[n:CorE]

Toyota believes their cars are so reliable that people will do anything or rather pay anything for any sort of trash they overprice. Agreed, they are very reliable, heck I've had way too many toyota's in my family. But this attitude of theirs is really whining me up now.

• Innova - Yes this is what is filling our pockets so lets just keep increasing the prices, and make worthless facelifts with stupid upgrades that don't matter. People will still buy it.
• Fortuner - Oh yes lets give it a very butch body and keep the interior same as that of our Innova add a couple of features here and there and charge over 10L more for it. More money for us. Yay
• Camry - Yes, a luxo-barge for the discerning chauffeur driven saheb. Lets make a car to be enjoyed in the back seat and give 2 airbags (front and passenger) and ABS as the only safety kit in our Rs. 30L car.

And now this, seriously? The corolla was the car that always appealed to the sane motorist. To the motorist who prefered ride over handling, the motorist who prefered substance over style, the motorist who prefered a no-nonsense sort of design which was most importantly of good quality, comfortable and luxurious.

This obsession of a Corolla going sporty is as absurd as a monk taking up wrestling. I mean the natural character of the corolla is completely opposite of that of sporty. So why go there?

Those air-vents in the interior look like they are inspired from the Toyota GT-86 as Vid mentioned too. Hang on a second, Corolla inspired by a GT-86? Why!? One is a follow up to the greatest selling car in the world for its practicality, reliablity and comfort. The other is a follow up to Toyota's legendary sports car - the Supra. There was no need for this sort of cross-breeding. All-black interiors? again .. Why!?

I like a sporty car much like everyone else does but this kind of stupidity on a car that is completely out of character for something like this is just plain unacceptable.

That clock in the middle belongs in a Zen from the '90s. Agreed Toyota found the balls to break the monotony of being boring, but like this? They should have known better. The exterior is still a decent effort although quite a lot of bits on the front are fiddly like the lights, chrome and excessive creasing throughout but overall atleast makes for a decent appearance. But the Interior is just plain shabby!

Don't even get me started on the missing equipment! Pip the i20 CRDI top-of-line against the Altis Diesel top-of-line .. It can probably have the Altis on every single measurable way right from performance, to equipment, to safety features.

I have the outgoing Altis and it really pains me to say that the new one wont be replacing it in my garage. Its because my old Altis has a special appeal to it. Its honest about its lack of sportiness and being a drivers car. It just takes me in sumptuous luxury and comfort from point A to B. I don't like this new split personality of the new Altis.

[mod_to_odd]

Toyota must read what n:CorE has said above. I hope this will change their mentality towards all their cars.

You know I had a thing for the Fortuner but now its been like 5 Years if I am not wrong, the interiors are still the same old Innova type and also the body styling. Look at their Rav-4 SUV that they are selling in other countries. What an amazing SUV it is. It will do very good if it comes here. Could be a CRV competitor.

[nitinbose]

Indeed the Corolla or as a matter of fact any Toyota is atleast 60% more priced than their worth. The reason is simple: Demand. People never think twice when it comes to Toyota, and most people (except team-bhp-ians) would consider the Toyota as a luxury car and like a much cherished trophy!

Of course, Toyota does offer the peace of mind which is not seen in any of the competitors. Hyundai or Maruti does have equivalent products but somehow, they've never been successful in their post INR 1M valued cars. Skoda/VW are quite competitive but horrendous service. So this means Toyota does not have any competitors thus giving them the command.

I was also surprised the corolla does not come with safety features like ESP, TCS etc.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by n:CorE

I have the outgoing Altis and it really pains me to say that the new one wont be replacing it in my garage. Its because my old Altis has a special appeal to it. Its honest about its lack of sportiness and being a drivers car. It just takes me in sumptuous luxury and comfort from point A to B. I don't like this new split personality of the new Altis.

This paragraph just described my exact feeling. The only car I thought that could replace my 2009 Altis was this new Altis. But after seeing it and driving it, I am certain that this will never happen.

After driving the new Altis, I went back home in my old Altis. Sitting at the back I realised that the new one had more space but it just did not feel as luxury or sophisticated. The old Altis had elegant interiors that were sophisticated and understated. The new one just tries too hard.

It matches up on fit, finish and quality but falls woefully short on character. It's middle of nowhere styling.

[raghav135]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

It matches up on fit, finish and quality but falls woefully short on character. It's middle of nowhere styling.

Hi Vid, have few queries, just read the whole thread from first.

You had mentioned that the automatic gearbox is same as of previous generation corolla, but I had read in many places that it is new. Is it same and some other tuning has been done?

You had mentioned that you would take test drive of Honda city cvt ,by any chance you took it and how you would compare with Altis CVT?

When is the official review coming up , very curious to see that.

Just curious on the rpm of the engine at 100-120kmph, any idea?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by raghav135

Hi Vid, have few queries, just read the whole thread from first.

You had mentioned that the automatic gearbox is same as of previous generation corolla, but I had read in many places that it is new. Is it same and some other tuning has been done?

You had mentioned that you would take test drive of Honda city cvt ,by any chance you took it and how you would compare with Altis CVT?

When is the official review coming up , very curious to see that.

Just curious on the rpm of the engine at 100-120kmph, any idea?

The Automatic uses the same Super CVT-i which was in the earlier Altis facelift. There is no change except the top end trim getting paddle shifters.

I haven't been able to drive the City CVT till now as I have broken my arm and recovering from that is still ongoing. Hopefully in July

Our review will take a while as we plan to do a detailed review with the car for more time. The press drive was too short to cover all aspects.

[raghav135]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Automatic uses the same Super CVT-i which was in the earlier Altis facelift. There is no change except the top end trim getting paddle shifters.

This is really interesting that all the other websites keep praising this automatic transmission in reviews and none of them mentioned that it is same , very glad to know this .

[mod_to_odd]

Originally Posted by raghav135

Hi Vid, have few queries, just read the whole thread from first.

You had mentioned that the automatic gearbox is same as of previous generation corolla, but I had read in many places that it is new. Is it same and some other tuning has been done?

You had mentioned that you would take test drive of Honda city cvt ,by any chance you took it and how you would compare with Altis CVT?

When is the official review coming up , very curious to see that.

Just curious on the rpm of the engine at 100-120kmph, any idea?

All i can say is, the City CVT doesn't feel all that special. The rubber band effect is very much there. I have driven both and from my experience the Altis super cvti is a true gem. If you don't believe it then by all means take them for a spin and you will be pleasantly surprised by the way the Altis drives Its a beautiful gearbox. Paddle shifts make it even more fun to drive.

[mod_to_odd]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Automatic uses the same Super CVT-i which was in the earlier Altis facelift. There is no change except the top end trim getting paddle shifters.

I haven't been able to drive the City CVT till now as I have broken my arm and recovering from that is still ongoing. Hopefully in July

Our review will take a while as we plan to do a detailed review with the car for more time. The press drive was too short to cover all aspects.

Hey Vid, i hope your arm gets better soon
I wanted to get your Verdict on something which will mean a lot to me.
I was actually waiting for your review on the new Altis and then take any decision, but since its going to take a while as you said, i thought of asking you on what you have to say.

In August this year, God Willingly I am going to buy a new car which will be a major upgrade from my existing lancer. Reading about all the major reliability issues that German cars have in India my only other alternative is to go for the Japanese cars. My dad has a imported Corolla Diesel which no doubt has been very faithful but is now very old. Since we decided to buy a new car we wanted a hassle free ownership experience.

Let me admit, i am absolutely in love with the new Altis. Be it comfort, looks or the drive, it doesn't disappoint anywhere. Now do you think i should wait for some more time and see whats more to come this year from other manufacturers? Or i can happily go and by the car i am in love with

[Shanksta]

Just Test drove the new Altis and I must say I am smitten by it!! I test drove the top-end diesel version. All my views are unbiased and are not meant to hurt anyone. Also these views are from a person who has been in the 9th gen Corolla and Now test-driving the 11th gen Corolla.

POSITIVES:
* Attractive styling, a complete change compared to all their other cars.
* Diesel engine did not feel like it was a 1.4 putting out 88BHP, even though it was short of 14BHP compared to my Innova felt really good,not much turbo-lag.
* Interiors looked excellent to me(maybe because I'm 20) but older people might not like it. Purely based on each person's taste, I found the new console also to be very sporty and crisp.
* Seat comfort, both front & back were excellent.
* Even the spare wheel was an alloy and all around part Quality,fit and finish was excellent. Also OEM tires were Yokohama's.
* Gearbox was very slick and a pleasure to use.
* NVH is very well controlled.

NEGATIVES:
* The clock on the dash looked like a poor choice and out of place.
* Acceleration was decent but not befitting a 20lakh diesel Executive sedan.
* Overpriced by atleast a lakh. Also you don't even get Toyota loyalty bonus if you are a existing Toyota customer.
* Lack of rear AC vents causes the car to take 10 minutes to cool down.
* No fog-lamps on any variant.

VERDICT:
Overall the positives outweigh the negatives atleast to a youngster,saw a lot of what you could call "not the Corolla buying types"(WRT age) vying for the Corolla Altis. You can live with it!! Happily!! With respect to pricing only the base version feels value for money cause it is the least you can pay for the car, hope you get my point.

EDIT:
Forgot to add the OTR in Chennai: MODS if you feel OTR prices should not be posted online please edit my post.
1.8 PETROL:
J+ - 14.74
G(MT) - 16.82
G(AT) - 18.36
GL - 18.76
VL - 20.56

1.4 DIESEL:
J - 15.97
J+ - 16.65
G - 18.30
GL - 20.25

[Mad Max]

Meanwhile in the US..

http://www.toyota.com/corolla/#!/Welcome

Not sure how the interiors compare but the exterior design is very nice. Not in-your-face like ours.

[mod_to_odd]

Originally Posted by Shanksta

Just Test drove the new Altis and I must say I am smitten by it!! I test drove the top-end diesel version.

* Acceleration was decent but not befitting a 20lakh diesel Executive sedan.
* No fog-lamps on any variant.

I wish you had driven the 1.8L petrol as that one is soo much better to drive. 1.4L Diesel feels underpowered actually. Its strange they dint add the fog lamps for the diesel.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by mod_to_odd

Its strange they dint add the fog lamps for the diesel.

I think Vid had explained in another thread (or maybe this) that this is because of placement of certain components behind the bumper leaving little or no space for the fitment of fog lamps. He is the best person to clarify this aspect.

Cheers
Rohan

[Shanksta]

Originally Posted by mod_to_odd

I wish you had driven the 1.8L petrol as that one is soo much better to drive. 1.4L Diesel feels underpowered actually. Its strange they dint add the fog lamps for the diesel.

They did not have a 1.8 petrol model for TD. The diesel was not bad, maybe because I haven't driven any other Diesel from that segment. But the same diesel engine with FGT in the Etios felt the same, though acceleration was a bit better in the altis.

Buying one new I would say only the base Diesel or Petrol makes sense, unless you need an automatic.But it comes without a headunit, but comes with speakers.

But if I were to ever buy a second hand D1-segment sedan in the future it would definitely be a 11th gen Corolla Altis P/D for about 10-11 lakhs.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by mod_to_odd

Let me admit, i am absolutely in love with the new Altis. Be it comfort, looks or the drive, it doesn't disappoint anywhere. Now do you think i should wait for some more time and see whats more to come this year from other manufacturers? Or i can happily go and by the car i am in love with

The only car expected this year from other manufacturers is the facelifted Hyundai Elantra.

Unfortunately if you are looking for petrol options, the Elantra is just about ok. While it excels in features and comfort, the petrol engine and the gearbox are not as good as the Altis 1.8L VVT-i engine with the 7 speed CVT box. The engine and gearbox in the Petrol Altis are really very good.

As I mentioned in this thread, the Altis is very nice but when the Elantra is available for more than 2 lakhs lesser it makes it unnecessarily expensive. If you don't have a problem in spending more than 20 big ones on the Altis, then go for it. If I was anyways spending 20+ on a car, I would go for the Jetta DSG than the Altis. The other thing is for lesser price than Altis Petrol AT, I can get the Elantra Diesel automatic which is really good. The 1.6 CRDi is good and the 6 speed AT is quite responsive in city use. Plus you get diesel economy.

In your case it looks like you are quite smitten by the Altis so go for it. I was in the same situation in 2009. Just somehow felt Altis was the best choice. Ofcourse I don't regret it, but within a few months of driving it, I realised it is just too boring. There is absolutely no fun factor to it. The new Altis is slightly better but does not deliver on fun factor still. A short test drive just makes it seem otherwise.

Ofcourse the Octavia 1.8 TSI is even better but if your looking for hassle free low maintenance the Octavia is at the bottom of the pile.

Originally Posted by mod_to_odd

I wish you had driven the 1.8L petrol as that one is soo much better to drive. 1.4L Diesel feels underpowered actually. Its strange they dint add the fog lamps for the diesel.

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

I think Vid had explained in another thread (or maybe this) that this is because of placement of certain components behind the bumper leaving little or no space for the fitment of fog lamps. He is the best person to clarify this aspect.

Cheers
Rohan

Yup, I mentioned it earlier on this thread. No foglamps on diesel as the intercooler plumbing is behind the bumper and did not leave any clearance to add a fog lamp.