34 ~ Friday, September 19, 1997 -

North Shore News

~ REDESIGNED for
~ the first time in five
' years,‘the Toyota .

Corolla sedan enters

‘-with a more powerful
standard engine, addi-
_ tional safety. features,
increased sound insu-

: - Tasion, and. more atan- ;

dels, ‘po
steering and AM/FM -
cassette. -

. But like a trusty old
friend who refuses to
embrace trendy fashion

statements, the new Corolla’

has only minor styling revi-
sions. In fact, you might just
mistake it for a 1997 model.

The major changes are at
the rear, where. the trunk has
a new lip and the tailigtits
have a new shape. Up front
are slightly revised reflector
headlamps, a V-shape in the
hood; and a different air
intake design. : -

The new Corolla slides
through the air with more
ease, though — its co-effi-

- cient of drag is 6.31, down
” from 0,33.

’ The new Corolla is
approximately the same size
as the previous model: 50
mm longer, 9 mm wider
with the same 2465 mm

(97.0 in.) wheelbase. As a
result, there are no major
gains in interior room (0.6
cu. ft).

However, the rear doors
are wider for easier entry,
and the trunk lid is 214 mm
wider with a 14 mm lower
lift-over height for luggage.

This yeas, all three trim
levels (VE, CE and LE) have
a new 120 horsepower, 1.8-"
litre, ewin cam, 16-valve,
four-cylinder engine with
direct ignition.

The previous Corolla had
two available engines:
Corolla SD and DX models
had a 100 horsepower, 1.6-

liwe, four-cylinder motor,

and uplevel DX 1.8 models
had a 105 horsepower, 1.8-
litre, four-cylinder engine.

The new all -aluminum

ic is lograms

lig ter. With more power
and less weight, the 1998
Corolla with automatic
transmission accelerates from
0 to 97 km-h in 10.5 sec-

THE 1998 Toyota .
Corolla, redesigned for
the first time since
1993, has a move pow-
erful 120 horsepower,
1.8-lltre, four-cylinder
engine with better fuel.
econoiny, more safety |
features such as stan-
dard dual airbags, and
more standard fea-
tures on base models.

.: (inset photo): The

onds, a reduction of 1.4 sec-
onds. From 80 to. 113 km-h,
the Corolla is two seconds
faster.

With the manual trans-
mission, the Corolla’s 0 to
100 km-h time is 9.1 sec-
onds, a reduction of 1.1 sec-
onds. Even so, Toyota
claims an improvement in
highway fuel consumption
of 7%.

Base VE Corollas come
with a five-speed manual or
optional three-speed auto-
matic transmission, mid-level
CE models offer a five-speed
manual or a four-speed auto-
matic, and LE Corollas
come only with a four-speed
automatic.

_ Isuzu Offers of the Year

“The best possible deal on a new Isucu i ison now! ”

‘Extra cab, 2WD, ern
j am/fm cassette

_v263-.

~ Auitornatic,
airconditioning

Automatic, air - conditioning, pw, PA,
alloy wheels, deep tint glass

7)

.. revised interior. has -
wider, taller front

soats; larger rotery

peater controis and a

bigger glove box. Test
ve the nev: Corcila
at Jim Pattison Toyota
at 1765 Marine Dr.,
Norin Van (985-G597).

Though the new Corolla
uses a similar platform and. |
fully independent
MacPherson strut type sus-
pension, it has been refined -
for increased ride comfort. ,
The variable-assist power
steering has also been

’ revised for more ac

Canadian Corollas have:
fronc and cear stabilizer bars
for improved handling (U.S.
Corollas have only a rear sta-
bilizer bar for a softer ride).

The Coroila accelerates
smoothly with less en;
noise than before. At figh-
way speeds, the interior is
reasonably quiet with the
engine revving at 2600

“np.m. in gear at a
steady 100 km-h.

found the Corclla’s

handling to be nimble and...
quick, though softer than a
Honda Civic. The manual
transmission has direct, easy
throws and the automatic
transmission benefits from
the increased torque of the
new engine.

The most significant
changes to the 1998 Corolla
are its new safety features.
All models, including the
base VE model, now have

standard dual airbags (now
\de-powered).

Previously, SD and DX
models offered an optional
driver’s airbag and no pas-
senger airbag, while DX 1.8
models had standard dual
airbags.

In addition, the new
Corolla has front and rear
adjustable outboard head
restraints, three-point seat-
belts ar all five seating posi-
tions, and front seatbelt ten-
sioners.

The fatter three safety
features are rare on smail or
even mid-sized sedans.

In addition, a stronger

See Toyota page 35