IS THE COROLLA "S" MODEL WORTH IT?

[@MaxwellStarr]

Before I got my 2013 CE, I test drove a 2010 LE with a sunroof. Nice car but ultimately went with the newer car with less mileage, plus I got a good deal on it (and they took my dying 06 on trade). My CE (Canadian base model) came with Cruise, Power Doors/Windows 6 speaker sound+bluetooth+USB, Traction control and heated seats so I can't complain, I just wish my gauge cluster didn't look so dull lol.

[@BrandonStellmach]

Seems that Canada specs there cars out a lot better then the US. Because my last corolla was a base model and came with no options.

[@FlyBoyZJ1]

I have rather liked my 2009 S model! I think the trim kit helped save the body from the early 2000's bubble shape - feel less dated for a teenaged vehicle at this point I have blacked out the interior above the window line- love it! Is surprisingly nice for night driving, less distracting than an illuminated light gray pillar Rustoleum flat black is pretty close to the door panel black, but is slightly darker than the dashboard and pillar black in my car- still holding up months later everywhere but the seat belt runner, which has minor rubbing Reupholstered the headliner and sun visors as well while doing my starlight headliner project- I love it and my friends / family think its pretty cool as well! Not as outwardly flashy as underglow- but I get to enjoy it myself from the cabin- which was my deciding factor on going for that project ... and I don't have a sun roof so I had the whole roof to play with for running fiber-optics

[@BrandonStellmach]

I completely agree about the S body kit definitely gives it much better lines then most early 2000’s cars. But I have been thinking about trying to tackle painting the upper portion black as well. I would imagine it’s much nicer and cleaner looking then the black on tan.

[@michesbianan]

Interesting to see the American variants of this corolla. I have a 2011 Corolla (facelifted 10.5 gen), South East Asian version that is the top-spec and comes with 2.0 3ZR-FE mated to a "7-speed" CVT. On the exterior, it doesn't have the rear spoiler and the bumper and rear kits as yours have, though it has the ones below the door., and smoked headlights. It also came with smart key same with the camrys of this generation. The biggest difference is the interior, it came with leather seats with electric adjustments for the driver with lumbar support, wood garnish, and a sportier steering wheel (flat bottom), optitron gauges, and digital AC controls. Ours didn't come with the JBL option. It's called Corolla Altis in south east asia, at least, all corollas since the 9th gen carry the Altis name. Thank you for showing the details of the US specs man.

[@BrandonStellmach]

Yeah it’s crazy to know how different the same car can be in different countries. It always seems the European versions have better features then the US!

[@JJ-yn8fl]

I bought my '10 Corolla S new, still have the window sticker. Wish I had a manual (was like $1,500 more) and wish I had a sunroof. I did get 0% financing for the whole 5 year loan, as Toyota had that "stuck pedal" bad press at the time..The window sticker shows I did get the "all weather guard package" for $150 lol - upgraded heater, anti-chip tape and heated mirrors..I made them waive the $200 "option" charge for floor mats & a trunk mat (that's not an option Toyota, c'mon)..Love the vids!

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s awesome! That’s something Toyota doesn’t offer any more 0% financing. Anyone will be lucky to get 3-5%. But I hate when dealers try to take on extra “options” when those things should be standard.

[@javajav3004]

great deal

[@mallowmallow7542]

Dude did you lost in a time traveling machine? It's so enjoyable to listen to you for details of an old corolla. Most people just like, it's an old corolla, that's it, all the details don't matter. But you treat it like a car that is just announced, which I find so enjoyable and funny.

[@BrandonStellmach]

😂 it’s a great car! And a lot of people under estimate some of cars, and some of its old quirky features!

[@lolauup]

S is totally worth it. Alwaaaaays. Fully loaded alwaaaays. I've never even noticed an XRS model before!

[@handsomeharold5726]

the XRS has the 2.4L straight line 4 cylinder engine from the Camry of the time. It also came with a 5 speed transmission instead of 4 speed. That engine burns oil though and the recall period on it is over so it can be a bit of a maintenance liability if you get one that never got that service. other than that its a great little car, especially if you are a highway driver

[@BrandonStellmach]

Yeah I agree! Always try to get the fully loaded version! And the XRS version wasn’t as popular. And that’s probably why Toyota discontinued them in 2010.

[@Pallidus_Rider]

Looking forward to your next video 👍

[@BrandonStellmach]

👍 👍

[@kylemosey3819]

I have an 09 xrs 5 speed. Best car ever

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s awesome! I have yet to experience the 10th gen XRS.

[@jamesgroves6579]

Been watching all your videos for years

[@BrandonStellmach]

Thank you! Appreciate it!

[@javajav3004]

Straight to the point good job

[@BrandonStellmach]

Thank you!

[@ninjafjc13]

6:00 just wait till bro sees himself in the future with his cool new steering wheel.

[@BrandonStellmach]

😂 I know much of an upgrade I have now!

[@Gruacorrea]

The microphone that you have on the gauge cluster is for the original Bluetooth that is on front of the of your shifter.

[@BrandonStellmach]

Yeah I figured it out. It was called blu-Logic. I would have thought they would have made it look a little more OEM, instead of sticking a microphone in the middle like that.

[@Gruacorrea]

Your car is the first one that I see that is a S model with xrs seats, here in PR the come with diferent seats

[@BrandonStellmach]

@@Gruacorrea that’s interesting, from what I know these seats are stock in this car. Corollas must be optioned different from the US to PR.

[@sajidcummings9595]

You can also find a couple S models option with no wing and if you want to add fog lights on the Corolla all you need is the switch and the relay wires are there already also, you can add OEM keyless entry. All you need is the rear module in the C pillar and the trunk latch and just need to program the key fob and have a locksmith cut and programmed the chip

[@handsomeharold5726]

you can also add cruise control to any corolla of that generation, all the leads are in the steering wheel. same with the wing. you just have to drill the holes and run the wire down into the trunk and the connector for the break light is there on the right hand side under the lid liner. as far as my research into the subject goes, it looks like fog light leads arnt universal on the cars though, so you may only be able to add them on models it could be optioned with

[@ProjectBlackweather]

The foglight leads aren't universal, unfortunately. I have the leads in my fender well, but there's no terminal at all in the relay block. (I tried to post with an imgur link to show exactly what I'm talking about, but KZbin thinks it's a spam link or s/t and won't let me post it.)

[@ProjectBlackweather]

@@handsomeharold5726 Yeah, I'm one of the unlucky people who can't add them OEM style because the relay block literally doesn't have the terminal connections for the relay to sit in. Which is a bummer because I'd rather do OEM...

[@handsomeharold5726]

@@ProjectBlackweather yeah... id really like to add them to my car cause I live in a very foggy area, but I dont want to get into splicing the wiring harness and making it an electrical mess my mechanic wont touch 🙃 is there somewhere I can dm you to see the pictures you were talking about? Im curious if there is some way around this issue in the relay box

[@sajidcummings9595]

Yes, for the cruise control you just have to add the steering wheel controls on the 09-10 and the fog light relay is behind the AC controls. There’s two blocks with relays there. You have to add the the relay and add the OEM headlight switch with fog light switch integrated you can run OEM fog lights then most times even on the 2001 through 2008

[@PyroTallahassee]

The only thing I don't like about mine is that it's a fwd other than that, perfect

[@BrandonStellmach]

It these corollas were RWD, that would make for a perfect car!

[@raffkaisa]

My 2009 LE came with the same tweeters that you have. idk if its because mine was built in japan instead of the us or something but it had those tweeters from the factory.

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s interesting. Never thought they could be optioned with it. But maybe the Japan versions were optioned slightly different. I know many corollas were manufactured in Canada.

[@raffkaisa]

@@BrandonStellmach I got curious and started looking at a bunch of other LE models online and it looks like they also came with the basic wheels with the plastic cover when mine came with the alloy wheels. i tried seeing of it was a region thing but i couldn't find much so i cant say for sure if its because its a japan built model. I know for sure mine is also a japan built LE because the vin starts with J

[@BrandonStellmach]

@@raffkaisa seems that you have a pretty rare spec LE.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I had no problem finding S models with a 5-speed transmission. My interior is a light grey on top. Yours has the newer gauge cluster although I actually prefer the ones in my 2009. And the JBL system was night and day better than the standard 4 or 6 speaker sound systems. The speakers and amp made a huge difference. I see yours doesn't have the BT controls on the right side of the steering wheel. It's nice that you have the nicer leather steering wheel, I love it. The 10th Gen XRS had 158hp compared to the 132hp of the 1.8L 2ZR-FE. The XRS was designed to be easier to drive around town than the 9th Gen with the 2ZZ since it had a lot more torque. It gave up HP but the better torque made it better for most people since the average person didn't rev the engine like us enthusiasts do! 🤣 I test drove both when I bought mine new and it didn't feel much quicker but it got a lot worse MPG so in the long run I'm glad that I went with the S and the 1.8L. Now after turbocharging mine it has a lot more power than the XRS and still gets much better MPG. Win x 2.

[@BrandonStellmach]

It was probably a lot easier to find them when they were relatively new. Now many don’t have the S manual for sale because people who probably bought them new still have them and don’t plan to sell them! But I have heard many people say the 2.4L is much worse on gas and doesn’t feel any faster. It seems that Toyota flopped on the 10th gen corolla. But having the boosted corolla gives you pretty much all the power you need for the 1.8L.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@BrandonStellmach Yep, turbocharging the 2ZR-FE is beautiful thing. More power, more fun, and still great MPG while cruising.

[@handsomeharold5726]

idk if you know this or not, but some of the 2010s came with black trim on the media consol. My 2010 CE did. you may be able to salvage the pieces at a junk yard and swap them in if thats something you care about!

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s interesting, is the CE model a Canadian version? Maybe that’s why they are slightly different then the US models. But I have been thinking about upgrading to do a full black interior.

[@handsomeharold5726]

@@BrandonStellmach mine is a Canadian built car yeah. Idk if thats a diffrence between all canadian and american 10th gens or not

[@josephang2156]

I have a 09 S (Canadian). It came in matte black in the center console. I wrapped it in gloss black and came out good. Is it a Canadian thing that you cannot turn off the lights at night? Cannot even put parking light at night the headlights will stay on no matter where you set the dial.

[@BrandonStellmach]

@@josephang2156 the US models are the same way. Once it gets dark enough outside, they automatically come on and I cannot turn them off.

[@user-vv1ct7wm6k]

I have a 10.5th gen Corolla here in China with the same 2ZR engine but coupled with a CVT gearbox and has 138horsepower, it isn't super fast but still has enough power to have some fun. Hope I can swap it with a 6 speed gearbox that comes with there Corolla here

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s awesome! I would love to swap mine out to the 6 speed transmission as well!

[@user-vv1ct7wm6k]

@@BrandonStellmach I think the 6spd on the 11th gen Corolla in the US is the same one we can get here in China, and maybe it can be swapped onto the 10th gen Corolla in the US, but I'm not so sure about that since US 10th gen has a slightly different chassis

[@jenna_jayy]

Brandon, I have to ask how much money do you think you spent on your base model switching it to more of an S style and adding all the mods you did. I’ve commented before that I am really inspired by your Corolla journey and I just bought my base model last month. It’s white so unfortunately there some issues with the paint chipping, which notorious for Toyota. I want to keep it white and add some red and black accent.S eventually but in the meantime, I’m doing small stuff that your videos help me get ideas for. Big fan. Thank you so much.

[@alexc977]

Just wanted to say that the tweeters are not only on the s model. My 2013 le also has all 6. I also have all of the steering wheel controls and no crank windows (drivers is auto)

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s interesting, maybe on the 10.5 gen they added a few features to the other models compared to the normal 10th gen 2009-2010.

[@alexc977]

@@BrandonStellmach I believe so. I also have heated front seats although I’m not sure if that’s also only the 10.5. Love the content man!

[@henrytzul-lacan1627]

I got vland headlights for my 10.5 gen corolla that look nice af but u would need to change ur whole front bumper

[@BrandonStellmach]

I was going to do that on my last corolla, because I love the way the VLAND headlights look.

[@corveus85]

My '12 base model has the 6 speakers and has the black cover around the shifter

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s interesting. Is yours a US spec? Or Canadian?

[@corveus85]

@@BrandonStellmach Canadian model. Btw, love your channel. Been getting ideas on how to mod my corolla from your vids. It's the same colour as your previous model too (r.i.p.)

[@ponger4304]

With the 2009 corolla you had I remember you installed a pretty nice steering wheel cover that you had to hand sew. Would it be worth it to do the same to this one or is the leather wheel good enough for you?

[@BrandonStellmach]

The leather steering wheel is great! But I still will probably add the steering wheel cover or try to find an upgraded steering wheel soon!

[@OGMAC73]

The only thing I like from the S is the body kit, and the motor is stronger than the LE but I love my LE

[@BrandonStellmach]

The biggest thing I like about the S is the black interior. On my other corolla I hated that is was tan.

[@jaredhernandez2313]

Can you please paint the headliner/pillars black. PLEASE (Also maybe get 10.5 gen S steering wheel??)

[@BrandonStellmach]

I plan on trying to paint the upper portion black soon!

[@Deuces.]

I have the 2012 corolla S model and it didnt come with a sunroof 😭

[@Tacoman0129]

I hear ya mang lol

[@FT9chango5]

Same

[@BrandonStellmach]

Surprising I was able to find like 6 corolla S models with a sun roof and a manual transmission within 150 mile radius from me. Maybe in Florida they are more common then other places.

[@JohnMichaelSimonDesuyo]

Do you have a link on a front dash panel for AC of the s model

[@shadowcustomaudio5654]

You know damn well it is worth it

[@BrandonStellmach]

Exactly! 👍

[@alexistheriault8389]

i have a 2010 s and i don’t have the leds speedometer

[@BrandonStellmach]

Just out of curiosity, Are you from Canada, I know the Models are slightly different from the US.

[@hollylaw8272]

can you add tweeters to a 2009 LE model? Also, what radio upgrade do you recommend... I would love for her to have rear view camera. My daughter's LE came with the leather steering wheel and cruise control. It is an automatic with power windows and locks. The dash is charcoal grey but the seats and floor and ceiling are that tan look. One of the issues I have to get to right now is the windshield wiper hoses. A mouse chewed it all up and I have to replace the hoses. And I need to do an oil change and get an alignment... the tires seem off.

[@BrandonStellmach]

Yes you can, I actually did it on my last corolla. Here is the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iobdm4KkZsRkq9U As for a radio I have been using iDoing radios for the last couple years and they have been great, being able to add Apple CarPlay and a nice big touch screen really brings the car up to date with all the current cars. Dang that sucks about the mouse chewing on the hose, but luckily those are simple to replace!

[@hollylaw8272]

@@BrandonStellmach If you need video content ideas... would love a windshield water hose tutorial! :)

[@steventsk5893]

Hi, im from Malaysia, im owned a 10.5 gen of corolla which has a white color background meter cluster n love it much... Recently my wiper water doesn't function well, motors is running but the water didn't spray out, hope maybe someone know wat is the problem

[@BrandonStellmach]

For the wiper fluid, I would double check and make sure the nozzles are not clogged. Best way to check is to un do the nozzles and see if the pressure is any better.

[@Talkwithmeche]

I need to focus on my corolla

[@BrandonStellmach]

I have been waiting for some corolla content!

[@Talkwithmeche]

@@BrandonStellmach I know I know im.coming with it next week

[@GabrielMcDuck]

the corolla has an arrow on the rear view mirror

[@BrandonStellmach]

What do you mean it has an arrow?

[@10thgenrolla]

Crank window gang here 🤝😂

[@BrandonStellmach]

Hell yeah! 😂 They were on my last corolla and they were not to bad!

[@jeromepascual10]

The 2013 ce is so slow compared to 2006 ce. It drives me nuts lol

[@BrandonStellmach]

That’s weird? They have the same power. Maybe the gearing is different and makes it seem faster.

[@fly-zq9qn]

I see you don't have the idoin radio anymore is new one better?

[@BrandonStellmach]

I just updated it, this radio was one that was in the car when I bought it!

[@andhylopez166]

Where are you gonna get an upgraded clutch for the turbo kit install?

[@BrandonStellmach]

I have the upgraded clutch. I just need to get tune to install it!

[@alejandrobonilla9150]

Is that touch screen radio any good im trying to get myself one i have that same corolla in automatic

[@BrandonStellmach]

The one I have now is okay, it came with the car when I bought it. I have been having problems getting my steering wheel controls to link all of them. But the one I had in my last corolla was great! And worked really good. It was an iDoing head unit.

[@alejandrobonilla9150]

@@BrandonStellmach thank you brother i will definitely look into that idoing radio appreciate you

[@BrandonStellmach]

No problem, and if you are curious how they are, I have a few videos on my channel that show how to install and talk about how they work.

[@Trenchbaby616]

What % do you get on your tints?

[@BrandonStellmach]

I am not exactly sure. It was on the car already. But I would assume around 25-35 percent.

[@wronggg]

Got the same car. I'm getting worse MPG the lower the fuel tank goes. Even driving conservatively I get 25 MPG. Any ideas what could be causing this? No check engine light. Thanks for any help.

[@Tacoman0129]

Highway driving or city driving ?

[@hopefulzennial9493]

I get around 30 average mpg, I have a cat-back exhaust lol not sure but it has helped me get better gas mileage

[@raiderznation]

Check if air intake is dirty and check your sparks plugs. Could be something with fuel pump but that may throw a cel if it's majorly throwing off the afr.

[@wronggg]

@@raiderznation Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking something within tank most likely. Almost wish it'd give me check engine light to point me in right direction.

[@raiderznation]

@@wronggg if you get a scan tool that can view real time data maybe you can spot something out of the ordinary

[@PP-zc2pe]

Does this model have a decorative screen?

[@BrandonStellmach]

The upgraded JBL system, I believe comes with a touch screen and navigation.

[@GraveyardWarden]

Hope u ripped off the borla to put on this. Looks great on the S

[@BrandonStellmach]

I did take it off. But I don’t have it anymore since I boosted my last corolla. So I have my 3” exhaust to put on here when I put the turbo on!

[@petermuniz9296]

S is for sport right

[@BrandonStellmach]

Yes it means sport. Which really just gives it a sport body kit. And the engine stays stock.

[@gyasijeffrey7574]

Sunroof videos to come?

[@BrandonStellmach]

👍 👍