This is my first Toyota… it’s a 2021 model with 39,000 km on it. First automatic car for me too, so also my first time using eCVT.
My old car was a Mondeo Hatchback 2.0TDCI from 2007 that I bought in 2010. It was comfy and had good power, but everything inside was breaking down. The engine still pulled hard, but the rest of it was falling apart.
This Corolla feels like a big step forward.
I thought the trunk would be bigger… from what I read and heard in comparisons, it sounded like it was. But it doesn’t feel that way in real use. My old Mondeo had a huge trunk and it wasn’t even a wagon.
Anyway, I’m really happy so far. The interior looks nice without being flashy. I picked it up about 500km away from home, so I had a good long drive to get used to it right away.
I had a bit of a scare though. The low fuel warning came on while I was on this long stretch of road with no gas stations for 65km. People in France might know it as the ‘Void diagonal’… there was nothing around but fields and small villages. The seller told me it had 10L left in the tank, but I was nervous the whole time. I think I did about 40-50km with the warning light on before I finally found a station.
One thing I don’t really like is the cruise control and speed limiter. In Europe, cruise jumps by 5kmh steps when you press the button, while the limiter goes by 1. But both always settle 1kmh lower than what you pick.
I’ve got a few questions maybe someone can help with:
About the battery regeneration… mine never shows full. It always leaves about 2 bars empty. Is that how it’s supposed to be?
When I brake, should I feel a difference when it’s just regen or when the real brakes kick in?
Should I use engine braking by downshifting or just use the brake pedal gently?
Is there a big difference in fuel use between eco and standard mode?
Thanks everyone… happy to join this forum. Loving the Corolla so far.
About eco, standard and sport modes… most people say it only changes how the gas pedal reacts. In sport mode, a small press makes the car speed up quickly. In eco, you press and the car moves slowly.
Maybe the gearbox also shifts a bit differently, but I haven’t seen anything official. Toyota could change more things between the modes but no one really knows.
I haven’t used sport mode yet. I’m still driving gently for the first few thousand km so the engine parts can settle in.
Your battery sounds normal. It never fills all the way because the car needs room to charge when you brake. If it’s full, that braking energy gets wasted. But with 80 percent charge, there’s still room for it.
I think you can change the cruise control step size. It’s 5kmh by default but there might be a setting to change it.
Use downshifting only when going downhill for a long time, like in the mountains. If the battery is already full, regen braking won’t work, so downshifting helps control your speed. Big trucks have something similar called retarders.
But for regular driving, just keep it in drive and brake gently to use regen as much as you can. Also try to accelerate slowly so you use more electric power.
About the cruise control… I did see in the manual that EU models use 5kmh steps, while US and others use 1kmh. Might be some rule for Europe, though my old Mondeo had 1kmh steps and stayed exactly at the set speed.
If there’s a way to change that on the Corolla, I’d love to learn how.
For the braking, just to confirm… there’s no clear feeling when regen is happening on its own? Both types of braking just blend together based on how hard you press the pedal?
@Quade
Yeah, I couldn’t really feel a clear switch between regen and normal brakes. If you brake lightly to medium, it’s almost all regen. Only strong braking uses the regular brakes.
If you keep braking gently, your brake pads can last a really long time… maybe 5 to 10 years.
By the way, I’m in Poland too, so I’m also under the EU rules and all that stuff.
@Quade
My US model adjusts in 1mph steps, but like yours, it often shows 1 below the set speed. I just figured it was a rounding thing between mph and kph.
Regen braking is awesome. Light to medium pressure on the pedal is mostly regen. If you’re not braking hard all the time, your brake pads will last forever.
@Frances
Yeah, the tweeters on the A pillars have JBL tags… that might be the only obvious difference.
I guess the speakers themselves are better than the standard ones, but I haven’t compared them side by side.
@Quade
Yeah there’s a few things to learn but once you get used to it, it’s a smooth ride.
I always use ECO unless I want a little fun. eCVT is built for efficiency and long life, so that’s a plus.
