Toyota Corolla Altis (1.4 D-4D) Diesel : Test Drive & Review

[4x4addict]

@greatmana:

Over time, we may find that Chevy maybe as reliable as Toyota. But you must understand that this you don't get a reputation of reliability withing few months of launching the product. It takes years to build this kind of image and the opinions of a handful of us don't matter. The market has to accept that Chevy and Toyota are equal to quality.

You are also right about the mileage of the Altis. It is most likely more hype. Over the long run the Laura and Altis will probably give similar mileage as the Laura engine won't have to be worked as hard as the Altis engine.

What I am suggesting is that Toyota market advantage goes beyond the mileage claim of the Altis. The mileage claim of the Altis maybe a line that they want to highlight on their Brochure, but there are other reasons why people will go for the Altis and that has been clearly written in the review by GTO.

As Mpower said, all we need is competent sedan with about 120/130 bhp and wish Toyota had given us that, but it is what it is and I feel there will be takers for this Altis D.

Sure chevy gives 3 year free maintenance which may end up to be about a 10 to 15k advantage over the Toyota as i don't see any thing more than regular oil/filter changes required for the Altis for the first three years. Modern Common Rail engines need oil changes only every 10 to 15K kms. This 15K savings that the Cruze has over the for maintenance may not be enough to provide a big advantage over the Cruze.

Also since you live in Chennai, we know that pretty much the only two roads where we can do 100+ comfortably is the Trichy Highway and Bangalore highway, but if you drive these road regularly, you know that it is extremely hard to maintain 120+ given the number of silly trucks that keep zig zagging along the highway. The only time I was able to maintain 140+ was when I left for Trichy at 4:00 am and had the highway mostly to my self. Even then it wasn't easy due to the traffic. So realistically 120+ plus cannot be maintained for very long periods in any of our highways in the south due to the traffic and associated risks of bullockcarts and other objects deciding to take sudden u-turns and cross to the village across the highways etc...

[greatmana2000]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

@greatmana:

Over time, we may find that Chevy maybe as reliable as Toyota. But you must understand that this you don't get a reputation of reliability withing few months of launching the product. It takes years to build this kind of image and the opinions of a handful of us don't matter. The market has to accept that Chevy and Toyota are equal to quality.

I do agree that reliability comes over years of product acceptance ,but , I am sure none of them have owned a magnum or any other company vehicle like the jetta , laura , cruze to actually make claims that the toyota is much more reliable . I know quite a few magnum owners who have had trouble free rides for over a lakh kms .



What I am suggesting is that Toyota market advantage goes beyond the mileage claim of the Altis. The mileage claim of the Altis maybe a line that they want to highlight on their Brochure, but there are other reasons why people will go for the Altis and that has been clearly written in the review by GTO.
While GTO has given justice to whatever he has covered in his review he has left off many important points like actual braking distance , , actual mileage figures , spirited highway driving ,acceleration figures ,




Sure chevy gives 3 year free maintenance which may end up to be about a 10 to 15k advantage over the Toyota as i don't see any thing more than regular oil/filter changes required for the Altis for the first three years. Modern Common Rail engines need oil changes only every 10 to 15K kms. This 15K savings that the Cruze has over the for maintenance may not be enough to provide a big advantage over the Cruze.

Maintenance is not only related with respect to the engine , but includes the whole car like lock sets , bulbs , clutches , gearbox ,suspension etc . What i see is the assurance which the company is giving and I think any company would not go to such a length to promote its products when it does not have faith in the product .


Also since you live in Chennai, we know that pretty much the only two roads where we can do 100+ comfortably is the Trichy Highway and Bangalore highway, but if you drive these road regularly, you know that it is extremely hard to maintain 120+ given the number of silly trucks that keep zig zagging along the highway. The only time I was able to maintain 140+ was when I left for Trichy at 4:00 am and had the highway mostly to my self. Even then it wasn't easy due to the traffic. So realistically 120+ plus cannot be maintained for very long periods in any of our highways in the south due to the traffic and associated risks of bullockcarts and other objects deciding to take sudden u-turns and cross to the village across the highways etc...

You have forgotten the kolkatta , vijayawada highway . hehe . I agree one cant maintain 120+ for a long time,but again think of accelerating from 60 to 120 .Think of the times when over taking is necessary at 100 km /hr. That is more important on a highway . I generally try to maintain the car at 120 on highways the reason being because of mileage and I tend to sleep off when i am slower speeds . It just bores to stare at the highway .

[pgsagar]

I see lot of hype surrounding the Altis D. Some one narrated very excitedly in his post above that there is a mad rush to test drive the Altis D at the dealer. Sure, there may be. People may be checking out what all the fuss is about. But all test drives do not tarnslate into sales. In fact many will go back with some bitterness on account of lesser power, what with all those modern diesel scorchers one is used to these days. Because of its novelty, it will sell in good numbers but once Etios arrives, things will change. Yes, Etios will be a super hit. It will pose a serious threat to Dzire. And once Etios becomes a hit, high end buyers will shy away from Altis D-- common engine, see. And one more thing. The much touted fuel efficiency of Altis D is irrelevant because it is more fuel efficient than Cruze or Laura by 0.5 to 1 km/pl. Does it matter so much when power, top speed and acceleration is down considerably than these two. When you look at what you gain and what you lose, it makes no sense.

[sagar iswalkar]

Hey gto thats a nice car. The car feels good value for money for that price except for the shortage of power. The car feels loaded with lots of kits and comfort, ride quality and that toyota spec interiors, this will surely attract a lot of crowd.
Enjoy the ride man. take care.

[h.k]

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[Chat]

Another bad launch from Toyota after Fortuner. Fortuner priced at 2 million rupees gives you manual box and innova interiors, Corolla Altis D will give you all the fun that a tiny hatchback engine would give you. What I really find strange here is people considering it also Well it is time that Indian market rejects this car and force Toyota to bring the same car in at least 1.8 litre engine at no extra price. In any case, Corollas in most of the Asian markets rule the taxi segment and perhaps this one is also destined to be in that segment of the market.

Another thing that has baffled me so much in last few months; we are still so convinced about that "Toyota reliability" when the brand is now synonymous to "Toyota recall". Our market is really strange and it seems that people do not care much about the safety and security aspect while buying a car. It is nothing but "chalta hai" attitude.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Chat

Another bad launch from Toyota after Fortuner. Fortuner priced at 2 million rupees gives you manual box and innova interiors, Corolla Altis D will give you all the fun that a tiny hatchback engine would give you. What I really find strange here is people considering

Another thing that has baffled me so much in last few months; we are still so convinced about that "Toyota reliability" when the brand is now synonymous to "Toyota recall". Our market is really strange and it seems that people do not care much about the safety and security aspect while buying a car. It is nothing but "chalta hai" attitude.

The fortuner is overbooked for 6 months so I don't see how that was a bad launch. Look at Competition, how much was the Endeavour when it came out with a 2.5L engine and how much is the old Pajero? It was priced as per competition. Yes it could have been priced lower but Toyota charged a premium for the brand and they got it.

If I'm looking for a diesel sedan which is going to be chauffeur driven, has good rear seating space and is relatively reliable and maintenance free, what options do I have? The Cruze which has poor rear space or the Laura that can turn out to be expensive to maintain. The Altis fits the bill perfectly.

What is this security and safety aspect? The Altis and petrol and diesel has more safety features than the civic.

[akshay4587]

Another Winner from Toyota?
I guess yes.

I Noticed 4 new Altis's on road yesterday.
and guess what,all were D-4D's

[RGK]

Originally Posted by Chat

Another bad launch from Toyota after Fortuner. Fortuner priced at 2 million rupees gives you manual box and innova interiors, Corolla Altis D will give you all the fun that a tiny hatchback engine would give you. What I really find strange here is people considering it also Well it is time that Indian market rejects this car and force Toyota to bring the same car in at least 1.8 litre engine at no extra price. In any case, Corollas in most of the Asian markets rule the taxi segment and perhaps this one is also destined to be in that segment of the market.

Another thing that has baffled me so much in last few months; we are still so convinced about that "Toyota reliability" when the brand is now synonymous to "Toyota recall". Our market is really strange and it seems that people do not care much about the safety and security aspect while buying a car. It is nothing but "chalta hai" attitude.

I thought Fortuner is the real winner in the SUV segment, whereas your post gives a diff story. Toyota is a real giant in this industry and stands out for its supreme quality. Agreed it may have some recalls (it happens to all brands). Heard Toyota engines run 5 lakh km without need to open even the valve door.
Regarding this underpowered engine, only time will tell how the buyers market will respond.
My friend took a delivery of Innova last month - This was the advice given by the dealer -" Do not open anything. Just fill diesel and enjoy the drive. Come for the first service on time".

[4x4addict]

@vid6639 and @rgk

If you look at critical posts from people, there are people who criticize a certain factual element for example the low power output of the altis engine. This is understandable and Toyota should have given a more powerful engine in the Altis D.

Then there are people who just post message that show general hatred for Toyota. You can't really argue with these people as it is a personal bias. Kind of brand racism. There is not much you can do here.

[mkc15]

Originally Posted by vid6639

The Altis and petrol and diesel has more safety features than the civic.

Not really. WIL driver seat is what Altis has extra over Civic, but Civic has BA. The other extra in Altis is HID which is not really a safety feature IMO; but its prominent since Civic headlamps are not great.

Are there any other extras in Altis?

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by mkc15

Not really. WIL driver seat is what Altis has extra over Civic, but Civic has BA. The other extra in Altis is HID which is not really a safety feature IMO; but its prominent since Civic headlamps are not great.

Are there any other extras in Altis?

He probably meant Altis has more features than the Civic. Safety wise, WIL is the only one that Civic doesn't have. By BA if you meant Break Assist, the Altis has that one too. Not sure if Civic has the anti-glare rear view mirror.

[rajneeesh]

I have just one question at this point in time. How will the Altis D buyers react, when the substantially lower priced Etios debuts with the same engine. Etios will be approx two segments lower and will probably slug it out with the likes of Swift Dzire on the lower end and the Vento/ Verna/ Fiesta/Linea on the other end

It may well be the time when Toyota decides to put a bigger engine under the hood.

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

I have just one question at this point in time. How will the Altis D buyers react, when the substantially lower priced Etios debuts with the same engine. Etios will be approx two segments lower and will probably slug it out with the likes of Swift Dzire on the lower end and the Vento/ Verna/ Fiesta/Linea on the other end

It may well be the time when Toyota decides to put a bigger engine under the hood.

Some reports suggest that Etios will initially be launched only in the 1.2 and 1.5 petrol variants with the diesel some more months down the line. That should give Toyota time to think about the diesel engine strategy in the Altis at that time. I can't see how Etios and Altis with the same diesel variant will justify the (speculated) vast price difference.

[mkc15]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

He probably meant Altis has more features than the Civic. Safety wise, WIL is the only one that Civic doesn't have. By BA if you meant Break Assist, the Altis has that one too. Not sure if Civic has the anti-glare rear view mirror.

I checked again; Altis does *not* have Brake Assist. Regarding rear view mirror, Altis comes with auto-dimming mirror (real good feature), but Civic has normal manual-flip day-and-night rear view mirror.