alpha17
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Been reading a post about Axio and reminded me of many many things. Anyway, the most significant thing is that Toyota watered down it’s quality and refinement after the 140 series. I’m not talking about the all new Corolla series, but the 160 series Axio. Yes, the 140 X grade had less options than a doctor sunny and the interior was plasticy. Still the colour combination of the enterior, design shouted that you are in a class above of all the Vitz and Belta owners. But the 160 series interior is lacking this plush feeling. Interior is dull and you get the same feeling like you are in a Vitz. Also noticed that the engine is more noisier and unrefined, where the 140 series sound deadening was closer to that of the Premio and Allion.
Then finally, Toyota rolls out the “just” Corolla crushing the Axio and even the Allion, Premio in terms of options and looks. The ride might be better too due to the independent rear sus.
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@fiat fan Software glitches are somewhat acceptable as they can be rectified through over-the-air updates...But the CLA and A classes are not meant to be the ultimate Mercs in the lineup. So purposefully, they are designed with cheaper materials, but cannot accept the poor fit and finish. We’ll see how they would hold up against SL conditions.
But I see some horrible cost cutting in the new Toyotas. 2016-After Premio/Allion got some features reduced. There was a cool light in the center console which lit up when you unlock or in the near proximity to the car. It was removed...I really love that light which was there from 2007 models and at that time there this was a bit of a never-seen-before-thing in their class.
In the Axio, it’s seen everywhere.
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Well..the 140 series Corolla Axio was based on the same platform as the export 140 Corolla/Allion/Premio....the only difference was that they cut down the dimensions of the body panels to meet the "Japanese" road sizes. The Corolla is considered to be the car of Japan because that is the first car from Japan that made it in the global market next to the Land Cruiser. Being the car of Japan the Corolla catered to all walks of life..so the 140 series Aio had the basic variant all the way up to a classy variant (i.e. the Luxel).
With the 160 series things went hay wire....I believe it was a period where Toyota was having trouble redesigning new models for their lineup and figuring out where to invest in terms of redesign, especially when Toyota was learning the value of an integrated platform from Mazda (SkyActiv) .So the 160 Axio redo was plagued with uncertainty stemming from not knowing what to do with the Allion/Premio, Vitz, Aqua which all needed redoing, Crown getting reworked whilst the Mark X was hanging, etc...and it seems like Toyota put all its efforts in coming up with the CHR, Yaris and the new Crown as models and then working on the TNGA platform. The TNGA was a smart move...working on the CHR was smart, working on the Yaris was also smart as hatches were the only segment un-effected by crossovers. The Crown was a gamble which paid off but short lived. However, the stupid move was moving the Axio 160 to the same platform as the Vitz/Belta/Yaris...yes....the 160 Axio went a step down. The Japanese considered it an insult to the industry but Toyota was stuck with it. IMO they should have stuck with the same platform as the previous model (which they still used for the 160 Corolla, Allion/Premio) and just stuck a new body on it....but I guess they went down a platform level because they were hoping that the Allion/Premio can be used to sail through their sedan demands (which did not work).
The new Corolla is a pretty nice drivers car...had the pleasure of driving them the last few weeks. Nice handling..good firm ride...I would say I prefer it a lot more than the new Mazda 3. Only hitch is...it feels like a bloody cave in there...the rear is dark and taping down....my wife is not very tall..5ft2inch and she was bumping her head getting in and out....
The center console light you talk about were always an option in the Allion/Premio (and other models too). It is just that during a certain time they would have been offered as a standard add-on by the dealer. As sales of the twin models died...well...none of the dealers actually cared to offer these add-ons because they were making money in other models and the Allion/Premio is just a waste of everyone's time.
