i remember i rented a corolla once... the prefacelift one, and was quite impressed... zippy little motor, pretty bland, but very toyota like interior... wasnt too bad

the sportivo has the same running gear as the top of line late model celica... ive heard the gearing isnt right for the motor, it drops out of powerband at times... and no lsd which is a pain, but ive heard one in full flight and man, what a noise...

not in the same league as the euro in terms of performance in my opinion, but the it really does come down to what kind of car you want... the euro is a lovely cruiser