Toyota AE101 series drag coefficient

[BLSTIC]

Hey all, considering the purchase of a new car when I get to NZ and so far the AE101 series of corolla ticks most of the right boxes. Except power, but a wrx is also on the cards. But that would damn the fuel economy to hell...

But back to my point. I can't find the drag coefficients for the different variants anywhere. I mean what's the difference between a Ceres, Levin, and a normal 4-door corolla? The weight is easy enough to find, with a 50kg spread amongst the three (Corolla 1040kg, Levin 1090kg, Ceres 1080kg). Which is almost worth chasing but I prefer the look of the Levin and Ceres over the normal 4-door model. And the Ceres looks pretty damn slippery except for curves around the rear of the car.

I mean the choice of vehicle won't be based purely on aerodynamics but if there's a significant difference it may be a factor.

Thanks
Ben

[Sven7]

Wikipedia lists '93-'98 Corolla drag as 0.30 Cd but doesn't list anything for coupes. They'll probably be a bit better.

'93 Corolla DX has 6.79 sq ft (0.631 m2) of frontal area.

Don't expect anything below 0.29.

[NeilBlanchard]

The frontal area cannot be that small - maybe you meant the CdA is 6.79sq ft?

[Sven7]

Sorry yeah, it's CdA

[BLSTIC]

Hmmm. Because the ceres is a 4 door that appears (by looks alone) to have a lower roof line and less windscreen angle than the normal car. I'll have another look when I get home from work.

[Sven7]

Windscreen angle rarely makes an appreciable difference. The Ceres does appear to have a gentler angle on the rear window, though, which may perform a bit better.

Get whatever gets the best hwy economy stock, then aeromod it. Rear window angles can be solved with a well-done Kammback, but if you start with a gas guzzler it's harder to change it to a gas-miser (but you know this).

Looks like E100 Corollas were offered in 2.0L diesel form. Might be worth checking out.

[H-Man]

Ae101 driver reporting in. (The prizm is a corolla except for the dash, hood, grill, headlamps, and tail lights. Everything else is interchangeable with the corolla.)

Get the manual transaxle, put Amsoil MTG in the gearbox (you normally won't need to change the oil in the transaxle so it is cheap in cost per mile, most GL5 oils will make this gearbox grind) check the distributor for pitting of rotor and cap (replace if necessary, replace wires if you replace cap or rotor,) change the plugs, clean the throttle body, change the oil and filter, replace the PCV valve, check the Oxygen sensor, replace the thermostat and hoses, flush the clutch, brake, and power steering fluid, and you should be set for an easy to maintain car.

[BLSTIC]

Not worth checking out in NZ though until they change the tax laws. NZ diesels are taxed per km, not per litre of fuel like every other country, and they are taxed as if all diesel vehicles below 4.5 tonne are 60-series landcruisers. I.e. f***tons. It effectively adds 4l/100km to your actual economy, so unless the diesel version is in the threes on the highway, it isn't worth it to pay more and use less fuel.