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What's Wrong With This Picture: What Level Did We Start On Edition
by
Jack Baruth
(IC: employee)
Published: January 6th, 2015
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It’s a terrible stereotype on the Internet that Toyota drivers in general, and Corolla drivers in particular, are the least demanding, least discerning, and least conscious drivers in America. Yet Toyota keeps blatantly demonstrating their corporate buy-in to that particular preconception. As seen here.
This latest Sponsored Tweet from the world’s most successful automaker gives you a pretty good idea of how Corolla buyers view the world. OMFG IT HAS NAV. JUST LIKE THE 1999 C-CLASS, AND MY TRACFONE. Whatever. Welcome to the next level. We have nav.
Jack Baruth
More by Jack Baruth
Published January 6th, 2015 9:20 PM
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I'm not sure why Jack is creating a fuss about a tweet advertising a level of luxury (see what I did there) on a compact. Click bait? (Yes, I said it!) Slow news day? Desperate need for more snark? It's advertising. Move along, nothing to see here. Between this and yesterday's list of Derek's "bad" 4Runner, FR-S and tC, we get it. You don't like Toyota. Can we move back to Cadillac bashing now?
I am pretty sure that people buy Corolla/Camry because it is by far the cheapest socially acceptable car you can buy. Whether leasing ($130/month Corolla or $180/month Camry) or buying (highest resale value) these cars are lowest cost of ownership cars in this market. They are cheap to buy and cheap to own. And they are perfectly competent cars. I know several people who are not wealthy but make a very comfortable living and could easily afford a 100k+ car (like a drop in the bucket for them) -- who have been driving Camry after Camry for decades.
That 1999 C-Class navigation system, though. Six CDs that cost hundreds to replace every time they went out of date. Yeeeugh.
A college buddy of mine recently had a new Corolla as a rental while he was in town for some training. What a hot mess that instrument panel and interior was...a haphazard mélange of shapes, textures and colors that simply didn't mesh with one another. The interior of my old 1988 Merkur Scorpio is light years ahead of this in style and cohesiveness. I will say that I was shocked that his rental grade car had a backup camera though, so I guess that's one thing it has going for it.