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I've always had a preference for supercharging. I think the extra effort in getting the pulleys and belts into the right place is worth the easy and constant power gain, especially mid-rev range. I don't like the hit and miss approach to designing and welding up turbo exhaust headers, and all that soot and grease on the turbo impeller from the exhaust gasses. I've had this discussion with automotive engineers, engineering students, a race mechanic and car nuts, each has their own preference. I like the silence of a turbo at the lights but a supercharger whine always grabs my attention and I like that. Either way, an LSD is a must, and some good wide tread. I'd personally follow the route taken with the Lotus Elise in the U.S. which was done for emissions reasons. They took the 2zz-ge and supercharged it. There have been at least a dozen TRD superchargers for passenger and commercial Toyota engines, so for reliability at least the supercharger looks like a better bet. It'd be a toss up between TRD or custom, in my mind; I don't know if the pre-mapped ECU and factory designed parts that are known to 'just bolt on and work' are worth the extra cost and slightly lower power gain. Looking from a business point of view tho, I think there'd be a good market for importing, installing and supporting the models of supercharger to suit the 2AZ-FE in the Rav/Camry/Tarago (Hilux too?) and the 2ZZ-GE in the Corolla/Celica. With some experience perhaps the TRD kits can be tweaked to give a little more (TRD ECU, pulley change and Piggy-back ECU maybe?).

I've only had mine a couple weeks, 2,000km on the clock. Last week I noticed some uncharacteristic hesitation around 2000rpm especially in 2nd gear and something like the sound you mentioned higher up the rev range. It was more noticeable when cold, I took the noise to be a whistle from the air intake or somewhere else in the induction system. I thought back for anything that could have caused some ECU confusion and remembered some near-stalls the day before. I started the car and gave it 10minutes just idling, then a couple 'enthusiastic' drives, changing over 3500-4000rpm. Always erring on the side of nearly riding the clutch, not bogging down. All seems good now, just feeding the ECU some new info seemed to have fixed it for me. Your problem sounds similar, but 'your mileage may vary' (as they say). Hope it helps.

I always thought I'd end up with a powered buffer and all the 'professional' gear, but the chance of scorching my paint while learning how to do it properly has always kept me from shelling out for the gear. I've used the Meguire's products almost exclusively and recommend them without hesitation. Auto Glym is on a lot of ppl's lips, but I wonder if it's just the 'cool name'. Mothers has a good following too. My car always comes up like glass and the bonnet especially (due to residual engine heat) ends up like teflon. A gentle throw of a clean terry buffing cloth sees it glide off the other side of the car, even picking up speed, it would seem. These results are good enough for me. If only I could polish my car without needing a fresh, dry, sweat-free t-shirt after it. It's a great 15minute upper body workout! :)

I really don't think you've got anything to worry about. Baby it for the next couple days until you make the 'complimentary' 1000km service. Slow down your action when shifting up and give the engine a little extra 'blip' on the accellerator when down shifting; even tho it's syncho-ed it'll make the shift easier. Be gentle so not to damage the teeth on the cogs. I had this problem appear in both my Lancer and RAV4 (intermittently and not to your extent) but it was soon fixed (at the 40,000km service each time). I'm fairly sure (without being there) that it's just a clutch adjustment that's needed. All cables and hoses stretch/soften a little, especially when new, and everything gets adjusted at the 1st service (this is why it's FREE). I think the 1000km point is not a particularly special mark, it's more about giving the new owner (on average) a fortnight to get used to the car, and bed-in the clutch, brakes, cables and hoses etc. On that point, I've purchase 3new cars in the past 5years and (when asked) the service advisors all backed up what I've read (and been recommended by others) that a few quick starts and some firm braking is needed by new clutches and brakes. Something about the composition of the surfaces from the way it's manufactured. I've heard it called 'scuffing' or 'de-glazing'. A few caveats they made a point of making sure I understood: : don't do it in the first 100km, you don't want to stress the fresh engine too much. Some heating and cooling of the engine over the first few drives helps settle the seals and hose clamps around the engine. : 'quick starts' do not mean DRAG starts, just 'zippy' ones - don't go slipping the clutch or savagely dropping it. Go for the quick and controlled starts that would have a female passenger say 'Wow, you've got a fast car' rather than the drag strip starts that would have them scared by your driving. (if u know what i mean) : 'firm braking' doesn't mean engaging ABS, nor getting 'close' to loss of traction. Just think of those times when you're braking at an Amber light that you've decided not to run through (cos it's too close to Red) and you get that gentle whiplash at the end where u get flicked back into your seat. Keep us posted on how it pans out. I hope it's the simple fix mentioned.

I drove a Lancer Coupe (3yrs) then a Rav4(2yrs) and now coming to the Sportivo I've put the 2nd->3rd shift prob down simply to different driving position and the 6speed 'box. The gate 'closes behind you' in 1st when you travel over 15km/h (or thereabouts) so u don't rip the engine shifting down at too high a speed, and to avoid 'Compression Lockup' (engine braking that can cause loss of traction) which ABS can't prevent. My Lancer 5speed wore in after a few months (at 800km/week) and I noticed the Rav4 was much more 'up-and-down' than the Lancer, which allowed a little diagonal movement when changing. It seems to me that the Sportivo 'box is just a little more strict, or exact, in the vertical movement it will allow. It also feels to me like 5th is a lot further RIGHT that reverse is to the LEFT, which gives me the impression the shift pattern is biased toward the right, and even that the forward 6gears are 'bunched up' while reverse is a big, wide shift. (If u get what i mean) Being that my elbow is much lower with respect to my wrist now in the corolla than it used to be in the RAV, I've been trying different grips on the shifter to make the 2nd->3rd shift smoother, especially during quick starts which is where I've been botching it so far. The scenario I usually describe is turning from a slip lane, doing a head check and having to change into 2nd before I can turn my head to look forward again, then no sooner I've done that I'm at 80km and looking for 4th gear and a valium. It's usually here where a 2nd->3rd shift gets jammed and leaves me floundering at high revs groping for the middle slot and careful not to pull too far across and stab 5th. I don't think it's a 'problem', or an 'issue', in a serious engineering sense... I see it as something to get used to like heavy and direct steering or the blind spot the front pillar makes which is different for everybody due to their different seating positions etc.

Well, after 800km in my '05 Sportivo, all I can report is a few times when changing 2nd->3rd I've slapped the shifter up into the bit BETWEEN 1st and 3rd. The 'return-to-centre' isn't as quick as my last cars so instead of just pushing up (and letting the shifter move itself inline for 3rd) i have to slow, move across, then up. (if u know what i mean) Otherwise, all is well.

Heyas, tonight (wednesday) is a small meet up of Exclusive Club members at Glen Waverly. I know a couple of the Corolla owners here are also Exclusive Forum Members (don't know if you're all Club Members too, I'm not, yet). Meet details from the Exclusive Forum Before I found out about this I'd planned to meet a couple friends for a drink/coffee/catch up at the Novotel complex there, so I thought I'd kill 3birds with one stone and see if any other Corollas will be making their way down there too. Anyone up for it?

Tuesday 5pm(ish) Main St of Emerald, Vic. SPOTTED: White sportivo, stock. I saw a post somewhere about the Melbourne boys putting together a flyer to advertise these forums. Can anyone send me a link, or PM me if they've got it in a computer format?

I just moved from a RAV4 to a corolla sportivo last week, there are a number of very busy RAV4 online communities (including www.rav4world.com and www.rav4oz.com) and rumours about about the NEXT model of RAV. An article was published in MOTOR last year about them dropping the 3door and making the 5door larger, as Subaru has done with the Forrester, and Mazda Tribute and others. Talk of a new 4wd just smaller than the RAV to fill the gap of the terminated 3door. The bonnet scooped RAVs aren't a new model, they're a runout package, as the above article mentioned. I'm just posting this info for those who may be interested in the RAV. One last thing is a link that points to a V6 option mid next year: FLEET DEALER UPCOMING MODEL PAGE

30hours. Signed Wednesday morn, drove away Thursday arvo.

Here in melbourne over the weekend: SPOTTED: Silver Sportivo, Middleborough Rd over the Eastern Fwy about 5pm Saturday SPOTTED: Silver Sportivo, passing KFC around 12.30am Sun morning

How far are you guys dropping your cars? Assuming drive.com.au has the details correct (well, they do have the petrol tank size wrong) then the ground clearance of my new '05 Sportivo is 113mm. Victoria has a minimum clearance of 100mm, so given that, the max 'legal' suspension drop will be just 13mm (about 1/2 inch) while keeping the body kit on. I'd love to SLAMM! my car on the ground, but I know I'd never be able to drive it around where I live (or the way I usually drive) so I can't justify the cost for such a small drop when a conservative 35mm drop on my Rav4 was priced at just $600. Without the kit I'm sure a bigger drop would fill the wheel arches properly and really give the car a better look. I'd go for a drop if I had to replace my suspension, but the 250,000kms I've done in my last 2cars over the past 5years didn't wear out my suspension so I don't think my ride will be lowered any time soon. (Though I hope I can be convinced otherwise)

Alright guys, have a laugh, I know it's a long list, but there isn't anything there that's unused, nor is anything bulky. Nothing got in the way, it all had its place and as I mentioned, I could have hidden away another 3times this much. As for weight and performance, aside from the street directory, service books and jack/tools (which will be in any car), the rest weighed less than a plastic bag full of groceries (trust me, I own a supermarket :P ) and would have fit in one (with maybe the blanket under my arm :)). Now that it's in my driveway, I'm sure I'll have enough space to fit all these items in, but some compartments will be crowded and some items may be out of easy reach, I'll see how things work out in the coming week or so. I'm a little disappointed in the glove box; the size would be ok if it was a better shape. Plugs and cables drop down behind the service books and they need to be removed and the books pushed back down before the glove box will close again. Aside from that, if the sideways opening area in the console (next to the handbrake) was a little deeper my mobile would stop falling out onto the passenger floor; it won't close with the phone in it and I do like to see who's calling (Bluetooth, naturally) or see it light up when an SMS comes in. Anyway, I know these things will sort themselves out, one way or other.

Actually, I picked it up around 2pm, took about 1hour to go through everything and have a good laugh with nearly every sales person there. As for the bumper, I'm keeping it! :) Also, my best friend came over tonight an mentioned the centre section has a HSV vibe with the way it's recessed. (Think of the gold painted section in a Senator) Thanks for the pointer to membership list, I assume you're meaning the 'Members' link at the top right of each page. I can't see the locations of the members, it seems to be sorted alphabetically, but I only had a quick look before responding, if it's there, I'll find it. I've read a heck of a lot of the posts and paid particular attention to the Sticky topic, but was curious about what issues ppl have had that the dealer was happy to fix quickly and not chronic issues like the clutch and gear selection problems, more things that point toward poor quality control (scratches, stitching, panel/plastic alignments etc). Go Team SILVER! Yaaay! I really like the black, especially when photographed well, but the maintenance of it is a bummer and my RAV was black and showed scuffs, scratches and dirt clearly. I like the silver too because it isn't that plain matte or boring colour like the Pulsars have, but rather something which is a little darker, but shows a certain depth in the paint. I haven't gone over the car with a fine toothed comb yet, I had to get back to work and finished after dark. I did notice a little thing (while quickly showing my parents) with the rubber strip that runs between the front bar and the added 'under-lip'. It looks like it's a little too short or that it wasn't placed properly, but it's not a big issue. Another small one was a piece of plastic on the rear passenger door sill down near the skirt that I couldn't work out why it was there. There's always the morning light and a quick hose down to get the dust from this afternoon's winds off it. It'll gimme a chance to have a good look at it and take some notes once the excitement has fully subsided. To all, thanks for the welcome, I'm always up for a cruise and a meet-up. 1am Monday morning for Souvlaki/ToastedSandwiches @Hollywood Palace on Bridge Road Richmond is a fairly regular thing. Topelz Pizza on Chapel St Windsor or Chapelli's down the other end near Toorak Rd are other places I frequent in the mid-night hours of the quieter Chapel St days. I'm always around Blackburn and Glen Waverly and as I live in the Dandenongs, Olinda-Rowville-Packenham is my home territory and I know some fun drives and great views. I'm sure we'll meet in person soon enough, but until then: Drive Hard, Stay Safe.

(EDIT: Changed list of gear to also include placement of the items) I'm moving from a 3dr Rav4 to a Sportivo and when cruising it is usual for me to have the following in my car: (for anyone interested, also how all the gear was kept in the RAV4) GLOVE BOX: service books Digital Camera (pocket sized) scanner DC plug, iPod charger, fm transmitter (when not in use) radio scanner or handheld amateur radio FRONT ELBOW REST: iPod important business cards spare AA/AAA batteries lighters aftershave bottle opener/corkscrew MAP LIGHT/SUNGLASS COMPARTMENT: subway cards and stamps glasses cleaning cloth UNDER STEERING WHEEL: cigs REAR ELBOW COMPARTMENTS: tyre change tools (factory kit) (right) picnic rug (Right) auto. glass spray and cloth (Right) travel blanket (Left) CUP HOLDERS: (i HAD 4) couple sml bottles of water REAR ELBOW TRAYS: tissue box CONSOLE 'HOLE': (next to handbrake) loose change SEAT POUCH: a computer or car magazine (passenger) UNDER SEAT: street directory (passenger) carjack (factory position, in bracket) (driver) Wow... I shocked myself once I wrote the list. Anyway, it all fits, stays out of the way and I still have heaps of space for more stuff (maybe 3times this) and I'm wondering if you guys who already have a Corolla are ever short on space or wish there were more places to hide stuff? I'll have picked up my car by the time most of you read this but I'm still interested in your opinions, it's one of the first practical things I thought about. (EDIT: Added the next paragraph) At the time of writing this post, I've only seen the car for 10minutes and driven it about 4kms. I should have spent more time looking for 'hidey-holes' but I had more important things on my mind... like Liiiiiift! (If you post a comment, please mention the body type you have; hatch/sedan/wagon)

Hi All, I'm 25, in Melbourne and about 12-15hours away from picking up my new Silver '05 Sportivo... can't wait. I walked into the dealership last Monday for a trade-in price and quote on the 3dr Rav4 CV Sport run-out model and walked away with a price for the base CV (no 'free' package). I walked back in and the rest is history. Btw, I already had a 3dr Rav4 Extreme: Never a black car again and what was I thinking when I wanted to upgrade a 2year old car with one the same?? (Could be 70,000km and the larger 2.4lt engine) My sis has a 2001 Celica with only 25,000km on it (Toyota exec driven and she hardly drives) so I'm not new to the hi-po engine, but she drives auto and the drive is very uninspired, so I got a shock when I let the clutch out at the start of the test drive and left a short black mark on the service centre driveway (they were a little displeased, until I returned and they saw my smile and signature). One of the customers at our family business retired nearly 10 years ago after 25years with Toyota Quality Control, and another is still there and just clocked up 20years himself, so between them they've seen, driven, tested emmissions and crash tested every model Toyota even thought about bringing into the country and seen the fun side of Japanese testing circuits dozens of times... what a job! (shhhh! word is a chance of a 230kW AWD Camry and HOT new styling next year). Back to the point; when I mentioned to these guys that a Sportivo was about to make its home in my garage, the retired guy called it the 'new supra' and the still employed engineer went quiet and looked like he was recalling a 'sexual encounter',, only saying: "you'll enjoy it, it's quicker than the celica". (Btw, is it quicker?) Well, now that I've introduced myself, I'd love other Melbourne members to make themselves known and I had some warranty issues with my RAV4 so I'd also like to hear about what are the issues you've all had with the Sportivos (I know about the clutch and gear selector cables).