SteveAndBelle

Oh ... and what about the driving lights too, anyone know what type of bulb they use ?? Sorry for all the questions ;)

Great, thanks Kenneth. So if factory fitted HIDs are replaceable do they have their own model numbers and if so what would they be for the Levin ZRs low beams ? I've only ever had experience with retro-fitting HIDs to older cars that's all. Anyone confirm the ZRE High Beams are in fact H11 ?

Don't have my Levin yet but know it's got HID low beam projectors as standard. Just wondering if anyone knows what colour temp they are ? I'm guessing 4300 but I'd like them to be 6000 as I've had them before and love the clarity they provide. Can the standard HID bulbs be replaced easily or are they hardwired to the Toyota ballasts ?? On a similar topic I'd like to replace the High beam halogens with HIDs (as I've done with both of my current cars, illegally I know). Anyone know what type of bulb the high beams are in the 2010 Levin ZR ? ... and while I'm here I may as well ask if anyone knows what type of bulb the 2010 Levin ZR uses for its front parkers & indicators too as I want to LEDify them and would like to get them sorted so I can do the changeover as soon as I get the car. Anyone ... anyone ... Bueller ??

Hold onto her ! I thought chicks only dug 'sleek' cars ... not cool boxy ones.

Might try and find a ZZE122R Levin Wagon in a wreckers to see how they've done this ... (see pic below) Probably too long for the hatchback but obviously very possible. Grrrr, another great option Toyota wont make available to 'everyone' :(

Pity we didn't get these when this style was popular in Japan a decade or so ago :( I've attached a shot of a Nissan Cube circa 1998 and the few times I've been to Tokyo I usually see a few of the later generation models rolling around the streets lookin' really goooood. I know we're only a small market share due to our piddly population but why does Australia always miss out on the decent models ?!? Why can't we have the Toyota Diesels ? Even NZ gets them ! Why can't we get the V6 AWD Corollas ?? Why do we have to put up with all the extreme standard stuff all the time ?!? Makes me mad. Good on Toyota for the Rukus though. I'd love to get one but SWMBO absolutey hates them. Pity, they'd be a great 'project' car & possibly even a decent little work van too. Imagine the subs you could throw in the back ... and the shag pile carpet ... and the bubble windows ... and the airbrush artwork (kidding for the last three of course) :P

My wife and I moved to Tassie for our long service leave a couple of years ago and took a HEAP of stuff down with us. The rear seats were folded down and I found some HP workstation boxes that just scraped in height wise. The boxes were very large and I managed to fit six of them on the back plus a bit of extra small stuff around the edges. I's say they weighed at least 50kg each so there's 300kg. The roof box was loaded up to the safe limit of the roof racks (50kg) but the killer was the bike rack of the towball. We were taking a lot of stuff down for friends too and two of those bikes weren't even for us to keep. I pushed the limits of the car and all the accessories and was a bit worried about how it would all travel as I'd never driven with a big load liek that before but we made it down without anything falling off or failing. Awesome holiday too but a bit of roadkill took out one of the driving lights on the long drive back to Brissie :( No worries 'cause we've already signed the paperwork for the Levin ZR :)

... and here's the reply from Focal (posted with permission): "Hi Stephen I have one of these in my office. I bought it on eBay to see if it breached copyright, with a view to taking legal action if it did. It doesn’t, every single component is different in some way from the Focal product. It just looks like a Focal BUS20, which is not a crime. They’re not real beautiful anyway. I haven’t had time to test it yet, although it has been there for three months. If you are in Sydney area, come around and give me a hand to rip the seat out of our Mazda 3 which has a BUS20 under the passenger seat and we will do a comparative listening test together. Since Focal brought out these BUS subwoofers, dozens of similar ones have appeared on the market. I earnestly haven’t got time to pick our competitors products to bits, I’m that busy shipping the Focal ones. If I worry about what everyone else is making I’d never get anywhere, and no-one would believe what I say because I am importing the other brand. Some things are best left alone. I’m quite happy to take some time and do an in-car test if you can make yourself available one day. I’m not so keen to send you test versions to wherever you live, once they get used they can’t be sold as new again. If you are near a Focal dealer I can send them the copy underseat sub I bought on eBay, well it’s not really a copy because it’s different in every way, but make sure that dealer has the patience to be doing comparisons. Regards Bill Leighton Eastcoast Distributors Pty Ltd 282 Fairfield St Fairfield NSW 2165 Australia ph 02.97246070 fax 02.97284491 www.focalaustralia.com.au" So on that note I think I might go check out the Focals and have an audition.

Did a bit more research and have uncovered something interesting. When I had a look at the Focal under-seat subs on their website (http://www.focalaustralia.com.au/pdfs/acc_Bus25%20flier.pdf) I instantly recognised them from other searches I've done previous to this. I did a few searches on eBay and managed to find the units I had seen before and they look VERY similar to the Focals but at about a quarter/fifth of the price. Here are the eBay versions: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120538011202 & http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330438917215 I know Focal products are frequently counterfeited (is that even a word?) so I have sent an email to Focal Australia asking them to prove that these eBay units are in fact inferior. As I explained to them I have been hit both ways ... I've purchased inexpensive electrical products before that have clearly been rip-offs of expensive high quality products BUT I have also purchased inexpensive electrical products that I've been able to open up and compare with similar branded units friends of mine have purchased for many times more than I paid and surprise surprise they have been indentical in every way. I suppose I'll just have to wait & see what they come back with. I have heard the QMAX 'invisabass' subs are pretty amazing for their size (6.5" driver in very small flat box) but again I don't know enough about them. Any other suggestions/opinions on under-seat subs ?

Dutchie, dutchie, dutchie ... at last someone else who thinks like me :) I've had the BIG systems in the past and have spent loads on getting them sounding *sweet* but I think you get over all that after a while. So good to hear someone agree ;) I might look into the Focals and maybe even the Alpine range (if they still make them) because the main thing I don't want is a cheap unit that wont go the distance and that's what I'm afraid of with the MB. Power output can be mediocre (say 50WRMS) and even freqs don't have to go under 35Hz really (but 25Hz would be nice) but it's got to be a set-and-forget type unit and I don't mind paying for that privelidge. I also want something that will complement the system if I decide to blow a bit of cash on decent amps & speakers in the future so maybe the MB does have limitations. Again, not sure. Love the MBs quoted power rating tho, ha. 800W eh ? Hmmm, more like 50-100RMS with 10% THD ;)

Hi. I'm about 10 weeks away from getting my new Levin ZR and I'm planning a few things out for it while I wait. One of these things is the audio. The standard head unit will suffice (for now) and the stock speakers will probably do for a while too however I'd like to inject a tad more low end and although I've had traditional boxed subs in previous cars (two of them decent DIY jobbies) I'm interested in these 'under seat' subs I've seen around the traps so I don't have the hassle of dealing with a large box each time I want to put something in the boot. I don't need heaps of 'doof' power and I'm only after an enhancement of the low-end so I'm thinking they may just do the job plus as they're under the seat they may work better than expected as they will send low freqs straight into your body. I just don't know. Here's what I had in mind: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180500648278 I'd be happy to put one under each seat but I'm still a bit hesitant to invest if they're going to sound like crap. They look like they'd do the job but I'm just unsure. Has anyone else had experience with them ? Are they reasonable ?? Thanks, Steve.

Well, I should rephrase that ... one of the extras we wanted was the MoonRoof and as there were no Graphite Levin ZR manuals with MoonRoofs left in the country they had to order one to be built for us. They found an 'auto' for us but we prefer a manual. We got most of the extras but skipped the overpriced satnav (why other when most mobiles now have decent nav built-in anyway plus no need to update) and although I wanted the TRD suspension kit I just couldn't justify paying $3500 just to lower it by an inch. I'm a realist and have no intentions of taking the car out on a track so can't justify the cost. I would like it a little lower though but somehow retain a comfortable ride at the same time. In saying that though I also thought that about our current Corolla but after driving around Tasmania for 3 months including many very rough dirt roads (some even marked '4WD only') I think they've got the ride height just right to make the Corolla a great all-rounder. There is no way we could've done what we did in a Mazda 3 that's for sure !! Hmmm, maybe I need airbag suspension ... hmmmmm.

Yeah JohnnieBoi ... like these:

... and here's what he looked like after a bush bash on a forestry trail and also after a steep mountain climb, all in Tassie (of course). What a car ! It's no wonder we bought another one.

... and here's what he looked like when I overloaded him for a big drive from Brissie to Tassie a couple of years ago. Looks shocking but we made it in one piece and had absolutely no problems. Rear shocks were completely compressed and the ride was uncomfortable at times (especially at 150kph) but it actually drove quite well.

Here's my 2001 ZZE122R Corolla Levin (soon to be replaced by a Graphite Levin ZR) Nothing special but has been one of the best cars I've ever owned.

Thought I'd throw it out there ... does anyone know any way I can get permanent roof rails for my ZRE ? DO 3rd party generic type rails even exist ?? I have no idea why Toyota hasn't caught up with the Euros & other Jap manufacturers and built-in roof mounts for roof racks or included permanent rails. So annoying. I hate using those awful clamp-on racks because they encourage scratching of the paintwork plus they look ugly. I had a set on my previous Corolla for a big road trip and just as I thought when I took them off the clearcoat was scratched :( Never again. So, anyone know ?

Hello to all you who know what a 'real' car is all about :) My Toyota Timeline: I originally drove a 1980 Lancer Hatchback up to the early 90s (ew Mitsubishi junk) ... then got my first Toyota, a mid 80's banana yellow Corona station wagon ... then my wife and I bought a year old 96 AE101R RV Corolla (attached) ... then we traded that for a late 01 ZZE122R Levin (as soon as they were released) (attached) ... and just two weeks ago we signed up for a brand new ZRE152R Levin ZR with so many extras that they had to order it to be built from the factory ! We've now got an anxious 10 weeks wait before we take delivery of it but know it'll be worth it. I was very tempted to go for a Subaru Impreza or even a Suzuki SX4 this time around but the few extra features included in the facelift Levin ZR were enough to tip the scales and I'm very glad we stuck with Toyota in the end. What a nice car and even nicer to continue to tradition. So, that's my story and I look forward to frequenting this forum. Seeya, Steve.

Took a manual for a test drive yesterday and noticed that the 'bridge' doesn't actually go under the gear knob afterall. It's obvious now that there's plenty of room for loads of mechanicals under the gearknob so I probably should've looked before I leapt ;) Signed up for a Levin ZR so all I've gotta do now is wait 3 MONTHS :( No manuals with MoonRoofs in Graphite in Australia so I've had to order one to be built. Oh well, at least it'll be fresh off the production line :)

Watch out for the X-Car Link boxes. I've had experience with two (one mine & one my friends) and have found them to be flakey at the best of times. I don't even bother using mine anymore, it's now just a glovebox filler ;) When I started having problems only days after installing I emailed the company to get some help but of course I heard nothing back. Awesome idea ... poorly realised (in MY experience & opinion)

You da man Hiro. You certainly know your stuff ! Thanks for adding this to the thread. Much appreciated. Shame that the good ol' manual will probably be a thing of the past in 10-15 years tho :( Oh well, I think my next city car will be pure electric anyway so no need for gears at all :) Thanks.

If a picture's worth a thousand words that's about 999 words more than I needed to know ;) Excellent work Mick, thanks heaps. Answers the question perfectly.

Thanks Hiro. Sounds about right then. I was thinking more along the lines of 'gears by wire' where the gear knob & clutch pedal were just 'remote controls' for an electronically controlled gearbox & clutch. I can see why a few manufacturers are going that way as I assume it allows the automatic traction & stability controls to take over whenever needed but I still prefer to know that when I push & pull the gear knob around that it's actually connected to the gearbox by physical links so I'm in as much control as possible. The only reason I ask is because when I saw the buttress arch console it got me thinking. I was wondering how they could get all the mechanical links squished in underneath the gearknob while allowing it to 'float' in the arch without anything underneath it. I instantly though it was electronically operated but just needed confirmation. I think you've answered my question ... kinda ;)

Hmmm, problem is that I don't have the car yet ... and when I place the order tomorrow I've then got an 8+ week wait for it to come from Japan :( There's apparently only a handful of Levin ZRs in Australia at the moment and most of them seem to be Automatics. My work has a mini-fleet of ZRE152s but again they're all automatic too so I've never actually driven or even seen a manual ! Test driving a manual Ascent tomorrow morning is the final decider before I place my order for the Levin so I could possibly have a closer look then I suppose. No-one else know ?

Hi. Just about to buy a brand new ZRE152 Levin ZR but can't seem to get a definite answer to if its manual transmission uses direct mechanical links or if it's all done by electrically by wire. Not a big issue, I just prefer a 'real' manual car that I know I'm in full control of vs the other modern type that don't seem to have direct mechanical linkages anymore. Plenty of arguments for & against I know but for my $30k I'd prefer the oldskool methods ;) Does anyone out there in ZRE land know for sure ?