> I purchased a Toyota last year and magically get updates and phone calls about scheduling maintenance. This means the car is sending data to the mothership without anyone realizing it.
No, it doesn't, at least not necessarily.
I also bought a Toyota last year. They called on a regular timed schedule that had nothing to do with my actual usage pattern. We got a call to come in for our 5,000 mile service when we'd just completed the 10,000 mile service.
It may be a feature of the higher-end models, but it's definitely not something the 2015/2016 Corollas seem to do.