Sportivo v. Levin

[Rolla_Boy]

The question is that would you like to take the sportivo up past 6K rpm??

Most of the people over here just believe the sportivo is so much better because it offers Lift, engine aside I'll take the Levin. Bloody rattles in the sportivo is annoying....but I'm sorting that out very soon with a bulk pack of Dynamat Xtreme, My conquest with more kms (80 vs 60) has less rattles then my sportivo (yes I own both).

If your going to be spending alot of time on the road (especially on sydney roads) I say go the Levin.

lol put your music up if your car rattles to much, i still dont know what lift sounds like because i listen to music so much haha

[sportiyo]

just listen to the engine note the sportivo makes and forget about the rattle, the gearchange thing is common in sportivos, u can get toyota to adjust it under warranty, the only things i dont like about stivo is the gearbox

Edited January 16, 2007 by sportiyo

[kelvin33]

but then what type of leather do you wish to have in a budget car :)

rattles are part of the sportivo... :)

[Mintos]

i also couldnt see potential on the levin

Good thing you didnt say conquest there mate otherwise you might be eating your words in good time :P

jps - I would for sure wait until April before buying either (it is still kinda unclear what the go with the new corolla is), however if the choice does come down to Sportivo vs Levin, judging on your criteria I would advise the levin for the simple reason of build quality. If you are doing long trips...how much do you think you are going to use LIFT? Is it worth sacrificing the chance that you are driving along with 250,000 kms on the odo in a few years time and having your passenger door fall off?

If you REALLY want performance though and arent the type who is into heavily modifying cars then the stivo will be better bang for buck for sure. Understandably now you would be leaning towards the stivo (I know i would for the extra juice hehe) but you don't want to be regretting your decision a few years down the track, especially if anything goes wrong with the only good point of the car (motor) as they are somewhat costly. With the levin you could blow the motor, break all the synchros in the gearbox, slam the doors, etc and things can easily be replaced with minimal cost years down the track. Same goes to all the sportivo owners here, i would be looking to palm off those cars as soon as the mechanics start showing signs of significant wear because parts will be very hard to acquire in a few years time ;)

And for the record my conquest has 80,000ks on it, has taken a godly beating, has never had ONE problem with it (its 4.5 years old) and still goes strong.

[IMB055]

Geez guys, there seems to be a bit of country of origin racism here - I am only new to the game so can someone point out instances whereby the Sportivos have suffered from poorer build quality that the Japanese models? Facts rather than speculation would be good......

Back on topic, my inclination would be to hold off and be the first kid on the block with the new shape.

......Or just grab the white 05 Sportivo I saw at the Toyota dealer at Sutherland NSW with 9000ks....

Best of luck with your decision!

[SyxXPaC]

i also couldnt see potential on the levin

Good thing you didnt say conquest there mate otherwise you might be eating your words in good time :P

jps - I would for sure wait until April before buying either (it is still kinda unclear what the go with the new corolla is), however if the choice does come down to Sportivo vs Levin, judging on your criteria I would advise the levin for the simple reason of build quality. If you are doing long trips...how much do you think you are going to use LIFT? Is it worth sacrificing the chance that you are driving along with 250,000 kms on the odo in a few years time and having your passenger door fall off?

If you REALLY want performance though and arent the type who is into heavily modifying cars then the stivo will be better bang for buck for sure. Understandably now you would be leaning towards the stivo (I know i would for the extra juice hehe) but you don't want to be regretting your decision a few years down the track, especially if anything goes wrong with the only good point of the car (motor) as they are somewhat costly. With the levin you could blow the motor, break all the synchros in the gearbox, slam the doors, etc and things can easily be replaced with minimal cost years down the track. Same goes to all the sportivo owners here, i would be looking to palm off those cars as soon as the mechanics start showing signs of significant wear because parts will be very hard to acquire in a few years time ;)

And for the record my conquest has 80,000ks on it, has taken a godly beating, has never had ONE problem with it (its 4.5 years old) and still goes strong.

Woohoo someone who actually understands the difference in cost down the track. Well said mate

For your info on the south african build quality just go and ask any of the toyota machanics and they will tell you about the loss they made with the sportivo and how much they wish they made then in japan.

Liek minto ssaid. With the levin you can blow ur engine in a few years and pick one up for 800 bucks. There is more 1ZZ corollas on the road then commos now.

All depends on what you want out of your car.... lift or reliabilty

[GAZOOM]

In all fairness I thought Toyota rectified all the clutch and gear box issues in the Sportivo by the release of the 2005 facelift model.

As for the pre 2005 models Toyota did recall those models for adjustments/corrections.

You guys make it sound like the Sportivo is Hyundai built quality which is a gross exageration of the truth.

The sportivo is still a reliable car.

[CORZZA]

i havent had a issue with the gear box in my 05!

As for rattles well my stivo has one and thats from the blady screw that fell down the side when they installed my sound! il get a magnet and pull it out.

My levin had a rattle too!

[MT]

In all honestly - value for money, quality, noise etc the levin and sportivo are on par

if you are like me and occasionally like a bit of excitement then there is no competition whatsoever. i have driven a levin numerous times (there's one in the family) and no offence to the 1ZZ's out there, but i felt like a grandma. its just a boring drive.

Everytime i hop into the stivo i get excited. even if i dont hit lift that often there is a part of me that knows i can... whenever... and thats gets my blood pumping.

Sportivo FTW

unless u want something with real balls - look elsewhere :P

[MR22ZZ]

In all fairness I thought Toyota rectified all the clutch and gear box issues in the Sportivo by the release of the 2005 facelift model.

As for the pre 2005 models Toyota did recall those models for adjustments/corrections.

You guys make it sound like the Sportivo is Hyundai built quality which is a gross exageration of the truth.

The sportivo is still a reliable car.

FYI, Hyundai have the lowest return for repair rate of any car builder so I wouldn't go bagging their quality.

[CORZZA]

In all honestly - value for money, quality, noise etc the levin and sportivo are on par

if you are like me and occasionally like a bit of excitement then there is no competition whatsoever. i have driven a levin numerous times (there's one in the family) and no offence to the 1ZZ's out there, but i felt like a grandma. its just a boring drive.

Everytime i hop into the stivo i get excited. even if i dont hit lift that often there is a part of me that knows i can... whenever... and thats gets my blood pumping.

Sportivo FTW

unless u want something with real balls - look elsewhere :P

That is true! it is an exciting drive! and now with the exhaust on it sounds shweet!

[MT]

what exhaust did u get pete?

[talfox]

i have a 03 ascent with 112,000kms on the clock. hasn't missed a beat the whole time. have only changed the suspension as you'd expect after that many kms. jee i wish i had a stivo, i have driven stivo many times and ascent,levin,etc are no comparison, just a totally different car. but personally driving 40,000kms a year, taking in petrol costs, etc, i would go for the japanese built levin. reliability issues a minimum.

[MT]

Hang on - u all keep mentioning these reliability issues.... apart from the different recalls (which are sportivo specific so of course the 1ZZ wont get them)

how can any of you prove that the 1ZZ is more reliable than a 2ZZ???????? dont just post that, gimme some facts please!

[GAZOOM]

FYI, Hyundai have the lowest return for repair rate of any car builder so I wouldn't go bagging their quality.

Trust me I had a Hyundai few years back they suck big time.

Gear box blew up.

JPS137 I'll make your mind up for you.

Found it in Autotrader you negotiate $1000 off you have a virtually brand new sportivo cheaper than a base model ascent.

Toyota Corolla Sportivo 2004 Front wheel drive silver hatchback 1.8L 6 spd manual, 4000kms, air steering, dual airbag, sbs, full option, black leather interior, 1 yr rego, mp3 CD player AZY-14Z excellent condition $20999 negotiable HECKENBERG 0402-96 0214 or 02-96078686.

Edited January 16, 2007 by GAZOOM

[JAZE55]

Worst thing in the sportivo is our so called sport seats, they dont hold you down at all. With the coilovers I can go fast on bends, but my face is planted on the window and bum is sliding all over the place. Plus the seating position feels like you are sky high, whereas when i jump into my brothers FTO feels like my bum is about to scrape on the asphalt.

If we do swap our seats, wouldnt the seat be so low. Or can we get raised rails for the seats. It would ne hard to see over the dash :P :P

[Suprathai]

All I know is that most people complain about the rattle in sportivos.....If you want real world experience, I own both a Conquest and Sportivo.

When it comes down to reliability its a Toyota, my whole family uses them....never had any issues whatsoever. Whereas the other car makes gave us headaches and a light wallet.

If its true that the new corolla is coming out very soon, hold out until then......the price of the current corolla should drop a bit more, same you some more money or even better...get the new one.

[selyaT]

if you are like me and occasionally like a bit of excitement then there is no competition whatsoever. i have driven a levin numerous times (there's one in the family) and no offence to the 1ZZ's out there, but i felt like a grandma. its just a boring drive.

What did you feel like when you were driving your auto Celica Mick? :P

I get excited in Micky's S'tivo too... First gear, vroom, CAI, braaaap. Really nice. Second gear, crunch, try again, crunch, where is second gear??? Again, crunch... Okay better slow down, apply the brakes, grind, shudder, grind, shudder... Not being able to stop is a whole different type of excitement! So we changed the discs :P

Dunno if that's reliability or build quality but it's pretty annoying

But still, damn I wish i had a Sportivo

[SyxXPaC]

ask any toyota dealer which car they get back with more problems?? the 2zz for 1zz. There are hundreds of thouands more 1zz's on the road but they get mor eissues with the stivo and celica 2zz's

Once a car has had a recall anyway no matter what the recall is, it puts the resale value down.

[xoom]

ask any toyota dealer which car they get back with more problems?? the 2zz for 1zz. There are hundreds of thouands more 1zz's on the road but they get mor eissues with the stivo and celica 2zz's

Once a car has had a recall anyway no matter what the recall is, it puts the resale value down.

There is a simple way around what everyone keeps calling these reliability issues ...... REPLACE EVERYTHING TOYOTA ORIGINALLY PUT IN THERE AS STOCK

but seriously there havent been any what i would call MAJOR dramas with the sportivo just minor niggly crap which probably could be been resolved with a bit more R&D ..... also dont forget the 1zz had 2 years production time on the stivo as well to rectify any entry level issues ;)

[GAZOOM]

Yaris FTW

:D

[neK]

Are the Levin's made in Japan?

Cos i was under the impression that the only corolla that was 100% made in japan was the sedans.

The hatches were a 50/50 chance between South Africa and Japan.

[XploShun]

for the noise... i reckon corolla is a damn noisy car... and u guys say sportivo is even noisier??

its a rolla.. not a lexus... so stuff the noise.

for the leather seat... well.. its probably just a lil better than hyundai's leather..... corolla leather aint that good..

if ur so into the interior.. dont buy a corolla.. this model has been selling for about 5.5 yrs.. buy something else... the interior designs are pretty normal....

i must say the interior on a cressida (the last model sold in aus) looked a lot better... maybe becoz cressida is built in japan and all.. (am i right?)

so dont judge both cars... by the noise and interior...... coz thats probably their biggest disadvantage..

Edited January 17, 2007 by XploShun

[selyaT]

There is a simple way around what everyone keeps calling these reliability issues ...... REPLACE EVERYTHING TOYOTA ORIGINALLY PUT IN THERE AS STOCK

but seriously there havent been any what i would call MAJOR dramas with the sportivo just minor niggly crap which probably could be been resolved with a bit more R&D .....

Exactly! It's a Corolla......... It's cheap and efficient.

Are the Levin's made in Japan?

Cos i was under the impression that the only corolla that was 100% made in japan was the sedans.

The hatches were a 50/50 chance between South Africa and Japan.

Some were made in SA but if your VIN number starts with "JTD" then your car was made in Japan... :)

[CORZZA]

what exhaust did u get pete?

similar to what i had on the levin but 2.5" and a bigger resonator!

Sounds like a rally car now! :D