[siddheshb]

Took a test drive of the Toyota Corolla Altis yesterday. My wifey needs a baby, and I'm looking for something primarily for in-city driving. Pretty good interiors, wooden and leather finish to the steering (slippery?), leather seats, climate control, cruise mode, multi-function display with controls on the steering, and pretty spacious too. External looks are good too, pretty clean lines, with jutting lights, the champagne color looked awesome in the late evening light.

The driving experience was a disappointment though :( While it's OK for in-city economy driving, a power driver will come back thoroughly disappointed. Forget squealing tires, the take off is poor, highway performance seriously hampered by a wierdly ineffective AT, with 4 (yes, 4, not 5) gears.

And to make matters worse, there was a very disgruntled Altis owner at the showroom, pleading with the dealer to take his new car back, and warning me to stay away. Signs?

And at 16L on road, a couple more will get me the Laura, which I thought was a much better package.

Any suggestions, guys?

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

And at 16L on road, a couple more will get me the Laura, which I thought was a much better package.

If you happen to be one among the unfortunate lot of Skoda owners (most are, thanks to their notorious A.S.S) you will wish you never bought that.

You are better off buying Civic.


This might interest you.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...laura-l-k.html

[siddheshb]

Thanks, yes, I checked out the Laura, kinda loved the drive, but reports of poor AC and other niggles, compounded with horror stories of bad after-sales scared me off.

Then I changed my mind, and bought an Endy

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Thanks, yes, I checked out the Laura, kinda loved the drive, but reports of poor AC and other niggles, compounded with horror stories of bad after-sales scared me off.

Then I changed my mind, and bought an Endy

Your sig says you are a Ford fan boy

I'm confused here. You are in the market for another car or you just bought an Endy?

[siddheshb]

I am a die-hard Ford fan. Which explains why I bought an Endy after having tried the BMW 320d, VW Passat, Skoda Laura and Nissan Teana. The sedans weren't fun, the Audi/BMW 5 series was too expensive, and I always wanted to off-road. Hence the combination of the Endy and my Fiesta!

I still need another car for my wifey (before she has ANY ideas of laying her hands on my Fiesta) Hence, I am doing some more test drives.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

I still need another car for my wifey (before she has ANY ideas of laying her hands on my Fiesta)

Some fan you are, skipping a BMW for a Ford

Buy another Fiesta

[siddheshb]

Sachin, the 320d would have a hard time beating a Fiesta 9 out of 10 times, trust me on that. The 5 series beemer would rock, but I'd need to sell my house and shift into the car for good

[normally_crazy]

If you looking at a car for your wife and it has to be an automatic - why not the City AT ?

It sure drives better than the Corolla but is low in terms of features - also has paddle shifters and overall is a better car to drive for a lady.

The Corolla has 4 speed AT as you pointed out correctly making it a tad lethargic to drive.

[siddheshb]

Thanks, normally_crazy, I don't really love the Hondas, but I guess it should be a good option for my wifey, will definitely have a look at the AT version. I am thinking the VW Polo sedan might also be a good idea, but I doubt it'll have AT, given that VW is pulling out AT on the Jetta and Passat! And finally, the new Fiesta expected year-end, except that my wifey doesn't want to wait that long.

[aaggoswami]

1) Altis is a practical car. If you are looking at a driver's car, look elsewhere. When I drove Altis, I compared it with Baleno. Following are a few points :

a) Road noise is lower than Baleno, but Innova is better.
b) Useless AC. After Baleno's AC, any car's AC is ineffective for me, but Altis was not sufficient.
c) Cabin space is less than Baleno ( that is what I felt, the aerodynamic roofline is the culprit ). When I was sitting in passenger seat, the A-pillar was too near to my head. When I was driving, I felt that the car is cramped. Rear seat design is not that good. Underthigh support is not as good as Beleno, though the seat back is one of the best.
d) Brakes are very good.
e) Engine works best on torque at low and mid range, top end power is really not enthusiastic. Its like " OK. Will do it boss. ", rather than " Wow, lets do it ". The does revv hard ( like a VTEC ), but the core driver's feel that one gets in G1HC, Baleno is missing. What I mean is that some sort of one-ness is missing, and in the name of luxury, feel is subdued.
f) Ride is good, one never feels that Altis has non independent rear suspension.
g) Getting in and out is very easy.
h) The top end version has many features and even Xenon bulbs. Definitely a positive.
h) Maintenance is said to be on the lower side, but spares cannot be called cheap.
i) The relatively high seating position is a boon while driving at night. The headlights of two wheelers and other cars dont hit you straight in the eye.

2) Civic is too low, rear seat is also low. But the engine loves highways. Ride is good, but getting in and out is not the best part. Civic FE is also lower than Altis, but this heavily boils down to your driving style.

3) IMO, come a segment lower and TD G3HC, SX4 and Fiesta. These are quite practical cars that can do good in almost all departments. Fiesta is a bit short on space and SX4 has the best space the trio + practicality of high GC + lower cost ( of buying and maintaining ).

The cars in the so called D segment are no longer good VFM. Take a look at Civic, G3HC can do 70-80% of what Civic can do + it wont scrap its underbody as much as Civic. The real advantage of Civic is better build + high speed performance.

Altis is a nice car, but not the best. Civic has its own disadvantages, its not a practical car IMHO, mainly due to relatively poor bottom end and low GC. The cars in Rs. 7-8/9 lakh will offer you all what you want for a lower cost and you will enjoy them too ( SX4 & Fiesta are better handlers than Altis and I have already mentioned " only " a couple of advantages Civic has over G3HC ).

[Axe77]

If you're looking for an involving drive, here's my take:

# Similar price point, blindly go in for the Civic. GC is not such an issue in the facelifted Civic.

# If you want to save some dosh, go for the City A/T.

# If you're willing to consider paying a few lakhs more, consider the Jetta A/T. I'm not a big fan of the VAG group as a whole (at least in India) but that's a personal choice for you.

I TD the Altis A/T before I bought the Civic and the Altis was not a patch on the Civic (although general back seat comfort etc is better).

[ampere]

Jetta AT currently is not available, as they have rolled in the new CRDI. Petrol is gone already. If AT is what is needed, Civic AT would be very good. As mentioned earlier, GC is a tad better compared to City and hence this suggestion. Else the City AT fits you like a T.

[Damu]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

I am a die-hard Ford fan...

I still need another car for my wifey (before she has ANY ideas of laying her hands on my Fiesta)

A suggestion from a man driven to madness by his wife's pedal to metal driving style in the Ikon: Boss, if your wife loves driving, and you love Ford, just give her the Fiesta! And get the 1.6S! I love reading those 1.6S threads here.

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Sachin, the 320d would have a hard time beating a Fiesta 9 out of 10 times, trust me on that.

Wow! Man, are you serious? I've never driven a Fiesta but from all reports here, it has to be the best drivers' car sub Rs. 10 lakhs.

The ANHC is a striking beauty. I love its futuristic looks. And like all Hondas, it would have a good resale value. But, I read in a review somewhere that it doesn't come with climate control, so if that's important do check on that.

The Civic is another stunner, in looks and performance. My wife's cousin has one and I drove in it (didn't drive it myself). It's fantastic inside, like being on the bridge of Starship Enterprise! But after a short while, I felt discomfort due to the lower seating (as compared to my iKon).

[Rudra Sen]

Mods note: Thread moved.

[tanwaramit]

corolla is a no brainer.
you wont regret it. Dont think too much, if it fits your expectations go for it. Civic is an excellent car, however speed breakers on Indian roads kill the car from bottom.

AT version, though is quite costly, but its worth it.