What's Wrong With This Picture: What Level Did We Start On Edition

by Jack Baruth

January 6th, 2015 9:20 PM

what s wrong with this picture what level did we start on edition

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.

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8 of 86 comments

Marc on Jan 07, 2015

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?

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- Luke42 on Jan 07, 2015
  
  The issue is that Toyota's low end cars have had this level of luxury for a LONG time. I don't know amout the Corolla specificalry, but my wife's 11 year old Prius has a pretty good navigation system. It's almost certainly the same syshem used in the mid 2000s Camry, and presumably the Corolla too. The offense that I read in the article was that Jack was offended that Toyota thinks so littre of Toyota shoppers that they're touting the navigation system in tho Corolla as "new", even though it's been presumably been available for at least a decade.
  
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- Jack Baruth on Jan 07, 2015
  
  It's a 3WTP, dude. Stuff like this has been on TTAC forever.
  
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Vvk on Jan 07, 2015

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.

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JohnnyFirebird on Jan 07, 2015

That 1999 C-Class navigation system, though. Six CDs that cost hundreds to replace every time they went out of date. Yeeeugh.

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- Speedlaw on Jan 07, 2015
  
  Or the BMW system in my 2003. I think it was the first, and uses a DVD drive in the trunk. It was very high zoot when I got it in 03...today my $90 MallWart Garmin stomps it. The $1500 option price made sense back then...it was really leading edge. That price for the nav system now, makes no sense whatsoever. More amazingly, the exact same system was in a late model X3 loaner I got during the takata airbag replacement. I know trucks traditionally get the car hand me downs, but to put this in any vehicle now and charge for it....wow. Better still, Waze and Garmin allow you to load camera enforcement waypoints...it is a subscription for Garmin and part of Waze.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Jan 07, 2015
  
  @speedlaw Hmm my 01 GS had a DVD based system in the trunk.
  
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Wheeljack on Jan 07, 2015

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.

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