by TripleBlack » Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:04 pm
If I'm not mistaken, the differences are primarily cosmetic. To the best of my knowledge, these are all them...
Redesigned headlights - I think the lenses look nicer, but that's a matter of opinion. As a matter of fact, though, the low beams and high beams are now seperate bulbs. Using only stock lights, the more recent set up is brighter.
Redesigned front bumper and grill - The bumper is different to accomodate the different headlights. I think the grill is the same size and shape, but looks nicer. Again, this is merely opinion. Functionally, I don't think either have been improved.
Redesigned fog lights - They're slimmer in the 1.5 than in the 1. These help complete the look up front which is all together slightly more aggresive, in much the same way that baseball is more aggresive than softball. In other words, the differences are not drastic. =)
Moved buttons - Specific to the convertible, in the Gen1, the "Traction Off" button is very easy to reach, while the "Roof Open/Close" and "Rear Windows" buttons are somewhat more of a stretch. In the Gen1.5, Toyota realized which buttons receive the majority of usage, and logically swapped their placements. This makes so much sense you have to wonder if they fired the guy who let the first design actually make it into production.
Remote trunk release - In the Gen1, the trunk can be opened only by a lever beneath the driver seat (immediately adjacent to the fuel door release). In the Gen1.5, that lever is gone. Now, it's a button hidden behind the glove compartment door. The latter model also comes with the ability to pop the trunk using the remote. Woo! =)
Redesigned taillights - The newer ones incorporate a little more style than the older ones. As for my favorite between them, I haven't really decided.
DRL controllability - In the Gen1, disabling the day time running lights requires you pull a small whitish/grayish clip apart. It's located inbetween the top of the passenger side front shock tower and firewall; you can't miss it. But, in the Gen1.5, to disable the DRLs, merely rotate the switch on the headlight stalk. This method, of course, has the distinct advantage of being possible without exiting the vehicle.
Chrome Steering Wheel Emblem - Mandarinsolara's post below this one is correct. Thank you for reminding me. I have edited this list accordingly. The emblem on the steering wheel does indeed look much better in the Gen1.5 because it's chrome, unlike in the Gen1, where it's the same as the rest of the steering wheel.
Wood Trim - This was mentioned already in another post, but I actually logged on because I just thought of it. The wood trim on the Gen1.5 is a different color (it's more orange-ish) (not as ugly as it sounds) and there's more of it; the shifter has wood around it. In the Gen1, that isn't the case. Yet again, it's a matter of opinion, but this another area in which I prefer the 1.5. Really, the whole center stack should be wood too. Oh well.
Now, are these differences worth extra mileage? That's up to you. As for myself, when I bought my convertible, my choices were a Gen1 with 60k miles or a Gen1.5 with 44k miles. The difference in price was steeper than it should be. As in, while the Gen1 may have been only slightly inferior, it was also significantly cheaper.
I took the Gen1.5 anyway. But, that's just me. As I said, whether this list affects your decision or not is your call. Try to leep in mind that the single most extreme difference between those two cars is their odometers.
Last edited by
TripleBlack on Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:16 pm, edited 20 times in total.
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