Hi,

Currently owing a corolla t sport (190bhp) and am very interested in the fab vrs, it looks like a gr8 car...

I think a chipped one would be as quick as mine?

has anyone had a run in with a t sport? i wonder what the performance diff is?

my guess is that they probably handle the same 2?

thanks

rob

They are very different cars. The T Sport has the VVTI engine doesn't it? If so, then it'll love revs in a similar way to the Civic Type R. The VRS however is all about low down grunt. The turbo kicks in shortly after 2,000 rpm giving strong performance to around 4,000rpm, but then it's all over.

The VRS does take some getting used to, especially if you are coming from a high reving petrol car. I'd say take one for a spin a see what you think. One area where you'll definitly see a difference is the weight of your wallet! The T Sport will drink lots more fuel than a VRS.

As for performance... a chipped VRS is certainly pretty nippy, but I don't think it would keep up with your current car. However I don't think it'll be too far behind!

yer they are very different in terms of torque, of which it has none of. But it seems both have power bands which you need to keep it in. the corolla between 6k and 8k.

handling wise i think they both are similar being set up for handling/ride comprimise.

Hi,

Currently owing a corolla t sport (190bhp) and am very interested in the fab vrs, it looks like a gr8 car...

I think a chipped one would be as quick as mine?

has anyone had a run in with a t sport? i wonder what the performance diff is?

my guess is that they probably handle the same 2?

thanks

rob

I had a play with a celica 190 a while ago (same engine i think), off the lights and at speeds below 60 i was sat with him but speeds above that (up to 70 on the motorway ) he was starting to pull away slightly. Not that i encourage racing in any way but everynow and then if the situation is right and the roads are clear its nice to have a little play, especially when the guy in the celica gives you the thumbs up after

The fabia in standard vrs form is not what u would expect from a sports branded car. TBH its not that quick and it doesnt like the twistys. But give it a re-map, a jabba rear ARB, some kind of lowering springs and you then have a car that will show up alot of cars and the grin factor goes off scale

I think the main avantage of the fabia is the low end grunt, it makes the car much more relaxing to drive steady as apposed to high reving cars where you are constantly reving and changing gear.

The fuel consumption is a big bonus, if driven steady you can expect anything between 45-55 but if you drive it like you stole it you will be luck to hit 30s in a chipped one.

______

john

Handling wise, the T-Sport will be well ahead with nice direct feeling steering. The vRS is a bit woolier in comparison, and you'll be wanting a few choice mods if you're wanting to put remapped power down and also get the car to confidently go round corners

Chris

Having done many many miles in a Celica T-Sport 190 (same engine), I can tell you the two engines are chalk & cheese.

At full spank you'll beat a remapped vRS quite easily but day to day the vRS is a lot quicker unless you drive the Corolla around above 6200rpm (if you do then I guess you're deaf by now!) because the performance is much, much more accessible.

Drive one, I'd think if the Corolla is your cup of tea the Fabia won't be tbh. Something like the Clio Sport might be more up your alley being quite revvy - faster & better handling than both too

Agree with most of what has been said

Biggest difference will be the change of driving style, and whetheter you can adapt or can live with it.

I have a remapped fabia, running 180BHP, but its the 290 lb ft torque, that I really like for a rapid overtake, without having the engine shouting inside the car.

Most of my driving is motorways and a couple of B roads, so the std setup is fine, if I had a lot of twisties, then definately suspension change, & a set of Mk I Octy brakes, would be in order. - Hope this helps

Test drive one first, diesel styley driving may not be for you.

The only thing ive seen of a T-sport is one doing 4/5 car overtakes in North Wales.

I copied his manoeveres a few times, but he obviously new the roads and I didnt.

I was in my remapped Fabia, and even if I was going as 'balls out' as he was I dont think I would have kept up. It was quick...!

Handling wise, the T-Sport will be well ahead with nice direct feeling steering. The vRS is a bit woolier in comparison, and you'll be wanting a few choice mods if you're wanting to put remapped power down and also get the car to confidently go round corners

Chris

Hmmm.

Your opinion is not shared by Evo.

Ten worst cars tested | Car Group Tests | Car Reviews | evo

It's number 9...

its true,

i can confirm the handling of my t sport is pretty bad... but is pretty comfy

is this true of the vrs?

Not quite a direct comparison, but a friend of went from a 306 dTurbo to a standard VVTi Celica, and he reckons despite the Celica having about 50bhp on the 306 (140bhp vs. 92) the 306 'felt' a lot faster. I guess like has already been said, you get used to a particular driving style with either a 16v petrol car or a turbodiesel, and the two are very, very different!

But I'm sure it wouldn't take long to adapt!

Ah it seems the handling is a bit marmite then with some people saying it's the best thing ever, and others saying it's a real let down. Much like the vRS then!

If you're a keen driver, budget for extra handling mods....

Chris

Personally,as a Vrs owner, I would only consider going for it if running/buying costs (with performance coming a close second) are your main concern then for the money I doubt you will get much (if anything) better.

If performance is the main purchase point then maybe something like a Type R, Focus St (or even an Octy Vrs?) would be better for you.

As some of the other posts have said, the chipped Vrs is in another league to standard spec, but once you take into account mods, remap, insurance, etc the price adds up and you will start getting near Ibiza Cupra/Type R prices (second hand) I hate buying cars - there is just too much to choose from.

Yeah, I think the vRS will FEEL faster to start with due to the low down instant torque as opposed to building speed with revs (although I've not driven one with the 'lift' of the vvt, it may be a similar burst!), and while it may not be actually as quick, you can drive it fast in a far more relaxed way... it depends what you prefer!

well i cant keep up with a type r anyway....

my thinking was that if i had one chipped and suspension sorted then it would be on par with my tsport but the benefits are obv.

insurance group 14 vs 9

petrol 25-30mpg vs diesel 40mpg plus???

so it makes sence to convert.

its true,

i can confirm the handling of my t sport is pretty bad... but is pretty comfy

is this true of the vrs?

Some people on this site will tell you that the handling of the VRS is horrid/dangerous/etc. However I think a lot depends on what you are expecting from the car. If, like me, you want a car that's great for day-to-day driving to/from work, comfortable over the rough stuff, stable on motorways but at the same time great for long distance driving, then I'd say the VRS is great. I for one don't want a car that shakes you to pieces every time you run over a snail!

I suspect the people that consider the set up dangerous are those that are expecting too much from the car. If you want to be able to hurtle round corners, etc (not saying that you do, but if that's you!), then in standard form the VRS is probably not the car for you.

well i cant keep up with a type r anyway....

my thinking was that if i had one chipped and suspension sorted then it would be on par with my tsport but the benefits are obv.

insurance group 14 vs 9

petrol 25-30mpg vs diesel 40mpg plus???

so it makes sence to convert.

If you like speed, but also want affordable motoring I think you'd be hard pushed to find something better than the vRS...

It isnt very fast, but it is capable.

It isnt at all a good handler even with eibachs and ARB, but then again it is a little porker with heavy old burner over the front wheels.

The ride is comfy, you get about 450-500 miles (when remapped) from

well i cant keep up with a type r anyway....

my thinking was that if i had one chipped and suspension sorted then it would be on par with my tsport but the benefits are obv.

insurance group 14 vs 9

petrol 25-30mpg vs diesel 40mpg plus???

so it makes sence to convert.

Before going any further you really need to drive one. Driving a VRS in standard form will give you a good idea on how the power is delivered. It's such a different engine to your current motor that it will probably be quite a shock!

As for the economy... over 50mpg is achievable, but it very much depends on your driving style.

Mate of mine had a T-sport when they first came out. As said above, it needs 6000rpm to get going, below that's there's sod all power. The enginer was really noisy on the motorway - around 4500rpm in top gear at 75mph and the fuel consumption sucked on a run. For some reason I couldn't fathom his car kept making nasty smells from the clutch - not as if it had any torque!

I'd agree with the Evo comments on the handling - it was way to soft for a hot hatch and just flopped around like a blancmange when you stuffed it into a corner - the vRS is far better. I drove it a couple of times and the steering felt like it was disconnected from the wheels. I had a VW Bora at the time which has pretty numb steering feel.

The noise and fuel costs annoyed him after about 6 months and it got swapped for a 1.8T Beetle. Even that handled better than the Corolla.

Interesting on the handling comments - I'd always assumed the 190 Celica was basically a 190 Corolla with a bodykit, yet it was one of the best handling FWD cars I've driven.

Edit: Yeah, noise & revs on M-way are terrible even in 6th!

If you like speed, but also want affordable motoring I think you'd be hard pushed to find something better than the vRS...

It isnt very fast, but it is capable.

It isnt at all a good handler even with eibachs and ARB, but then again it is a little porker with heavy old burner over the front wheels.

The ride is comfy, you get about 450-500 miles (when remapped) from

I can vouch for how quick a Corolla T-sport is, as one has had a pop at me in my Civic.

They are definately quicker than a remapped Fabia, but I would say there's a few car lengths in it only.

My last BM needed revving hard to make it go anywhere and as such, the vRS is much nicer and faster to drive day to day. Then again, I do occasionally miss the ability to thrash it's nuts off on an open road which you can't do with the vRS.

Handing wise the vRS copes perfectly fine on sweeping bends, but tighten it up and it feels a bit heavy and soft. I went in Skudmissile's lowered one and that was far better......ypu could throw that round a roundabout and it held on well.

Then again he paid the price there on ride quality as it was quite hard.

The Corolla (and most other high revving cars for that matter) is an ideal car to drive 'balls out' but day to day it's pointless. You can't live on the redline all the time, and for bursts of power at such accessible revs the vRS is a gem.

You do tend to shred tyres though......mine don't slip that often (in the dry at least) but you can tell they're often struggling to maintain traction......they squirm a little.

I've owned diesels before and love the effortless torquey shove of the PD diesel.

I've also owned high revving Jap cars in the past and whilst the peaky power is great on occasion, such as when chasing 525's and caning it down B roads, it does get a little tiring. Take it on a motorway and there's not enough Nurofen in the world to make you want to do it on a regular basis.

My Janspeed clad CRX was a nightmare going from Wakefield to Stanstead and back as it did nothing but drone......the vRS simply belts down the m'ways with so little fuss.

It all depends on your requirements from a car. The vRS is a cheap way to have a little fun but is not really for the all out enthusiast.

My priorities have changed a fair bit in the last year or so which means I can no longer warrant spending

The Corolla (and most other high revving cars for that matter) is an ideal car to drive 'balls out' but day to day it's pointless. You can't live on the redline all the time

Haulix. I don't need to keep my car on the boil to be quick.

Haulix. I don't need to keep my car on the boil to be quick.

I disagree.....been in a TypeR of my mates and you do. Before you hit high RPM it's like any other 2.0.