Engine – start stop
I had the dubious honour of driving a Toyota Corolla Verso yesterday. Not a bad car at all, but certainly no looker.
What caught my attention was the rather strange key the Avis lady handed me, after indicating that she had upgraded my vehicle. Goodness knows what carriage I’d have had to trundle around Cape Town in if I’d not been upgraded. A scary thought indeed.
But back to the key. Or rather, the lack of one:
It’s the first car I’ve driven that features a button to start and stop the engine, and it’s rather convenient. The key fits into a slot next to the button just below and to the right of the steering wheel:
It’s important to remember to press the clutch pedal all the way down. That took me a while to realize. I initially thought I had to keep pressing the button, but that just resulted in me cycling the electrical system on and off. Eventually, I had realized my mistake, pushed down on the clutch, pressed the button and got going.
Overall, a pleasant drive. The windscreen is huge and its angle and size makes for a dashboard the size of a football field. The oddly positioned gearlever is within easy reach, but the indicator stalk on the left of the steering column is simply out of place. The interior is roomy and provides a lot of space. The plastic features too prominently, though. I’m also not crazy about the transparent, light-blue radio unit.
The start button is certainly a novelty, though! Clarkson signing off…
Thanks, James! Actually, I’ve had my eye on one of these for a little while because of the flexibility and space. What was it like dynamically? I know these MPVs don’t exactly provide a sporting experience, but I really dislike vehicles that make you feel as if you’re floating all over the road.
Space-wise this is really amazing. There’s plenty of storage and all seats fold down for increased loading capacity in the back. Big doors for easy loading and unloading. Like any other Toyota, you’ll probably get a very reliable car with an excellent engine and the promise of many years of service. I don’t want to say too much regarding performance: this was a hire car, after all…that means it probably ran outside of normal parameters
Once you’re used to the seating position and the huge dashboard, it’s really easy to drive and park. No floating, and very precise. I’m not sure of the price, but I’d choose something like this over a vehicle manufactured by frogs any day…
Well, that was interesting. Found a good deal on a preowned vehicle and went to try it out on Saturday. You’re right, the space and versatility is amazing and the dynamics are pretty good too. I need to get the MMT version (no choice about that, unfortunately, have to drive an auto) but it seems like that’s mainly a question of getting used to a different driving style. This could be my next purchase.
It’s a bit more expensive than a PDA, I guess. But still a toy
Yep, bought it in the end and pretty happy with it so far. And it’s got space for lots of PDAs – I’ll have to add to my collection!
Congratulations! Here’s wishing you many happy kilometers.