Crisis of Faith

Swiftgringo said:

Guys... it's finally happening to me. I think I'm forgetting why I should be excited about this car. When I first put myself on the list, I thought: "This car is the dream. It's just everything I've ever wanted." But now... I'm not so sure. Here's what I'm fixating on:
1. I like (love?) the driving feel of older Corollas (1983 - 2005 era) but I've driven a 2022 Corolla sedan and friends, let me say, it is not interesting at all. What if the GRC turns out to handle just like a Corolla? It's not like we can drive it before we sign the cheque...
2. Tail-happiness... is it a myth? In the summer I daily a Miata. It's not quick but it is a blast to slide around. I've seen lots online that suggests that the GRY doesn't have good drift dynamics and especially not in "sport" mode. That scares me... I have believed that the GR-four system was a the saviour of the front to rear AWD systems. But if putting 70% to the rear does nothing to make it "rear-wheel-drive-esque" then WHY am I committing to this 1.5 toasters clutch pack that most people are expecting to blow the heck up every 60 thousand k or so? Can't I just buy an old Matrix and get just as far? Or one of the billions of AWD crossovers out there?
3. Premium... I don't like spending money on gas. Nuff said.
4. What about the shifter!? What if it is more F-150 than CTR? Most manual transmissions I could live without. But I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (etc) NEVER want to swap my Miata transmission for an auto. Just no. But how do I know this car is nice to shift? People don't seem to get excited about the GRY gearbox. Why am I assuming that it's going to be a good (or great) gearbox? Am I a sheep?
5. Visibility. I can't get in a XSE and look around. Why? The dealers around here have like 3 cars on their lots and they are all SUVs. It's important to me that I don't feel like I'm driving a tank from out of a gunslit. There is no way to know what the driver's "awareness" of the corners of the vehicle is going to be. It could be like my 87' golf or it could be like a cargo van. Who knows?

I guess I just want it to be fun to drive but people keep saying "It's a corolla, I don't know why we are surprised to see that it's 80% understeer and 20% body roll. If you want fun get an 86."

So... tell me that it's going to be ok. Tell me these Toyota engineers understand what I (we) want and can deliver it.

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Swiftgringo said:

Guys... it's finally happening to me. I think I'm forgetting why I should be excited about this car. When I first put myself on the list, I thought: "This car is the dream. It's just everything I've ever wanted." But now... I'm not so sure. Here's what I'm fixating on:
1. I like (love?) the driving feel of older Corollas (1983 - 2005 era) but I've driven a 2022 Corolla sedan and friends, let me say, it is not interesting at all. What if the GRC turns out to handle just like a Corolla? It's not like we can drive it before we sign the cheque...
2. Tail-happiness... is it a myth? In the summer I daily a Miata. It's not quick but it is a blast to slide around. I've seen lots online that suggests that the GRY doesn't have good drift dynamics and especially not in "sport" mode. That scares me... I have believed that the GR-four system was a the saviour of the front to rear AWD systems. But if putting 70% to the rear does nothing to make it "rear-wheel-drive-esque" then WHY am I committing to this 1.5 toasters clutch pack that most people are expecting to blow the heck up every 60 thousand k or so? Can't I just buy an old Matrix and get just as far? Or one of the billions of AWD crossovers out there?
3. Premium... I don't like spending money on gas. Nuff said.
4. What about the shifter!? What if it is more F-150 than CTR? Most manual transmissions I could live without. But I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (etc) NEVER want to swap my Miata transmission for an auto. Just no. But how do I know this car is nice to shift? People don't seem to get excited about the GRY gearbox. Why am I assuming that it's going to be a good (or great) gearbox? Am I a sheep?
5. Visibility. I can't get in a XSE and look around. Why? The dealers around here have like 3 cars on their lots and they are all SUVs. It's important to me that I don't feel like I'm driving a tank from out of a gunslit. There is no way to know what the driver's "awareness" of the corners of the vehicle is going to be. It could be like my 87' golf or it could be like a cargo van. Who knows?

I guess I just want it to be fun to drive but people keep saying "It's a corolla, I don't know why we are surprised to see that it's 80% understeer and 20% body roll. If you want fun get an 86."

So... tell me that it's going to be ok. Tell me these Toyota engineers understand what I (we) want and can deliver it.

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Tronic said:

I think you guys really really really need to test drive one before parting with your money. I suggest you actually sit in the standard Corolla and it doesn't take much imagination to visualise the GR version. Some of you will not get past that stage and will not even need to drive it.

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Swiftgringo said:

Guys... it's finally happening to me. I think I'm forgetting why I should be excited about this car. When I first put myself on the list, I thought: "This car is the dream. It's just everything I've ever wanted." But now... I'm not so sure. Here's what I'm fixating on:
1. I like (love?) the driving feel of older Corollas (1983 - 2005 era) but I've driven a 2022 Corolla sedan and friends, let me say, it is not interesting at all. What if the GRC turns out to handle just like a Corolla? It's not like we can drive it before we sign the cheque...
2. Tail-happiness... is it a myth? In the summer I daily a Miata. It's not quick but it is a blast to slide around. I've seen lots online that suggests that the GRY doesn't have good drift dynamics and especially not in "sport" mode. That scares me... I have believed that the GR-four system was a the saviour of the front to rear AWD systems. But if putting 70% to the rear does nothing to make it "rear-wheel-drive-esque" then WHY am I committing to this 1.5 toasters clutch pack that most people are expecting to blow the heck up every 60 thousand k or so? Can't I just buy an old Matrix and get just as far? Or one of the billions of AWD crossovers out there?
3. Premium... I don't like spending money on gas. Nuff said.
4. What about the shifter!? What if it is more F-150 than CTR? Most manual transmissions I could live without. But I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (etc) NEVER want to swap my Miata transmission for an auto. Just no. But how do I know this car is nice to shift? People don't seem to get excited about the GRY gearbox. Why am I assuming that it's going to be a good (or great) gearbox? Am I a sheep?
5. Visibility. I can't get in a XSE and look around. Why? The dealers around here have like 3 cars on their lots and they are all SUVs. It's important to me that I don't feel like I'm driving a tank from out of a gunslit. There is no way to know what the driver's "awareness" of the corners of the vehicle is going to be. It could be like my 87' golf or it could be like a cargo van. Who knows?

I guess I just want it to be fun to drive but people keep saying "It's a corolla, I don't know why we are surprised to see that it's 80% understeer and 20% body roll. If you want fun get an 86."

So... tell me that it's going to be ok. Tell me these Toyota engineers understand what I (we) want and can deliver it.

Click to expand...

ryno9100 said:

T-48 hours until we have more info. I'm reserving my final decision for then.

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Maverick1 said:

I feel that most if not all of the reviews will be biased positive

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Maverick1 said:

Sadly, I feel that most if not all of the reviews will be biased positive, since Toyota paid for everything for the event (flights, hotels and possibly food).
Too bad Chris Harris wasn't invited because he generally tells it like it is.
If a journalist gives the GR a negative review he or she would probably not be invited back to review more Toyota's.
Unfortunately it is what it is.
No unbiased reviews coming, and we need those kind if reviews to determine if the GR Corolla is right for us.
Toyota should bring in demo cars at least to the largest markets, for example in Canada...Toronto, Vancouver, montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Etc.

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ryno9100 said:

I generally take a lot of reviews with a grain of salt for this reason. The one I'm really most looking forward to as far as critical-ness goes is savagegeese. They absolutely don't hold back when it comes to reviews.

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DocRoc24 said:

James from TH addressed this exact topic I think yesterday.

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Jeonsa said:

Yeah he did, I appreciate him having integrity.

but after those ridealongs and the ridiculous impressions the other journalists gave, you can only imagine how some of these videos will be on Wednesday. 😂

You really can’t deny how biased they sounded.

I want the car to do well, it should perform well, but I don’t want to be lied to either.

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DocRoc24 said:

I hear ya. I guess it depends on expectations of what you're hoping they say. Anyone says "best car ever made, nothing wrong with it" likely isn't worth their weight.

Pretty much hoping to get a good impression of ambiance, sounds, view from Topher with his binaural mics. SG often has engineering components to explain some pros/cons. TH has had the car for days for livability and it sounds like they're doing comparisons.

I understand everyone is likely looking to get something different out of this car. For me, I'm looking for a practical 4 door and AWD Toyota that I can have fun in and will fit a car seat. I don't have the skills nor desire to post ridiculous lap times so I'm not looking to min/max the car.

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Jeonsa said:

That’s true.

For me this car is exactly what it is, a hot Corolla. Which means it can be whatever you want it to be, but I expect it to be softer and forgiving for daily commutes.

That alone is special in its own way. I just don’t want people to hate the car because it doesn’t live up to the insane hype built.

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