Toyota runix
This was until a 1.4TSI Polo GTI appeared in my side view mirror at a red light. Interestingly enough, I enjoyed this, the calm nature of the car it was nothing to ring home about, a great ride, loads of space and a light clutch it was great, reminded me a lot of my mother’s Corolla of the same era. This was very clearly a RunX before it was a TRD project.
#Toyota runix skin
On the inside, the same theme runs its course – the RunX has absolutely nothing interesting about the interior, just a small TRD logo on the on the floor mats and gear knob, but under the skin are stiffer springs and a TRD strut bar.
It looks like a typical RunX, no flares, no nostrils just some subtle touches like the rear spoiler and the larger wheels. Picking up the car, the vehicle’s unassuming looks suggest nothing out of the ordinary and driving in town, it feels like the typical cold pudding drive that the normal models possess. Figures that don’t sound all too impressive, but in the real world this is a seriously fun car. Standard the car posted a 0-100 time of 8 Seconds and a top speed of 230km/h. This lust led me to the hands of a generous owner, sporting a Black TRD with a 63mm sports exhaust, IJEN cold air induction kit and lightened fly wheel, all mine for the day. Toyota Racing Developments took the RSi and made everything just a little bit crisper and added some proverbial ‘Vuma’, with a short throw shifter and a set of TRD specific wheels. The drive I’ve always lusted over, however, is the more elusive TRD model. The Runx RSi has always been a car that I’ve wanted to own, having driven them plenty times both at the coast where they run GTI’s very close with a few breather mods, and up at altitude, where they run GTI’s very close once more. Toyota knew this all too well as we loved the RSI and its 4AGE-20V engine, so much so that when they canned it and replaced it with the bloated Corolla, it was considered a great loss to the world of motoring, This was until 2003 when they slotted a 141 kW 7800 RPM and 180 N.m, 1.8-litre naturally aspirated 16V engine into the humble RunX, thus creating the RSi. These were the ultimate in cheap, reliable, fast cars, far cheaper than the Germans and an absolute hoot with whizzy little engines with rather silly redlines. See, back in what I’d describe as the good old days, the likes of the Sentra 200STi and Corolla RSI and RXI where the best way to get to places in a hurry. Those of you born in the late 80’s and to some degree the early 90’s will understand the shift in motoring focus from the high RPM small capacity atmospheric 20V engines, to the smaller, polar bear friendly turbo mills. The Corolla Runx and the Allex were replaced by the Auris in October 2006.We throwback and drive the Toyota Corolla RunX TRD The available layouts included front-engine, front-wheel-drive and V-flex full-time 4-wheel-drive (for 1.5-liter model only).
#Toyota runix manual
These were combined with a 4-speed Super ECT automatic transmission, with the exception that the 1.8-liter model offered the sports steer shiftmatic system and the optional 6-speed manual transmission. The available engines included a 1.5-liter 100 PS unit for the manual transmission model and a 1.8-liter 190 PS unit. The basic body dimensions were the same as the Corolla 4-door sedan, except that the length was 190 mm shorter. The Runx was also aimed at the European market where demand for 2-box hatchbacks was particularly strong, and a 3-door version was also produced for the overseas markets. The Runx and its sister model Allex (sold through the Netz channel) were released simultaneously in January 2001. The Corolla Runx used the ninth-generation Corolla sedan as the base, cutting off its rear section to make it a 2-box 5-door hatchback.