[novice]

Thanks for the wonderful review GTO. I have been waiting for this review since the day it was launched. My FIL wants to sell his Innova and buy a sedan. I suggested him the Altis diesel G variant since he has a chauffeur and clocks 30K KMS per year. We went for a test drive over the weekend. We are impressed with the car especially the Rear seat comfort, Engine/Gearbox refinement and FE it offers. Although the car is underpowered for personal use, I felt it is good enough for those who are chauffeur driven.

I wanted a second opinion on the car to go ahead with the purchase and here is the review from the Guru of Reviews

[narayan]

Great Review..

any reason why Toyota chose for the 1.4L engine ? dont they have any higher capacity engines in their line up ?

as for the MAT HOOKS - even the humble i10 has those. I think Hyundai probably offers this in its entire range.

[Jaggu]

Super review GTO, definitely they are looking for the chauffeur driven crowd and people who have long highway hauls. Taxi fleet owners will soon make it their darling

Observed one of these pass by and engine is super silent outside also, cant really make out its a diesel.

Cant wait to see what a Pete's box can do to this car lol

[mmmjgm]

Great review, excellent pictures, and a very pragmatic view of actual city driving and running.

Great move by toyota, if any of you remember the days of Hero Honda's first launches, this resembles the same (economy of running, use and efficiency) unfortunate part is that the pricing is in the region of a million + rupees.

This might be a hit, not very clear on CNG vs Diesel story, however the non CNG covered areas will lap this car up.

Great review.
Thanks.

[pgsagar]

Superb review GTO! You really call a spade a spade. But it's not my knida car. Conservative looker, not a goer. I would choose Cruze any day-- sporty and FAST.

One more thing. GTO, don't you think some of the prospective buyers who walk into a Toyota showroom, would be more tempted to pick an Innova after testing Altis D? Innova costs less, seats more, packs bigger engine and goes faster. Agreed it is an MPV but still.

[chittybang]

Nice review GTO, you are spoiling us. Off late I dont even bother to look through some auto magazines. They dissapoint me to say the least, after all I am now used to much higher standards. Regarding the diesel Altis, Can we expect any price adjustments from competitors?

[Ram_NP]

Great Review GTO! What I really like is the small details you go into and highlight them with pictures.

[suman]

FINALLY the review that we were all waiting for, thanks Rush! Obviously, this is the car where you occupy the rear seat & catch up on news around the world. Top class comfort but poor engine performance.

Maybe we'll see a lot of the five star Hotels & Car Hire agencies switching over to this one vis a vis the Petrol. But I'm shocked to see the omission of Airbags

[xingamazon]

Very good review GTO, this was expected by all for a long time.
My take the lowest version would be the one that will sell a lot, I guess cos thats where the car means VFM other variants are way too costly.

But would be goodies like the ORVM closing etc be available in the lowest version too.

[Satya79]

Superb review GTO. Toyota should ring up some reasonable numbers with the Altis Diesel.
Premium Hotel Taxis', Fleet Cars would be a sure shot target market for the base model; chauffeur driven types with a very practical mindset will also prefer this over the competition considering Toyotas brand image.
I am not too sure about how effective it will be on the highways, especially when overtaking plays a major role on our roads.
The premium buyer however, spending 13L+ is sure to feel short-changed with a 1.4D4D, could possibly help move Cruz sales figures. Quite a few buyers must have have been waiting for this Altis D release and can make their decision now.

Again, if this same engine is to be used in the Etios, where does this leave the Altis? Would surely be a strange move from Toyota.

[FlyingSpur]

@ GTO : Just one point to mention. I'm glad the locking buttons are not integrated into the keys. Toyota has a major issue with the keys.

[shantyrocks]

excellent detailed review GTO!
The cabin space does look impressive.
The 0-100 figure of 14.8 secs is not too bad either though not scorching.

[mjothi]

As usual a excellent review.

Why is this? is it common for all Toyota cars?

• No extended warranties beyond the standard 3 year coverage

And the headlamp washer. Sure a welcome introduction.

[neeld]

Great review GTO .

Any idea on the service intervals and how much more should the service cost than the 1.8 petrol ?

[GTO]

Thanks for the 5 star thread rating, team!

Originally Posted by shivasuma

The least toyota could have done is make the car more driveable (fiesta of the C+ segment maybe).

Definitely. The way that the turbo is tuned isn't really ideal for bumper to bumper urban runs.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Here is the pic. This came off when the cleaner forcibly removed the mats for cleaning, ill fix it back and post another pic with mat soon.

Hey, thanks for sharing that!

Originally Posted by vid6639

Those hooks for the mats are not there in the Petrol variant.

Does the diesel have drive by wire or is it cable operated?

Yup. The way that the throttle felt, I'm pretty sure its a drive-by-wire.

Originally Posted by karanraheja

Excellent Review Rush !! Im just hoping the 1.4 diesel in Altis does'nt motivate other manufacturers to plonk their already existing diesel in a lower segment in C+ segment.

Don't think so. Not everyone has a brand like Toyota that can pull it off.

Originally Posted by vinaydas

The Most "Sensible" C+ sedan available today.
The Corolla Does Everything apart from scorching performance Humbly without any fuss what so ever.
This car should return much better FE that all its competitors(cruze owners in General get a meager 9 in the city).

True. An immensely practical car.

excellent effort GTO! I know it takes a lot of time and effort to make time for doing comprehensive reviews for people whose primary profession is not related to the Automobile industry

You bet it does! 1/2 of my sunday gone

Originally Posted by BuRnT RuBbEr

For an engine that punny, isnt this car a bit costly?

If you go by bang for the buck, yes. For enthusiasts like us, there's always the Cruze.

Originally Posted by akj53

It is shocking that Toyota has removed many features from the diesel version, relative to the petrol Altis, like the 8 way powered driver seat adjustment, lumbar support (not even manual), rear windscreen sunshade, cruise control and the optional automatic transmission.

I'm surprised too. Plus, lets not forget that the petrol is a 1.8 130 BHP unit, while the diesel is only 1.4 L / 87 BHP on tap. The differential value is definitely strong with the petrol.

Originally Posted by Joy

I specially liked your "smaller yet significant things" in all your reviews.

Thank you

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

I have a question, how will this car perform on steep slopes with AC on and full load ?

Steep slope? I'd expect generous clutch slipping. We've seen that with most other diesel cars in the market that suffer from lag (Manza, Cruze etc.).

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Cant wait to see what a Pete's box can do to this car lol

LOL! I'm sure a BHPian is going to post a report on a power-box'ed Altis D-4D sooner rather than later.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

One more thing. GTO, don't you think some of the prospective buyers who walk into a Toyota showroom, would be more tempted to pick an Innova after testing Altis D? Innova costs less, seats more, packs bigger engine and goes faster. Agreed it is an MPV but still.

There will certainly be some cross-shopping between the Innova and the Altis. The Innova is versatile and can do a lot more. However, the Altis is a proper sedan for those who don't need an MUV. Plus, those concerned with running costs will choose the Altis for its stupendous fuel efficiency.

Originally Posted by chittybang

Regarding the diesel Altis, Can we expect any price adjustments from competitors?

Not really. As I mentioned in my review, I don't see the "Fortuner effect" for the Altis. Primary reason being : It's got some great competition, including the segments below, as well as above.

Originally Posted by flyingspur

@ GTO : Just one point to mention. I'm glad the locking buttons are not integrated into the keys. Toyota has a major issue with the keys.

What issues?

Originally Posted by mjothi

Why is this? is it common for all Toyota cars?

Yup. Even the Innova comes with 3 year / 100,000 kms coverage.