HELP me choose which corolla to get!!!!

[corn-rolla101]

Hi all,

New to the site and looking at getting a corolla sportivo. Just browsing this site is making me want to get one even more, these cars are seriously nice!!! Anyway, I've been reading reviews of the 03 sportivo hatch and the 05 sportivo hatch from various places, eg carsguide, trading post etc. The only criticism seems to be that the 03 is lacking in mid-range torque - but i like the look of this hatch better!!!

So I have some questions...

1 To the 03 sportivo owners, is the 'lack' of torque really that much of an issue? What about compared to the 05 model?

2 Can you put the same mods on either 03 or 05 models eg aftermarket grill, side mirror indicator lights?

3 Can you get the 03 sportivo reconfigured with mid-range torque? I heard somewhere you can...

4 Which is the better STOCK car?

I'd really appreciate replies from both 03 and 05 owners, it would be great if you have driven both!!!!

Cheers

J

[mrs.sportivo]

get the 05, trust me it just looks better

Edited March 26, 2008 by mrs.sportivo

[kolourhero]

03 model looks more aggresive. 05 looks like a chicks car :P

[sinan]

03 model looks more aggresive. 05 looks like a chicks car :P

so who reckons my car looks like a chicks car???

[Ic3Man]

2 Can you put the same mods on either 03 or 05 models eg aftermarket grill, side mirror indicator lights?

The main differences between the '03 and '05 models (body-wise) are the front end, and the rear tail lights. By front end I mean the front bumper, fenders and the bonnet.. oh and the headlights.

There's no actual 'grille' on the '05 model that you can replace.. it's attached to the front bumper.

Other than the front, I guess you can mod the '03 and '05 models with the same things (including engine).

I don't own a sportivo, so those that do can probably answer the other questions you have!

[mono]

I love this question cause I had the same problem when I was buying my car... i say just BUT WHAT GOOD DEAL YOU GET FIRST..

To be honest its the same s**t lol.. same engine etc. there are some differences obviously looks being the main difference but its too hard to notice th difference till you come up close and compare the two..

Their both good cars, I have the 04 model :D (same as 03 basically)

I might be wrong on this but an advantage of the 03 model is that it has the same body as 01-04 corolla hatch's so finding parts is easier when compared to a 05 model

but as I said, go for what better deal you find first.. chances are youll get the 03 cause the 05's are abit more expensive.

Good luck anyway ;)

[corn-rolla101]

Is there a significant power difference though due to the torque displacement? btw what's the biggest rims you can put on a corolla without hindering the drive quality?

[xoom]

Is there a significant power difference though due to the torque displacement? btw what's the biggest rims you can put on a corolla without hindering the drive quality?

im pretty sure when the reviews were done on the 03's this was before they had an ECU recall which changed the tune to give the car more torque and power ..... a bit of a screw up on toyotas side of things.

the 05's came out with the right tune ..... lol

i stuck with another set of 16's but im pretty sure 20's have made an appearance with some mods i believe .....

at the end of the day it really does come down to $$$$ + km's ...... the 05 is obviously newer and should have less km's or do u want to spend a bit less get an 03 and spend up on some mods ;) ;) ;)

[J e r e M y]

05..the head looks hell agressive..sinan ur car look nth close to a chicks car..LOOKS NINJA!!! hahahha

it rhymes :P

[Suprathai]

CAI and Exhaust (+header if your willing) would help that so called torque hole we are talking about or a PFC :D

[Dead]

20 inch wheels look awesome on a sportivo. That is if you want it to look like an oversized, lame monster truck / dub car. 18's are the highest I'd be going.

[corn-rolla101]

so let me get this straight... you CAN get the torque hole in the 03 fixed? is that expensive? or did the factory recall do that already? if i'm buying a second-hand 03 (not that i've made my mind up haha) will it come with the hole fixed? sorry bout all the questions but i just wanna be sure. btw anyone on here have 19 inch rims?

[ooy33h]

Heys,

Ok first things first..

Engine (Same)

03 2ZZGE (you may find some with the old ecu, and some with the new ecu after the recall)

05 2ZZGE (ecu already tuned)

Body

03 more squarish head lights, front bar, flat (rectangle) spotties, square tail lights

05 eye drop looking head lights, front bar, round spotties, round tail lights (as mentioned before)

Interior

03 has shiny console inserts, all (4x) power windows but only driver has AUTO up/down function, 6x stack CD player, noisy central locking, hard cover for the center console compartment (behing hand brake) and its only 1 compartment

05 has matt finish console inserts, all (4x) power windows has AUTO up/down function (you dont have to hold the button for the window to go up), 6x stack MP3 Player, quiet central locking, Smoother gearbox, soft leather cover for the center console compartment (behing hand brake) and its has 2 compartments

Overall, they are both the same but the 05 has more refined and detailed features...dont get me wrong, the 03 model is smooth too but i find the 05 is just a smoother & refined package. I wouldnt worry about the low-mid range torque as that can be compensated with an exhaust and cai. Both 03 & 05 sportivos are the same stock...05 is just smoother..

Just my 2 cents..

GL Stephen..

[RME1]

^ooy33h - good post.

Test drive them both - can you feel the difference? .

1. Go to Toyota

2. Get a test drive.

3. Make up choice.

4. Go to somewhere other than Toyota to buy the car. (i.e. Private Sale)

Consider the factors already discussed:

- What price?

- How many kms?

- how long you intend to keep it?

- Are you going to keep it stock or not?

If you can, I'd get the '05 model. More "up to date", smoother lines etc.etc. There are minor little interior details that have been added to the '05. Should be lower Km's as well, and a better chance for log books.

[Dead]

What's wrong with the 04 models?

[mono]

What's wrong with the 04 models?

nothing lol.. 04 models are 03 models basically just made in a different year for some reason 03/04 corollas never changed - thats what im aware of anyway.. :P

[bonbon]

i drove an '05 out of the factory, loved it

when i had money to buy one i got a '03 cause it was dirt cheap

mines had the recall done on both the filter and ecu but it still feels like its lacking in torque

going up hills and such u need to rev it a fair bit 4000-5000 to stay with traffic

seriously though, in the end it comes down to budget, taste and whats on the market

i see nothing wrong with the '03, only thing though, it looks exactly like a levin, which there are heaps of

dont see many '05 levins around so the sportivo stands out more

[T.J]

torque hole? my *** theres a hole on my torque!!!!!! nah seriously the ecu upgrade was to to with noise polution versus power output apparently it didnt meet epa standards so we were told when we did the recalls on them.

dont go anything bigger than 18's if you have to go bigger than stock youll still be legal then.

basically my 03 seems a bit laggy under accelleration under 4000 then around 5000 it starts to get moving come 6200 i find myself being pushed back into the seat and milliseconds later im changing gears lift goes by quick in the lower gears but **** it sounds awesome off rock walls down the gorge lol!

only mod ive done to the motor besides ditching the engine cover is a k&n panel filter

[HIREVR]

I've driven an 03 with about 60000kms with CAI and ZORST definately pulls hard and loud on lift thats with a silencer fitted, but mines an 05 bought new so definately more responsive :P oh and did i mention better looking :D

[wil_rolla]

i would go for the '05' stivo simply cuz it's the last of it's kind...

[Wanju]

I was also having this dilemma a month ago when i was searching for my car... But in my mind the only thing that made me consider the 03 over the 05 was the price... In saying that, I ended up getting the 05 and I'm happy I made that decision! With the 03 it is almost a MUST to get a grill and eye lids... with the 05 they've made the lights a little sharper to make it look a bit more aggressive and even if you dont do anything to the front it will still look good!

[KaZe-]

im with sinan on this our cars dont look like chicks cars

05 ftw!!

[selyaT]

so let me get this straight... you CAN get the torque hole in the 03 fixed? is that expensive? or did the factory recall do that already? if i'm buying a second-hand 03 (not that i've made my mind up haha) will it come with the hole fixed? sorry bout all the questions but i just wanna be sure. btw anyone on here have 19 inch rims?

FIXED? It's the same engine!!!!

The original Sportivo's had a few teething problems, one of which was the aforementioned ECU recall. Xoom suggested as long as the ECU recall has been done on a 2003 model, it should be the same as the 2005 model which came with correct ECU tuning from factory. It's the same 141kW engine! It feels like there is a torque hole mid revs because any second after that you'll be riding the high cam to 8500RPM... I think that's what the motoring journos meant. Engine mods are universal but aesthetic mods are not due to the reasons mentioned above with the different front ends.

I reckon go for the newer model which should have less k's and they're a little sexier in my opinion too :P

P.S. Also I haven't read any posts from owners of the facelift (2005) Sportivo's with problems like disc rotors, rattling gear selector cables etc etc... which a lot of people with the 2003 models have complained about it the past. I think the South African build quality improved a little.

[Northy]

im with sinan on this our cars dont look like chicks cars

05 ftw!!

I do think the 03-04 looks more manly....

[flier]

im with sinan on this our cars dont look like chicks cars

05 ftw!!

I do think the 03-04 looks more manly....

Im with you Northy in fact i have owned both cars and to be honest i like the 05 a tad better maybe its cause noone has stolen this one yet and i have driven it more! Not sure but all up the S'tivo rocks! Dont buy stockie 1.8lt with no lift!WTF! eeeew!say no to stock!