It’s just wrong…

Last Updated:


To me, that’s what the new Sequoia and Corolla are.. Just wrong.

The Sequoia is just a bloated mess and the Corolla is invisible.
it’s OK to be “conservative” but it’s not OK to look like the one from 1986…

I really hope these 2 don’t sell well.
Some people need to be taught a lesson.

Conversation 25 comments

  1. hahaha

    that was a good laugh reading that statement…

    are you too getting on the Goody Goody GM bandwagon like the rest of the press of late? is bashing the omnipotent, all encompassing evil that is Toyota the new ‘en vogue’ thing now?

    face it — no korean car will match the sales of the corolla in its market

  2. Hi Vince,
    I totally agree. I must admit I have bought and loved Toyotas for a lot of years. I appreciated the quality and reliability and every so often they came out with a nice looking car, and I would buy it. The seemed to be really interested in making good cars. But in the last few years it seem to be all about making money and playing it safe. The have really lost their mojo (what little they had). For my money, now, Honda seems to be on a roll. Their cars look modern, with progressive styling, good quality and innovative technology. I’m due to buy a new car and Toyota doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the one.

  3. I know plenty of passive, non-creative people who will love this car. They’ll buy into the advertising. They’ll buy into the Toyota dealers trying to say it has “Lexus IS350-inspired styling”, or “seats designed by orthopedic surgeons”. They’ll buy it in beige. You’d be surprised how many people want a “sensible shoe” with Toyota’s reputation.

    Maybe it will be a sales success, but it will not be a REsale success. Especially with the new Hondas making this look like it’s from the 80s. And these will be among the top “stolen cars” in America in a few years. Watch for them in the chop shops.

  4. I know plenty of passive, non-creative people who will love this car. They’ll buy into the advertising. They’ll buy into the Toyota dealers trying to say it has “Lexus IS350-inspired styling”, or “seats designed by orthopedic surgeons”. They’ll buy it in beige. You’d be surprised how many people want a “sensible shoe” with Toyota’s reputation.

    Maybe it will be a sales success, but it will not be a REsale success. Especially with the new Hondas making this look like it’s from the 80s. And these will be among the top “stolen cars” in America in a few years. Watch for them in the chop shops.

  5. did you take this picture from a car show years ago? i am impressed of how well you archive photos of the past…looks like you’ve taken this picture before i was born (26 years ago).

  6. Looks like the Honda Civic will never have to worry about direct competition ever again from the big T, only perhaps from Nissan and Hyundai in the future!

  7. i absolutely agree vince. i used to be a huge fan of toyota but they’ve recently taken a huge wrong turn and their cars no longer have any semblance of good style/design and their reliability has also fallen.

    they’re definitely off my list of cars to buy now. hondas are looking pretty good now though

  8. Vince, I agree with you 1000%.

    Maybe Toyota is playing nice to allow GM and Ford to catch up in this segment.

    Here is the interesting question: Do you think the new Ford Focus will do better than this “invisible” Corolla in the coming year?

  9. Wow, Vince is bangin’ on Toyota. Hell hath frozen over 🙂

    But you’re right. The Sequoia is a monolithic bore. The Corolla looks even less exciting than the new Focus. I mean, at least Ford tried to put some styling into it. It looks like Toyota designers just mailed it in..

  10. Has anyone noticed that since Toyota became the biggest car company around that they are getting more and more recalls and their vehicles are getting uglier and receiving more criticism. It sounds to me like they are starting to become what GM was when they were the big kahuna.

    I do think this cars exterior looks good, I like the color too, unfortunately I think it’s Toyotas best looking car, AND THATS NOT SAYING MUCH AT ALL!!! I think Toyota has some of the UGLIEST vehicles around. The Camary is ok looking but it too has some weird design elements that make me say, what’s that all about? Everything else Toyota has looks like poop to me though, especially the Scions (Tc excluded).

    John M.

  11. I agree on the comments. Seems a lot of people are tiring of toyota, especially quite a few of the people that actually own them. The new sequoia reminds me a fat, spoiled brat who eats whenever he can. The corolla doesn’t look like a complete redo. It looks more like a reskin. And reskinning a chassis that has been around forever is just what has gotten ford and gm into such a pickle.

  12. Taught a lesson? You’re one funny guy.

    Toyota has a full history of building either butt-ulgy, or dull cars. The Corolla is no different.
    The new Civic really isn’t selling well, and it can only be related to it’s styling.
    Don’t get me wrong. I like the Civic, but that’s not what your Mom wants to buy.

  13. The past couple of years, Toyota has built some very boring cars. The new Corolla is no exception. It does look better then the one it replaces, but no where new what it could be. Honda is holding on its reputation to build great looking cars. Toyotas loss of sales should make them realize the importance of STYLE.

  14. The Honda Civic is a far more exciting car than the Corolla, but the Corolla will sell in droves because it’s an excellent car.

    It’ll be comfortable for 4 adults and will ride and handle well. It’ll get good gas mileage while accelerating fast enough for all but thoughtless drivers who take more risks than they should.

    Corolla is a mainstream car that can’t be too racy. The Civic is unusually aggressive and it’s where Honda took significant styling risk.

    Honda was much more conservative in styling the new Accord–a smart move considering its intended market.

    Those Toyota buyers who want more style should consider one of the Scions instead of a Corolla anyway.

  15. Toyota’s quest to be #1 has clearly clouded their judgement. Toyota built their reputation on being a quality car-maker that cares about design, safety, quality, reliability, etc. etc.

    But now it’s all about cost-cutting, record profits, and over-taking GM. And as a result, I’ve noticed a dramatic decrease in quality. They are using cheaper plastics in their interiors, their designs are either un-inspired or ugly (did they cut costs in their design dept, too?!?), and they seem to have developed an identity crisis. Toyota’s commitment to the environment with Hybrids (Prius) gets countered by continuing to build massive, fuel-thirsty trucks like the Tundra, Sequoia and Land Cruiser.

    This new Corolla won’t win any awards. It looks like the current (’03-’08) model, just with minor revisions and a Camry front-end. Ooooh… how… disappointing. People will buy it – lots of people are still buying the current model even in it’s 6th year of production – but it’s about as bland as vanilla. I sure hope Toyota has something dramatic planned for this model’s MMC cuz this design already looks dated.

  16. What goes up will eventually come down – it will happen to Toyota and it will happen to GM. So many new models, yet GM still has to offer new rebates to move them………

  17. I suggest you actually look up what a 1986 Corolla looks like before continuing to post that drivel.

    It looks dull, fine, say that; but it doesn’t look old. Saying it looks like a 1986 Corolla is the sort of useless hyperbole I’d expect from a child not a “reporter”.

    Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s got smooth, clean lines, and no useless faux chrome tat added to it. It’s dull, but it’s not ugly or tasteless, something that can’t be said for many domestic cars unfortunately.

  18. what did you expect?
    this car has always looked like drap nothing new the new focus beatd it jands down

  19. Man vince, it may look dull but it doesn’t look THAT old. I mean if it weren’t for a lot of conservative cars on the road then no car would really stick out no matter how odd the design would be.

    Geez. 1985? You said the same for that Dodge..Journey too. I thought you were into retro.

    >_

  20. You always seem to only post the lower model photos. Why not the S or the XRS model? They look a million times better than the photo you put up. EVERYONE, check out Toyota.com and look at their Future Cars page. Basing the corolla off of one picture & one guy’s opinion is completely ridiculous. Have you seen the XRS and it’s interior? I’d buy it over the Civic any day.

  21. What I never understood was that if Toyota is SO reliable…..why don’t they back them with better warranties? I remember a certain Corolla commercial (98-2000) that said that the Corolla was so reliable, you could weld the hood shut…haha

  22. Look at the blandest Lexus ES and have a glance on its sales figure you will see what are they doing.

    What would you think if these new Corollas are sold very well.

  23. Change the wheels and you will have a fine looking compact car. This car will continue being a big sales sucess. Design, looks, and other ephemeral issues are probably non issues within 6 months after purchase. What matters is reliability, safety, and pocketbook for the long term. But, I get your point Vince.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *