I could care less about the new nanny devices as I actually bought the Corolla because it was the oldest school of the cars in its class.
Don't worry, those will probably be only available in higher end models or costly option packages.
This availability is the only way to get the "+" from the IIHS.
That's the irony of it : people would by a car because of this security mark but their unit is most often not equipped with what earned it to the car...
Anyway, that's where all cars are going.
I just wanted an efficient car that had old school tech and would be cheap to keep. For instance our 1.8 litre straight 4 is just plain old and thus proven. The CVT makes me nervous .
I agree. DI and small turbos are all the hype, giving better MPG in EPA tests... but not so in real life.
Those small engines, out of situations where the turbo kick in are just that : small.
On the other hand, Corolla's engine is not that old by industry standard (2006 VVTi and 2009 Valvematic).
Competition might have new engines now, but their life cycle isn't shorter.
The irony is that the K313 CVT, on the other hand, isn't that "young", albeit on other markets.
What they really need to work on is outward visibility which is horrendous. I can barely see over the dash to see what is in front of me. By comparison, my old Focus with 150k miles feels like it has 360 degree visibility and you can easily see over the hood as it has excellent seating position.
Pump up the seat ? I guess it's a matter of personal "build" and preferences and where one comes from as I find the visibility to be fine (except from the rear window, but that has been the case in every car I've owned since 1980 I think !