The Toyota Corolla is a humble car. It found its place in the world as simple transportation for the masses. Five doors, four cylinders, and a safe, comfortable ride. Except, once upon a time, Toyota thought maybe it needed more grunt, and it achieved that in the most ridiculous way possible.
Meet the Toyota Blade Master G. On the outside, it looks like a Corolla that’s been mildly worked over with some neat custom pieces. It’s got different headlights and taillights for a start, what looks like a mildly sporty bodykit, and even some chrome trim on the grille. All hints that there’s something special going on here.
The magic of the Blade Master is more than skin deep, however. Pop open the hood and you’ll find the real gem—a massive V6 engine squeezed in where you’d never expect to find one. The classic muscle car formula—big engine, small car—but with a Japanese flavor.
More Complex Than You Think
Before we get to the big brawler Blade, we should look at where it came from. It all started with the end of the Corolla hatch. Yes, believe it or not—the Toyota Corolla hatchback sort of died in 2006. In its place, Toyota started building the Auris instead, a compact hatch that was derived from the E150 Corolla. The Auris was the replacement for the Corolla hatch in Europe and Japan.
It was the same story in Australia and New Zealand, too, except Toyota just kept calling them Corollas to keep things simple. Meanwhile, America got the Matrix instead—officially known as the Corolla Matrix, only nobody ever really called it that.
As is the way with so many Japanese automakers, Toyota had different names for more luxurious versions of its regular vehicles. There was of course the Toyota Sprinter, which was a sportier Corolla, which was eventually replaced by the Allex. In 2006, when the Toyota Auris hit the market, the upscale version was also released, known as the Toyota Blade.
Where the Auris was sold exclusively at Corolla Store and NETZ Store dealerships in Japan, the Blade was only available at Toyota Store and Toyopet Store locations. The Blade was intended to be a bit more sporty and a bit more luxurious, but leaned more towards the latter.
When it first dropped in 2006, the Blade had a 2.4-liter inline four. It was the 2AZ-FE, which starred in a wide range of Toyotas, including the RAV4, Camry, and even the Scion xB. This engine netted 164 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque.
These weren’t crazy high numbers, but it was a sporty leap above what you might find in a regular Auris hatch. Low-end models of the Auris made do with a 1.5-liter inline four good for just 108 horsepower, while even the beefier 1.8-liter RS model only got 145 hp.
A 2.4-liter engine was pretty big for a Corolla, even if Toyota had given it a funny name now. However, the power wasn’t huge, and you wouldn’t really have called the Blade a hot hatch. For one thing, Toyota had paired the engine with a CVT automatic gearbox—not exactly the boy racer’s choice. Indeed, the Blade traded on a more adult image of comfort, luxury, and a smooth ride. Power was “ample”—adequate, but not extreme.
Notably, the Blade could also be had with all-wheel-drive. This was of particular appeal to the Japanese market, where wet and snowy conditions are common. Indeed, the Blade was very much built specifically for Japan, and was never sold in any other markets worldwide.
Bigger, Please
If I’m honest, I didn’t come here to write about a Corolla with a middling four-cylinder engine, and that’s not why you’re here, either. You want to know about the big one. And the big one was called the Blade Master.
The Blade Master dropped a year after the Blade, and the concept was simple. Toyota’s engineers took the hefty 3.5-liter 2GR-FE V6 out of the Toyota Camry, and stuffed it into the compact engine bay of the Corolla-derived Blade.
The engine was originally designed for Toyota’s larger models; it had previously shown up in the RAV4, Avalon, and even the chunky Highlander SUV. Despite this, it fit rather nicely in the confined engine bay of a compact hatch.
The double-overhead cam V6 had a lofty power output of 276 horsepower—bumping right up against the limit set by Japan’s gentleman’s agreement (280 PS in reality). Some have stated the real figure was higher—Iron Chef Imports estimates that it put out closer to 300 hp in reality. It delivered 253 pound-feet of torque, to boot—almost double that of the Aurus it was based on! The engine was paired with the same six-speed automatic found in the contemporary Camry and Avalon [Ed Note: Womp womp. -DT]. Unlike the baby four-cylinder Blade, the Blade Master was only available in front-wheel-drive.
Those figures were enough to give the Blade Master G some serious thrust. Officially, Toyota stated the Blade Master G would do zero to 60 mph in approximately 5.8 seconds. However, word on the street is that sub-five second times are achievable with the right launch technique. Top speed was an electronically-limited 112 mph (180 km/h), as was the style in Japan at the time.
As an obscure aside, to hit its full power figure, you had to run premium unleaded gasoline. Toyota notes in the brochure that regular unleaded is fine, you just won’t get the full performance from the engine. The difference is likely minor—other Toyota vehicles running the 2GR-FE engine were rated at 268 hp when running on regular gasoline.
You might expect that the bigger engine came with a big weight penalty, but it’s not as bad as you think. The four-cylinder Blade weighed 3,086 pounds, or 3,218 if you opted for the all-wheel-drive system. Meanwhile, the Blade Master with the V6 weighed just 3,240 pounds, or 3,262 pounds if you went for the more luxurious G trim. Fundamentally, the V6 might have a lot more displacement, but it’s still a mdoern aluminum block design, and thus it’s not actually that much heavier than the inline four.
The Blade Master was not a lead arrow by any means, but still, a hot hatch, it wasn’t. It was fast, but the power delivery was smooth rather than explosive. It would spin the tires (or hit the traction control) quite easily in even slightly damp conditions, though. In a 2010 review, Stuff noted that the Blade Master had some obvious limits:
It’s dependent on how often you take advantage of its power to weight ratio, which in damp conditions won’t be often, as in rain, the BladeMaster G does a remarkable impression of a labrador trying to gain traction on a lino floor.
Scrabbling for grip with the traction control light blinking in the dash and torque-steer giving the steering wheel the feel of a writhing snake, it’s rather less fun. Roundabouts are demonstrations in understeer, and it pays to be a tenderfoot with any power applications with this car.
Handling was also not the model’s strong point. It was a comfortable cruiser and steered well enough, but it was worlds away from pointier models like the VW Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST. A track car, this wasn’t—it was too plush and cosy for that.
It’s a shame, perhaps, that Toyota didn’t develop an all-wheel-drive solution for the Blade Master. It might have added a few hundred pounds, but it would have made altogether better use of that mighty horsepower and torque. One can imagine a few angry ponies dancing through the rear wheels would have added quite a lot of mid-corner excitement, but that’s not what Toyota was going for.
Luxury was more the go for the Blade Master, and particularly the top-tier G spec model. It could be had with a leather interior (including brown!), an 11-speaker sound system with CD-changer, navigation system, automatic climate control—and even radar cruise control! That was still pretty special back in 2007, and a lot of cars on the market today still go without it.
Really, this was a car that combined comfort with speed, without worrying about things like aggressive cornering, downforce, or Nürburgring laptimes. All that would be pretty understandable for a mid-sized luxury sedan—but it’s rare that you ever see this kind of treatment given to a car in the hatchback segment.
Ultimately, the Blade Master would only remain in production from 2007 to 2012. At that point, a new generation Auris was hitting the market, based on the E170 Corolla platform. It’s believed less than 3,000 examples were built, making this not just an incredibly powerful Corolla, but an incredibly rare one, too.
Weird In Context
The thing about the Blade Master was simply how unique it was—both at the time, and today. In 2007, there was one other major player in this space—it was the Volkswagen Golf R32. The Germans had put a 3.2-liter VR6 engine in the front of a small hatch, but they’d gone the more obvious route. The R32 was absolutely a hot hatch, through and through. While it wasn’t as nimble as a lighter GTI, it put on a good show nonetheless. It was also celebrated for its rather stunning engine note—much racier than what you’d get from a Blade Master. Still, it was down on power, delivering only 247 hp to the Toyota’s official 276 hp.
It’s worth noting just how much power the Blade Master really had for its era. Back in 2007, even the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf GTI had just 200 hp. You had to look at much hotter stuff to get close; even the turbocharged Mazdaspeed 3 could only muster 263 hp in comparison. Heck, fast-forward to 2020 and the Toyota GR Yaris was only putting out 268 hp. The GR Corolla finally took the mantle as the most powerful Corolla when it launched with 300 hp a full two years later.
Ultimately, The Toyota Blade Master is a wonderful example of what happens when an automaker sticks a big engine in a compact body. It’s just a particularly weird example because it’s not focused on outright performance or sporting potential. It’s got all the hallmarks of a premium sedan, just in a body you’re more used to seeing hauling a bunch of kids to Walmart. It’s a strange and beautiful world we live in.
Image credits: Toyota, Grays Online, Lewin Day
19 yo daughter drives a 2009 Vibe (Matrix w/o the Toyota tax). It is a perfectly respectable small wagon, more spacious than it looks.
My sister’s first car was a 2003 Vibe that she got in ’07 or ’08 – she got rid of it just last year and only because somebody hit it while parked. The only thing she ever did to that car outside of wear items was replace a wheel bearing and an exterior door handle.
I just replaced the belt and all the fluids, found a failing coolant fitting ($7.99). If you want to run a car forever, just buy a damn Toyota (this has 261,000 miles). The paint is rough on the hood and roof but no mentionable rust (western PA).
I did a fast brake overhaul, plus plugs, coils and air filter when bought, passed PA inspection on first try. ( I bet the CEL was a misfire based on the code).
Years ago I would see a Vibe around town with a custom license plate that said “RATOR”. It always gave me a hearty laugh.
Wow – This is pretty cool!
The only thing that would have made this better is if they had called it the “Master Blade”
Ahh yes the 2GR-FE – this was an absolute riot of a powerplant in the RAV4 I had (with AWD). Averaging 24mpg on the highway made it as efficient as my 2nd Gen CR-V. Agreed that not having AWD would’ve made this way more difficult in putting that power down, particularly in something with a likely higher front weight distribution.
The only Achilles heal to this engine is the water pump location, which I believe required loosening the engine mounts and propping it at an angle to be able to access it. The dealership that took care of mine must’ve had a tech who knew exactly how to do this as it was only like $800 compared to the average quotes I saw that were more like $1400 to do.
Yeah, the engine is even called 2GR 😛
Toyota should’ve rated it “276 hp” on regular wink wink 😉
GM and Chrysler used to offer a V6 on their “small” cars up until the mid 90s. As late as 94, you could get a V6 Cavalier or a V6 Shadow.
If Toyota didn’t want to put that V6 in a US-market Corolla, they should’ve let GM have it and call it a Chevy Prizm SS LOL
This reminds me that we once owned a 2007 Auris with the 2.2 turbo diesel. 180 or so hp and I can’t remember how much torque but it was a lot. Fast in a straight line and off roundabouts but really not that enjoyable a car.
So it’s the Benihana special edition
I am Vinz Corolla, the Blade Master. Are you the Gatekeeper?
The Toyota Beyblade