enter the drivetrain rumourmill V6 AWD Corolla

[Stéphane Dumas]

I spotted this rumor of upcoming V6 and AWD for the next-gen Corolla on Autoblog
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/24/e...izon/#comments

[Carver]

The Rav4 with a V6 gets good mileage, as does the Camry. I think a lot of people would be drawn to this if Toyota builds it.

[69Firebird400]

They didn't seem to have much trouble selling them with anemic four cylinders - do they really need a V6, when none of their competitors are offering them? Though in a light car like the Corolla, the 3.5 liter might be able to get well over 30 mpg on the highway, even under the new FE ratings. It sure would move!!

It would be cool to have Toyota come up with a competitor to the Evo and WRX with AWD and 300 horsepower.

[SCarFan]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

They didn't seem to have much trouble selling them with anemic four cylinders - do they really need a V6, when none of their competitors are offering them? Though in a light car like the Corolla, the 3.5 liter might be able to get well over 30 mpg on the highway, even under the new FE ratings. It sure would move!!

It would be cool to have Toyota come up with a competitor to the Evo and WRX with AWD and 300 horsepower.

They won't do that, but a V6/AWD Corolla that tops out at about $23-24K (around the price of a well-equipped Camry 4-cylinder) would certainly draw some attention.

High-feature, loaded compact have been successful in Asia, and especially Europe, for years. The Mazda3 started the trend of upscale, yet mainstream, Japanese compacts almost 4 years ago, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Toyota take it to the next level. NAV system and HID lights should be available as well if they go with a V6/AWD setup...

Will be interesting to see what, if anything, materializes...

[SnapOversteer]

A low volume sports model with a V6 might do the trick. Sell it for 2-3 years, and discontinue it. 3.5L V6 + 6 spd manual + 2500lbs = fast.

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by SnapOversteer

A low volume sports model with a V6 might do the trick. Sell it for 2-3 years, and discontinue it. 3.5L V6 + 6 spd manual + 2500lbs = fast.

The upcoming redesign/MCE/whatever better make it look like something other than an oversized slug first......

[FStephenMasek]

No, it needs the 5.7 from the Tundra.

[montrealvue]

What the heck for? Seems completely redundant to me.... if you need AWD, Rav4 makes alot more sense, no?

[IAMCANADIAN]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

They didn't seem to have much trouble selling them with anemic four cylinders - do they really need a V6, when none of their competitors are offering them? Though in a light car like the Corolla, the 3.5 liter might be able to get well over 30 mpg on the highway, even under the new FE ratings. It sure would move!!

It would be cool to have Toyota come up with a competitor to the Evo and WRX with AWD and 300 horsepower.

I'd like to see more compacts with V6 engines. They would have great performance and pretty good fuel economy. Only downside that I could see would be torque steer if it was FWD. I wonder if GM can fit the 3.5L LZ4 V6 in the Cobalt/G5? Aren't OHV engines usually more compact than OHC engines so would that be possible?

[genjy]

I think v6 compact cars aren't that popular with the compact crowd, pretty much because they "v6" themselves out of the core competition.

Cars like the v6 Cougar and the v6 Tiburon aren't natural competitors to popular sporty compacts like the Integra and the Focus. And, they don't compete with turbo compacts like the GTI and the WRX.

Not that no one cares about v6 compacts... it's just that they aren't associated with the more popular sporty compact cars. They have their own niche, sort of.

If Toyota built a v6 Corolla, it would be one of the most irrelevant sporty compacts on the market. V6 wouldn't the appropriate way to compete with the Sentra SE-R and the Civic Si. A high-output i4 would do the trick.

[Carver]

Originally Posted by montrealvue

What the heck for? Seems completely redundant to me.... if you need AWD, Rav4 makes alot more sense, no?

From a purely practical point of view, maybe the Rav4 does make more sense. But some folks (like me) prefer the handling, ride height, and looks of a car.

@genjy: I don't think a v6 Corolla would be designed to compete with the Sentra SE-R or the Civic SI; Toyo would be targeting a different and more mainstream audience. If the Corolla grows a little bit it may wind up being similar, in some ways, to the current Mazda6 - like a very small "mid-sizer." Here a v6 would be very well placed and would be a great alternative for people that don't want something as large as the current Camry.

[IAMCANADIAN]

Originally Posted by genjy

I think v6 compact cars aren't that popular with the compact crowd, pretty much because they "v6" themselves out of the core competition.

Cars like the v6 Cougar and the v6 Tiburon aren't natural competitors to popular sporty compacts like the Integra and the Focus. And, they don't compete with turbo compacts like the GTI and the WRX.

Not that no one cares about v6 compacts... it's just that they aren't associated with the more popular sporty compact cars. They have their own niche, sort of.

If Toyota built a v6 Corolla, it would be one of the most irrelevant sporty compacts on the market. V6 wouldn't the appropriate way to compete with the Sentra SE-R and the Civic Si. A high-output i4 would do the trick.

I'm not a big fan of 4-cylinders so I guess I'm in a minority.

[DirtyMoney]

Since this is a GM forum, i would say this would be good for the pontiac Vibe.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by DirtyMoney

Since this is a GM forum, i would say this would be good for the pontiac Vibe.

If that car is competitive, it will probably do more harm than good to GM if you look at the overall picture, though.

[jon21]

I would consider a Cobalt SS 4DR, Fulltime 4WD, 3.5 V6, light compact sedan for $22-$25K. I wonder if Toyota will use the Subaru 4WD Drive Train in the 4WD Corolla?