Levin

E92

Because I'm interested in cars, I must put my hands up and say that I have absolutely no idea about this car.

I'm familiar with most of the grey imports we have on our roads, and with the type of people who buy them, but this is one car I really know nothing about. I mean I know the difference between a Glanza and a Glanza Turbo, and I know what kind of Skylines there are, and I know about Altezzas and how different they are to an IS200.

I mean I know that the AE86 was a Corolla Levin,and I know the difference between an AE86 and an AE85, and I know it was RWD and all that, but what about all the Levins/Truenos that have come since?

Are they still RWD? Or as the name suggests based on the Corolla?

I know about the engines though(the 20V 4A-GE lump, and the supercharged one), but thats it.

And are they any good? Because a lot of the modified car crew have them and I'm wondering what do they see about this car that I don't?

Tanabe

E92 wrote: »

Because I'm interested in cars, I must put my hands up and say that I have absolutely no idea about this car.

I'm familiar with most of the grey imports we have on our roads, and with the type of people who buy themQUOTE]

I'm fascinated by such a comment, please expand....!

Quint

Tanabe wrote:

I'm fascinated by such a comment, please expand....!

Skangers drive them

Anan1

*gets popcorn*

AlanAhern

Quint wrote: »

Skangers drive them

As someone with a university degree and who drives such a car i would love to know what you define as a skanger?

Caliden

AlanAhern wrote: »

As someone with a university degree and who drives such a car i would love to know what you define as a skanger?

Someone who drives any of the cars mentioned in the OP.

For someone with a university degree you're not that quick are you?

Quint

Caliden wrote: »

Someone who drives any of the cars mentioned in the OP.

For someone with a university degree you're not that quick are you?

cantdecide

E92, thread is a write off. Enquire again in about a month when they've all fell off they're high horses.

I took it to mean young motoring enthusiasts. I've been known to fancy the odd Levin and I've also been known to not have a clue about them.

JHMEG

Levins weren't too popular in Japan, but seem to be a hit here. There's always a market for smallish engined high-bhp-per-litre cars here, preferably in coupe form, and I would say the Levin has replaced the Integra Si/SiR-G to an extent (the rectangular lights on that car from '95 on are not popular here).

Civic Coupe VTI is another similar alternative, but I reckon the UK has been sucked dry of them. I see 3 on a daily basis near where I live yet I drove 900 miles across the UK and back recently and didn't see a single one.

If the Mirage Cyborg ZR had a better name and didn't look slightly girly it'd be more popular I reckon, as would the pretty ugly Pulsar VZR.

So.. Levins are powerful for what you're getting, young lads seem to prefer Japanese, there's a good supply of them, and they're moderately priced. They're FWD btw.

G Luxel

A Levin is not necessarily a Corolla Coupe. The same name is also used on Corolla hatchbacks in South Africa. And in Japan the word is pronouced Rabin. There hasnt been any new Trueno/Levin since 2000.

Biro

The 1.6 is probably the key attraction, as Hibernian started insuring anything up to a 1.6 for young drivers.
There's nothing wrong with them apart from being a little too high in the ratings list.

colm_mcm

Any imports we'll get here will be from Japan as opposed to South Africa.

Very little info online, but I know Levins started out in the early 70's.

Volvoboy

They seem nice enough oul bus, 20 valve in a 1.6 cant really go wrong, personally not into the whole modding them genre, keep it stock and sweet!



-VB-

colm_mcm

the standard ones aren't that fast, only about 120bhp. Don't see the appeal when you consider how relatively expensive they are to buy and insure.

Atomic Pineapple

colm_mcm wrote: »

the standard ones aren't that fast, only about 120bhp. Don't see the appeal when you consider how relatively expensive they are to buy and insure.

the official rating is 170bhp but it is well know that this is optimistic at best, especially on our 95 ron petrol, it is more likely to be between 140 - 150 bhp

Tanabe

OP - From what I know of Levins, I hear you're better off getting the super strut suspension model, but they are very costly to repair should you have any difficulty with them.

I'd say you would be better off searching one of the modified cars websites for discussions on the Levin, I've seen some going on before.

I'd say alot of young lads are buying them as they can insure them easier than say, a Type R. Mind you, some Levins can really look well, if that's what you're into.

JHMEG

Tanabe wrote: »

OP - From what I know of Levins, I hear you're better off getting the super strut suspension model,

Only as long as it comes with a diesel BMW straight six:D

FX Meister

BMW made engines for Levins? Wow, you learn something new everyday.

colm_mcm

I hope you realise my sig has an invisible :rolleyes: and shouldn't be taken seriously. Nice rewoking though!

draffodx wrote: »

the official rating is 170bhp but it is well know that this is optimistic at best, especially on our 95 ron petrol, it is more likely to be between 140 - 150 bhp

Theres more than one engine option on them though isn't there?

Marcus.Aurelius

AlanAhern wrote: »

As someone with a university degree and who drives such a car i would love to know what you define as a skanger?

You mean skangers never go to college?? *gets notepad and pen*

What degree did you get, O wise skanger??

Atomic Pineapple

colm_mcm wrote: »

Theres more than one engine option on them though isn't there?

possibly, i only researched the 170bhp rated version when i was looking to change my car, seems to be the most popular and common version.

the super strut version is the one to go for but be prepared to have 1k saved up to have it redone when it breaks

dcGT

Some more details:

Latest & last model: AE111 4A-GE 20V Twin Cam (with VVT that kicks in at approx. 4400 RPM)
There was of course the supercharged Levin the mid early/mid 90s, but this was superceded by the 20V version of the 4A-GE. I think the AE86 Levin started out as a 4A-GE 1.6 16V twin cam in the 80s.

The BZ-R spec is the one to go for:
6 speed close ratio box, limited slip diff, ABS, FWD, independent throttle bodies, factory strut brace, superstrut suspension,oil cooled pistons and all the usual japanese toys
Official power figures: 165BHP @ 7800RPM (but not on 95 RON!)

Other (lower specs) include BZ-G/BZ-V, but all have the same motors (except the older 1.5 version)

High compression ratio (11:1) makes good use of 98 RON if you can get it

There are blacktop and silvertop versions of the powerplant. Blacktop is slightly more advanced with lighter internals and slight changes to the VVT function (combination of manifold pressure, RPM, and minimum coolant temperature.) Most spec sheets give it an extra 5 BHP.

The 4A-GE block has a proven history and is a stable base. Toyota worked with Yamaha to perfect the 20 valve configuration (3 inlet valves, 2 exhaust valves per cylinder). An mentioned, one of the few weak points on the Levin is the superstrut suspension; it's essentially a hybrid of independent and mcphearson suspension. On smooth Japanese roads, it's fantastic, but this setup takes an awful pounding on pothole-ridden Irish roads and tends to wear prematurely. Many enthusiasts have put the 4A-GE 20V into the AE86 Levins (RWD) as well as old MR2s

Truenos & Levins are just cosmetically different. For example, on the AE111, they have different rear light clusters. On the old AE86s, the trueno was the one with the popup headlamps I think.

Take a look here for more info:
http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/toyota/corolla_levin/

Interesting comparison here between an AE111 Levin, a Pulsar and Civic. Although not the fastest or most powerful, the Levin does make up for it in the bends. The camber control part of the superstrut suspension provides a better contact patch when cornering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju7XtrblFTQ&NR=1

Just the facts, mam.

DC.

Ernie Ball

Why have they given the car a Jewish surname?

What's next, the Nissan Shapiro?:D

E92

JHMEG wrote: »

Only as long as it comes with a diesel BMW straight six:D

BMW straight 6 Petrols do the job fine for me thank you very much, but thats only because I haven't driven a diesel 6 pot BMW:D. And even a 6 pot diesel BMW doesn't sound half as good as its 6 pot petrol sibling, but it sounds good for a diesel all the same with a bit of revs.

To all those who answered my question thank you very much.

I've no interest in buying a Levin, I just simply wanted to know what people think is so great about them that we see loads of them and their sister Trueno on the roads.

My own opinion on the Levin: It looks as sh1te on the inside as practically every other Japmobile not designed for the European market. They're completely overpriced for what you're getting. You could have a beautiful E46 or E39 BMW for the amount of money some of the 99 and 00 Levins are going for.

Its boring on the outside too(well I knew that already). The more and more I see of them, the more and more I see that there is a strong resemblence to them and the Corolla. Not a good thought.

They sound like a fast car though, on the plus side.