[Vid6639]

Toyota took the wraps off 2 cars at this year's auto expo, the all new 11th generation Corolla Altis and the Etios cross.

Apart from the 2 new launches, Toyota had the GT86 on display along with the current line up of cars including the hybrid Camry and Prius.

The Hiace van was also on display for a possible launch in 2015 as a CBU.

Expectedly, the new Altis was the main attraction:


High Points:
- Expected launch in May 2014 but bookings open across India.
- 80mm longer than the outgoing Altis but with a massive 100mm increase in wheelbase to 2700mm.
- 2 engine options Petrol and Diesel are same as existing Altis power plants.
- 6 speed MT for petrol/diesel and 7 step CVT option only for the Petrol with paddle shifts.
- Reclining rear seat backs a first in this segment

This car is a real looker especially from the front:


A Toyota that does not look boring:


Headlamps sweep back almost half way till the hood:


Projectors for the low beam probably with xenon's and standard halogen reflectors for the high beam:


The chrome grill actually merges into the headlamps giving it quite a dramatic look like whiskers:


The headlamps also get LED DRL's:


Rear tail lamps also get LED bulbs:


80mm longer than the outgoing Altis and it shows from this angle:


Sharp lines with beefed up wheel arches are the opposite of what we have seen on the Altis till now:


Rear view:


16" dark silver alloy wheels on 205/55 rubber:


Chrome side strip at the bottom of the rear door:


Wind deflection flap in front of the rear wheel looked flimsy:


A few more pictures:

[Vid6639]

Interiors:

Toyota has tried to make the interiors more sporty to appeal to a younger generation of buyers. Unfortunately the premium feel of the older cabin has been lost to a certain extent:


Sporty blue ringed dials:


Wipers are automatic rain sensing but intermittent speeds is only 3 vs the earlier 5:


Optional Heads up display (HUD) unit:


Sporty 3 spoke steering wheel with steering mounted controls:


Centre console gets a 7" touch screen with carbon fibre finished surround. Also note the old school clock between the AC vents:


Dashboard height is much more than earlier Altis and design is quite bland:


Only single zone AC unlike the Elantra and Octavia:


6 speed gear shift. Gear knob has a dark grey wood finish:


Front and rear door pads, both with sharp lines look plain jane:




Sunglass holder with map lights:


Rear seats offer much better legroom than before including improved under thigh support:


A first in the segment is the manually reclinable rear seat backs. 5 steps available:


Rear seat armrest:


Rear window rolling shade also present like the earlier Altis. A feature which Camry owners miss:


Shockingly no rear AC vents. Even the Grand i10 and Honda City have them now:


Illuminated scuff plates:


Boot space looks big, similar to outgoing model:


1.4L Diesel engine in a large engine bay results in lots of empty space:


1.8L 2ZR-FE engine with dual VVTi is same as outgoing Altis:


A final shot:


Toyota had quite a nice 3D tyre projector showing off all the features of the Altis. You could look at it from any angle and would see the projection:

[Vid6639]

Toyota's other big unveil was the Etios Cross. The Etios cross is basically a Liva with body cladding all round and roof rails to resemble a cross over. It failed to impress as it was merely a cosmetic kit added onto the hatch. It's scheduled to be launched in May 2014 but bookings have commenced already. It's available with all 3 engine options 1.2L and 1.5L Petrol and the 1.4L D-4D Diesel. Interiors remain unchanged except for additional chrome and piano black finish on the centre console:





The only angle form which it looks good. Head on the new front bumper with the pseudo bull bar look quite muscular:


A close up of the front shows that it's not just a new bumper but even the headlamps are new:


Notice that the turn indicator is missing and the parking lamp is separate:


The turn indicator is now above the fog lamp:


Minimal changes at the back. Only a new bumper and a black strip on the hatch:


Rear three quarter view clearly shows the hatchback underneath:

[Vid6639]

This massive van you see here is the popular Toyota Hiace. Toyota is looking at bringing this van by 2015 as a CBU.

High Points:

- Expected in 2015 as a CBU.
- This is the high roof 14 seater variant but has the rear most 4 seat bench removed for additional luggage space hence a 10 seater.
- Powered by a detuned version of the Fortuner's 3.0 D-4D diesel motor mated to a 4 speed automatic.
- Toyota plans to homologate it and is targeting luxury fleet operators like hotels and resorts.









Length wise it was almost as much as a Force Traveller:


A look at the well appointed interiors:


Climate control, 4 speed AT and plenty of storage space:


View of the driver's seat:


Seating config is 2+2+3+3:


All rows get reclinable seats:


Separate rear AC controls with individual vents for all rows:


The last row which is a 4 seater bench is removed for additional luggage space making it a 10 seater:


Every single seat has a 3 point seatbelt:


A look at the tech specs:

[Vid6639]

Toyota's current line up of cars was also on display with a few of them jazzed up for the expo:

The Landcruiser LC200:




Recently facelifted Land Cruiser Prado:






A Fortuner with a sweet TRD body kit and very good looking alloys:












Etios with additional chrome on the grill:


The TRD Liva with the 1.5L Petrol engine:


Etios sedan from the Etios motor racing series. These cars are prepared by Red Rooster racing in Bangalore:


The Camry Hybrid:




This one had different alloys compared to the one we reviewed:


Toyota Pruis:


There was a cutaway section of the Prius showing the various Hybrid components:










The battery pack in the boot:


Toyota genuine accessories on display:


The only real eye candy at the Toyota stall was the GT86:

[Vid6639]

Thread moved out from Assembly Line section!

[mints21]

The cross of Etios is a big disappointment. I think an after market job can do this to an existing car. Otherwise, there is nothing very interesting in the Toyota stable.

Rumour's that Toyota will announce a lot of top management changes in the Indian team after the auto expo are already being heard.

Otherwise, I feel that Toyota has no new planned launches in the pipeline and they have just completed a formality of showcasing their range in this expo.

They must realize that people are looking for new products from them. They have a wonderful product range world over, then why no enthusiasm for Indian market.

[eq24]

Vid as an owner of the previous Altis, how would you honestly rate the new one, taking into account all the positives and negatives of this car.

Also if only considering petrol manual(lowest version of the Elantra and Corolla), would you say the new corolla or the Elantra or the City top end manual?

Lack of rear AC vents and single AC was a letdown.

[girishglg]

Finally the Corolla looks exciting. If you look closely the side view of the rear bumper looks very similar to the Sunny!


Come to think of it the Altis is moving more and more away from the mid segment sedan space to the next segment with every upgrade thus leaving a gaping hole between it and the Etios.

Also please get some performance diesel atleast as an option. Those who are buying this deserve it. Rest all other cars are boring or staid.

[sandeepmohan]

I do like the Etios Cross. It is the best thing after the TRD editions and surely improves the overall look of the car.

The new Corolla does look nice on the outside. I don't know what is sporty in the theme of the dashboard, it looks very ordinary from the images. The overall layout of the dashboard looks like it belongs in one of their pick-up trucks. The clocks are hopeless. At 20lacs, no way. I have feeling that Toyota might loose out on customers because of this.

[Samurai]

Damn, not a single new Hybrid model? I was hoping they will unveil some hybrid models for India.

[neel911]

The upcoming corolla does look awesome. I'm not sure if it's just me or the lights, but the interior does not give a premium feeling at all. When you're spending close to 20 lakhs for a car, you expect a much better interior. Also, not sure if the one in pictures is just 1 of various options Toyota is planning to give as interior finish.

One thing that sort of shocked me is that this version looks very different than the one they have launched in U.S.. http://www.toyota.com/corolla/#!/Welcome . Though the one posted here looks much better from exterior, the interior of the other one looks much nicer.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Interiors:
Toyota has tried to make the interiors more sporty to appeal to a younger generation of buyers. Unfortunately the premium feel of the older cabin has been lost to a certain extent:

The car looks decent especially in that dark grey shade, but that dashboard is indeed taxi-class. The carbon-fibre finish looks quite tacky.

[ganeshsp]

Great coverage Vid6639 and team! Are there any changes to the Etios/Liva interiors? If so, do you have pictures? I wish Toyota moved the meter console back to the conventional place and improved the overall quality by a notch up!

[rohanjf]

Where is the Hiace made? Is it in Thailand?
If so, Toyota should be able to price it competitively.
If I remember right (from Isuzu pick up truck thread), commercial vehicles imported from Thailand have much lesser import duty, thanks to the FTA between India and Thailand.