Which Toyota Corolla is better: a used diesel or a new petrol?
Toyota passenger car ranges are also turning their back on diesel, which makes the previous decade’s Corolla 1.4 D-4D sedan quite desirable. But is it the best Corolla to buy, even when it’s in mint condition, with the promise of running on the smell of an oil rag?
For quite some time now, humankind has found certainty in only two things in the capitalist regime: taxes and Toyota. The Japanese giant has made sure that just about any motorist can look forward to finding certainty at some point in her life, even when trudging through some of the world’s most remote locations.
But what about the average Joe or Jill? The working adult or parent who merely needs what is necessary, with a bit of wiggle room to transport sports equipment, pets or children, without second guessing every other financial decision they have ever made? Enter, all executive and fancy-looking, the brand new Corolla sedan and old new Corolla Quest.
Let there be life
But, let us first hark back to the ’60s, where the Corolla journey began. In a landscape where muscle cars and hippie culture gained traction, the appropriately named Corolla (the petals of a flower) made its debut in 1966 – a small, frugal everyman’s car. Its aesthetics and innards made it the perfect blend between muscle and flower-power, appealing to drivers the world over. And it was more fuel-efficient than Beetles and wheeled Americana.
Over the years, and 12 generations, the Corolla has kept true to this ethos of blending what is good with what is desirable. Unfortunately for the aesthetically inclined, some of these blends were made during times when mankind missed the styling bus (we’re looking at you, ’90s).
Petrol or diesel?
Today, the Corolla-hunter is bombarded with various models and styles, especially when looking beyond just the latest models. To make it even harder, the new sedan range and the Corolla Quest arrived mere weeks ago, and the hatchback was unveiled locally fewer than 12 months ago.
Still, for many the answer lies in a different question: petrol or diesel? South Africans have to stretch their cars’ fuel ranges more than ever before and driving a small to medium sized turbo-diesel car is the most accessible way of doing that. Turbo-diesels engines also generate more torque than petrol cars, often making them more pleasant to drive.
The problem is, Mr Toyoda is ditching diesel engines in his passenger cars, in favour of petrol, hybrid and electric propulsion. Luckily, buying a used Toyota from a reputable dealer isn’t much of a gamble, because of the reliability inherent in these vehicles – with a caveat described below.
The Corolla 1.4 D-4D sedan
It is important to note that Toyota stopped producing its 1.4 D-4D diesel drivetrain for the Corolla in 2019, which means a buyer will only have second-hand options to consider. Fuel-efficiency and reliability are a match made in heaven and this Corolla seems to offer both.
When Toyota launched this car it said that it “...benefits from optimised combustion chamber dimensions and enhanced Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler efficiency to produce 66 kW and maximum torque of 205 Nm at 1800 to 2800 rpm. Equipped with the standard six-speed manual transmission (there was no auto), the 1.4 D-4D returns a combined cycle fuel consumption of 4.5 l/100km...”. As is the norm with car companies, 4.5 is optimistic, with 5.2 l/100km a more realistic figure. It was sold with a standard 5-year/90 000km service plan and a 3-year/100 000km warranty.
The petrol contenders: sedan, hatch and Quest
While the future of diesel may be in arrears, the present reality for petrol has become more favourable and the choice to buyers is vast. The new Corolla Quest, which is essentially the departed or “old” model, offers a normally aspirated 1.8-litre engine only, with a maximum output of 103 kW and 173 Nm. There’s a choice between a 6-speed manual transmission with consumption of 7.0 l/100km and a CVT using 6.3 l/100km. With sensible driving, the owner of a Quest CVT variant should be able to keep its consumption under 6.8 l/100km, which isn’t light years from a used D-4D’s estimated 5.0-5.5 l/100km.
The Corolla sedan arrived in South Africa just a week ago (March 2020). Like the new Corolla hatch, this car is a significant improvement over the old Corolla, which has become the Corolla Quest. Toyota has banished the home-appliance character of recent Corollas and turned it into a car that feels more like a Lexus. In fact, it shares its chassis with the Lexus UX crossover. But let’s look at the engines and their affinity for petrol.
Sedans shun snails
Where the Corolla hatch uses the C-HR’s fizzy 1.2-litre turbo engine, Toyota decided to supply the new sedan range with two normally aspirated power-plants that displace 1.8 or 2.0 litres. The smaller engine, with six-speed manual transmission only, serves up 104 kW and 171 Nm, while the 2.0-litre generates 125 kW and 200 Nm. For every 100 km travelled, these engines consume 6.2 litres (1.8), 6.0 litres (2.0 CVT) and 6.5 litres (2.0 manual), according to Toyota.
It’s especially the 2.0-litre “XR” CVT that returns impressive figures, but it’s also frightfully expensive, for a Corolla. It weighs in at an eye-watering R425 200.
The 2.0-litre manual “XR” sells for R412 300, while the sticker on the 1.8 “XS” CVT says R372 700. This makes the new sedan so much more expensive than the (used) diesels, available at R230 000 to R300 000, that they fall off the list. The new hatchbacks go over the cliff too, because of their equally steep prices.
So it’s down to used Corolla diesel sedan in the one corner versus used petrol sedan and new Corolla Quest in the other corner. Because the latter represents such good value, let’s drop the pre-owned petrol sedan too.
Related:Top 5 things you need to know about the new Toyota Corolla Quest
The verdict
Modern diesel engines have many virtues, but they need good quality fuel – something local refineries struggle to produce. Running low-quality diesel often lead to blocked injectors, failed diesel pumps and troublesome exhaust systems. This spells huge repair bills and is a compelling reason to find an example still under warranty, or buy a solid after-market warranty.
In the light of owners keeping their cars for longer, with the subsequent risk of ex-warranty repairs, we recommend a brand new Corolla Quest 1.8 Prestige CVT (R296 800) over a pre-owned Corolla 1.4 D-4D. The former has proved itself, is a very modest drinker and comes with service plan and a 3-year/100 000km warranty as standard. It also does its own shifting in rush-hour traffic.
Recommended next:
Toyota Corolla (2020): The all-new Toyota Corolla launches in SA
New vs 2019 Toyota Corolla hatch: what are the top 4 differences?