[Nats]

Originally Posted by mod_to_odd

You have the Diesel variant of the Corolla i suppose?

Originally Posted by Nats

Alibaug and Kashid in our dzire

I have a dzire without rear AC vents

[mod_to_odd]

Originally Posted by Nats

I have a dzire without rear AC vents

Oh dint read that bit. lol

[RohitSh]

A pretty detailed review and good one. I too was thinking of writing a detailed review but a lot of points have been covered well enough.

Would it make sense to share a more detailed view on the same thread on my corolla? Would prevent starting another thread.

I have completed 2k Kms in flat 36 days in my petrol automatic corolla. A bliss to drive and very shortly its headed for its another mountain ride.

[mod_to_odd]

You know what, I had read your review in a rush and missed out on the main contents earlier. Just finished reading as I had some time to relax. You have nailed it brother. Each and every point you mentioned is spot on. After reading, I am glad i made the right choice. You deserve like a thousand thanks. God bless, Thank you.

[Severus]

Hi guys. Firstly, very sorry for not updating here as often as I should. Started working recently and.. uh, you know how it is.

And now a few tiny updates and corrections, if you allow me.

Corrections:

Firstly, regarding the ICE. In the review, I mentioned how iPod functionality goes even further than bluetooth functionality in the sense that you can even browse specific playlists, artists, genres etc. I discovered recently that all of this is available in bluetooth function as well. That 'Browse' button that you see on the top during bluetooth playback (please refer to image in the main review) allows all these things. Don't know how I missed it!

Also, I think I may have criticised the sound quality of the system a bit too much. My personal view on it remaining the same, I must mention that the sound quality has been found to be 'quite good' by a number of friends in general. Everyone seems satisfied, just not me. I guess I'm too finicky.. But hey, you can't blame lawyers for being too particular!

Second, a small technical correction - In the 'Drive' section, I have passingly mentioned about my 3rd-gen 2013 Honda City as having a CVT auto'box. However, I learnt later that it's a conventional 5-speed auto, and not a CVT. I believed I mixed it up since the 2nd as well as the 4th generation City both have CVT boxes. My sincere apologies. But my views regarding its actual performance remain critical - it's a slow gearbox.

p.s. I requested the admin to allow me to make these changes in the main review. But I haven't heard back in days, so I put them here.

Updates:

I know I have mentioned this, but damn, I can't stop raving about those noiseless tyres. These Yokohama Advans make for the quietest ride I have ever experienced. The other day, I was just cruising along on the DND (Delhi-Noida-Delhi) Flyway at 80-90 kmph and I muted the audio. I swear to God, that pin-drop silence was unlike anything I have 'heard' in a moving vehicle before. Toyota has done a remarkable job of insulating this cabin from any kind of wind noise, road noise and vibration alike. The only times you will ever feel some NVH is if you rev the engine hard or during the occasional passing by of some loud vehicle (such as autorickshaws).

Another thing, I haven't been able to find any illumination control for the instrument panel, so as to increase or decrease the brightness of the speedo and tacho dials. Any fellow owner (if any), inputs?

Last but a very important thing, I want to bust the myth that Hyundai Elantra is the epitome of features in this segment. If this is what we're down to, so be it. I spoke of this in the first post - 'Alternatives' section, where I mentioned how Elantra isn't exactly offering the highest kit. Yes, it has a few features like Ventilated front seats, rear A/C vents, +4 airbags, cooled glovebox, heated ORVMs etc. that are absent in Corolla, but the lower price-tag has been achieved by also skipping out on features that you will see in Corolla, some of which have become pretty standard for this segment. Features in Corolla over Elantra:

1. 7-inch Touchscreen display for ICE, along with Navigation.
2. HID Projector Headlamps
3. LED Headlamps as well as Tail lamps
4. Rain-Sensing Wipers
5. Reclining Rear Seats. I don’t think this feature is present in any other sedan south of Rs. 50 lakhs (other than big sister Camry Hybrid). Correct me if I am wrong?
6. Full-feature MID, displaying all sorts of information.
7. Superior 7-step CVT-i vs. 6-speed A/T
8. Paddle-Shifters
9. Rear Sunshade
10. Full control Bluetooth audio streaming (Elantra's stone-age bluetooth audio is quite infamous)

And this is apart from the other advantages of greater space, better drivability etc. This is not meant to brag or defend or put down any car; just wanted to address a popular misconception.

[Aniketh]

Superb review. Congratulations. Personally, Hyundai Elantra looks more appealing to me in terms of styling and features. But, those double barrel headlamps with chrome finish over it on the Corolla is simply awesome.

[Severus]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

How responsive are the paddle shift controls? I tried them on a Civic in hope for faster gear shifts but it felt about the same as leaving the gearbox to carry out the shifts.

Paddles function like they should. A simple flick of a paddle-shift brings it into the paddle-shift mode, so that you can keep driving her in that mode unless you flick the gearstick to manual and back.

Originally Posted by Amarendranath

Also tried to photoshop( for the first time) with the help of a friend, the MODS would probably blurt out in laughter after looking at the below pic

Attachment 1266441

I hope i have not offended by uploading the pic, I want those wheels man! I cant buy the corolla now for them so speculating on how to catch hold of them. And rated the thread a 5 star buddy. You should be celebrating, yours is the first on team-bhp i believe.

Hahaha Amarendra! Don't know about the mods but I certainly blurted out laughing! You've done a nice job though, hehe. Thanks for the high rating. I'll come back with the measurements in a while.

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

Great Car for 15L and not 19L IMHO.
Having said that its certainly the best looking Corolla till date and very nice to drive. I would choose a 1.8TSI Octavia anyday over this car for around 20L.
The Corolla will of course offer an ownership experience that is hassle free and a resale value that is respectable.

15L? Nik, that would be too unrealistically optimistic for a top-variant automatic car of this segment.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Superbly compiled review with lots of pictures.

I wish they hadn't jacked up the suspension so much. It kind of spoils the stance and am sure it will affect high speed stability and cornering ability. Ground clearance was never an issue for the Corolla.

I don't feel that the stance has been spoiled in any way, personally. Rather, you get a higher seating position which makes entry and exit effortless.

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Congratulations. This review is worth calling T-BHP official review

Originally Posted by DicKy

Wow. a detailed review indeed.
When reading i had to remind myself that i was not reading the official test drive review.

Oh, thank you, but the mods certainly wouldn't like to call it that!

Originally Posted by mav2000

Did a test drive of the altis a few days ago. The one thing I found difficult was the height of the dash. It's really difficult to judge the car as you can't see the bonnet at all

mav2000, bonnet isn't visible in 99% of cars these days. It has to be estimated only. And electric seat adjustment can give you as high a seating position as you want, so visibility is no issue.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Nice detailed and comprehensive review Severus. Your what you will like and what you won't points were absolutely bang on with my feelings and observations. for many the Atis is the defacto choice but by no means it is perfect.

The good thing the Altis has going for it is that none of the other cars in the segment are perfect and have their own set of negatives.

The Elantra gearbox and overall driving feel are a notch down on the Altis. The Octavia and Jetta are mechanically better but rear seat comfort and peace of mind is nowhere close to the Toyota.

If I was looking at chauffeur driven diesel sedan I would look away from the Toyota and head for the Fluence. It's the petrol and specifically the CVT AT box that is the highlight in the new Altis.

It's still a formidable car but after spending 20L it just doesn't make you feel special sometimes.

Vid, I'm glad to hear positive feedback of my review from a Mod himself!
I agree that that feeling of special-ness in the interior of the new Altis is a tad lesser than the previous one. What it loses out on the inside though, to a certain extent it makes up in the exterior. Each time I walk towards the car getting all ready to drive it, I can't help but stop and admire those looks for a moment. As you said, each car has its own positives and negatives, and so does she. In the end, it's a matter of what one wants from their ride.

Originally Posted by baskar

The headlamp cluster could have been a bit sharper to distinguish it from Etios ( make it more like Camry) however the current design is not too bad either.

Headlamps are totally different from the Etios, baskar. There's no resemblance at all. :-)

[nik_kapur]

15L? Nik, that would be too unrealistically optimistic for a top-variant automatic car of this segment.

Well not really unrealistic. Its a Corolla at the end of the day. I remember the top end Civic sold for around 14.5 in 2013 and i had bought mine (S Variant) in 2008 for 12.5L On Road.

The New Corolla for me is only 3.5L better than the City (top end auto) which is available for 11.5L On Road. Hence i feel 15L is a decent price for the car.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Severus

Paddles function like they should. A simple flick of a paddle-shift brings it into the paddle-shift mode, so that you can keep driving her in that mode unless you flick the gearstick to manual and back.

I should have been more clear. My question was speed of gear shifts using the paddles over the gearbox carrying out the shifts by itself. When you flick a paddle, how fast does the system respond to actually carrying out a change in gear ratio?

So the paddles come alive even without moving to tiptronic mode right?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I should have been more clear. My question was speed of gear shifts using the paddles over the gearbox carrying out the shifts by itself. When you flick a paddle, how fast does the system respond to actually carrying out a change in gear ratio?

So the paddles come alive even without moving to tiptronic mode right?

The gear shifts are very very quick and response is fantastic from the paddles. It drops down or shifts up instantly.

And, yes the paddles work even without moving to tip tronic. There is a trick though, they work only when you are pressing the accelerator a little harder. If you are cruising then pressing the paddles will not do anything.

[Thebat]

Excellent car and excellent review. Saw hordes of these lined up on a recent visit to the Toyota factory in bidadi. All said and done I really feel Toyota's lack the passion of car making and are devoid of any emotions that pull your heart towards it like say a Fiat Punto does. Finally I be live that the corolla is very well designed and is much better than the previous model and that carbon fiber finish on the dashboard is a clincher.
Happy mile munching on your grey beauty , long the shade of your car

[amartyasg]

Originally Posted by Severus

Another thing, I haven't been able to find any illumination control for the instrument panel, so as to increase or decrease the brightness of the speedo and tacho dials. Any fellow owner (if any), inputs?

It might be in the MID. In our '04 Corolla, the dimming adjustment comes on the digital odometer, and is adjusted by the same knob that controls the trip meter.

[RohitSh]

My take on the Gearbox:

1. The upshifts with the Paddle Shifters are instant and quick. Although I find they work brilliantly on the highways where you are cruising but on the hills I found them a bit tough to operate because of two reasons (a) The Upshift from lower gears happens only beyond a certain RPM rate (what I see is mostly above 2000 RPM) and to get that right on the hills is tough especially if you are breaking often and losing the RPM range. On highways since RPM's are steady the paddle shifters work brilliantly. (b) The turning motion of the paddles with steering on curves needs a bit getting used to as you tend to leave the steering wheel and getting your hands back in place quickly needs a bit of practice.

2. I used the D Mode throughout mostly on my drives around Shimla, Kufri and Shilon Bagh. The speed range was between 20-60km/Hr and the D Mode was wonderful in this speed range. I hardly ever felt the lack of acceleration. But yes if you want to use the box to move from 20 to 60 very fast then with paddle shifts its tricky and D Mode will also disappoint. Here using the Gear Ratios could be a good option.

3. I use the Paddle shifts once I have moved the stick to Tiptronic. Didn’t know there was a way to move to this directly.

4. One can move to D1 to D6 gear ratios from Paddle Shits by pressing (-) & then (+) in that order. The Display meter will change from D to DX. I used these gear ratios for a while on the highway and felt the difference immediately. I feel using this function on hills would be better than trying to use paddle shifts as you can get better acceleration from Gear Ratios then by changing Gears many times. This can be disengaged by pressing the + button for longer.

5. I find the acceleration and RPM pretty flat in D Mode when trying to gain acceleration suddenly. The gears change quickly but the run in is very flat. As soon as the Car is above 40 km/hr and around Gear 4, the box opens up and is in a different world altogether. Gear changes are felt more and the car just releases itself for any speed you want it to achieve.

6. I have stayed away from using either paddle shifts or gear ratios for fear of mileage drop as with sedate driving I am achieving 10-11 km/L currently in all D Mode driving. I am sure any other mode will only drop it but yes some fun comes at a cost.
Planning to hit hills again in 2 week; will try the Gear Ratios this time instead of paddle shifts and share with you all. Overall it’s a Super CVT and its been named aptly by Toyota.

[shazikon]

fantastic review Severus.
From my test drive of both the automatic and manual gearboxes, I felt the automatic was rather lethargic in stop 'n' go traffic and needed more throttle inputs in the "D" mode. I could definitely feel the CVT rubber band effect. I could not experience the different gear ratios in my short test drive in city limits.
I felt the manual transmission performed better and the engine feels more livelier and enthusiastic. Brakes could have more bite.
Auto lighting is super sensitive, passing under one of the overhead metro stations in broad day light, Head lamps immediately turned on.
New Corolla Altis is a fantastic car. For its price, it is surely missing some important features like rear a/c vents, dual zone climate control, sliding armrest and height adjust for front passenger seats.

[Severus]

Originally Posted by shazikon

fantastic review Severus.

I felt the manual transmission performed better and the engine feels more livelier and enthusiastic. Brakes could have more bite.

For its price, it is surely missing some important features like rear a/c vents, dual zone climate control, sliding armrest and height adjust for front passenger seat.

Keeping other things constant, a manual transmission will always make the engine feel livelier and more enthusiastic compared to an automatic. A correct comparo will be between manual-manual or automatic-automatic. IMO, Corolla's gearbox-engine combo is good by current standards.

I totally agree with all your other points.