per cent. Avoid high speeds - increased speed equals increasing wind resistance, with some research suggesting cruising at 110km/h uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than cruising at 90km/h. TOP PERFORMERS *  TOP SELLERS * * Source: Green Vehicle Guide - for more information, visit www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au.

After leading the world on so many fronts - from quality to comfort and reliability - they have been hit badly by the global financial crisis.  Toyota and Honda and many of the others wound back dramatically at the onset of the GFC, not just on their production lines but also in their motorsport programs - F1 was the first casualty - and new-product development.We are now seeing the results in Australian showrooms, where the Corolla and Civic are now mid-pack in the small-car class and former pacesetters including the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and even the locally-made Camry are struggling against newer and better rivals.  They are fine for everyday transport, but not as impressive as they were just five years ago.Subaru has also cut costs and its latest styling work - particularly on the Liberty and Outback - reflects a desperate desire to win sales in the USA.  Contrast all of them against the Suzuki Kizashi, which comes from one of the few Japanese brands that held its nerve through the GFT. Suzuki has cut its production targets, and admits that extra Kizashi models are on the back-burner, but is going to do brilliantly well with the car.Toyota and Honda, in contrast, are relying on value-added deals to keep customers coming in Australia. They are recovering from the economic downturn but nowhere near as rapidly as some of their rivals  - particularly Hyundai.In Australia, many of our Japanese cars are now also actually built in Thailand. It's not a major drama, because the quality is much the same, but it shows how the battle to cut costs is influencing the Japanese makers. The Thai drive also shows that Japan Incorporated is now happy to produce bland transport modules instead of appealing cars, going for numbers first - in showrooms and on the balance sheet. It's a reasonable response to the GFC but is going to cause problems in coming years.Why? Because Australia is seeing so many classy European cars at more affordable prices - look at the Volkswagen Polo - and because Korean is coming up fast.  Hyundai is now doing a better job than Toyota at building Toyota-style cars, with adventurous styling, classy quality and great prices. It's latest, the i45 replacement for the dowdy Sonata, is really good on every front except its awful steering and lacklustre front suspension.The i45 is a Camry done better and, like the Kizashi, one of the stars of 2010. And it's not the end for Hyundai, which has all sorts of new models coming from the baby i20 to an overdue sporty car sometime in 2012.And that's whan the Japanese really could be in trouble. It's not because Hyundai has something new but because the Japanese wound their development programs back during the GFT and the results of that conservative risk management will not really be known until we see - or don't see - the work which should have been done over the past two years.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

Last month a record 89,218 new-vehicle sales were reported up a solid 18.3 per cent on the 74,441 of May last year. The previous best May was in 2008, before the global financial crisis, with 8,640.It means 422,446 new-vehicle sales this year nationally, a good 20 per cent growth (or 70,000 more sales) on the first five months of last year.  The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which released its Vfacts figures yesterday, now projects total sales of more than 1 million this calendar year.David Buttner, sales and marketing boss for Toyota which remains most popular brand in Australia predicts 1 million sales now will be easily passed in the financial year about to end.  In the 11 months of this financial year, the tally reads 904,551 vehicles. The final four weeks of ‘end of financial year sales’ have begun, and in each of the past three June totals, 100,000 has been achieved.Mr Buttner pointed out one in five new vehicles sold in Australia was now a Toyota.  FCAI head, Andrew McKellar said the SUV segment with 29 per cent growth on May last year and passenger cars, up 19 per cent, were leaders."But all segments increased during the month, demonstrating a genuine recovery in the marketplace," he said.  He said private buyers were returning in large numbers, taking over the momentum provided by business buyers this year.  Holden achieved its fifth consecutive month of growth, 24 per cent up on May last year.The Commodore with 3899 sales last month regained its top place while Toyota's HiLux, the April leader, was back to second place on 3665. It means Commodore remains in front in sales so far this year in its fight to be Australia's favourite car again in 2010.Falcon has third place for May and Mazda3 outsold rival Toyota Corolla while Holden Cruze imported at present but to be built in Adelaide from next year is in sixth place.  Mitsubishi is celebrating after its Lancer doubled sales of May last year to leap into the top-cars list.  Vehicles selling more than 1500 last month (with year-to-date in brackets):1. Holden Commodore 3899 (18,428)2. Toyota HiLux 3665 (17,287)3. Ford Falcon 3258 (13,349)4. Mazda3 2901 (16,155)5. Toyota Corolla 2796 (14,933)6. Holden Cruze 2484 (11,416)'7. Hyundai i30 2385 (13,588)8. Mitsubishi Lancer 2368 (10,129)9. Nissan Navara 1972 (8731)10. Toyota Camry 1966 (9088)11. Hyundai Getz 1957 (9629)12, Subaru Impreza 1597 (5253)13. Toyota Prado 1575 (7488)14. Mitsubishi Triton 1552 (6524)