Corolla Altis AT- Test drive

akj53 · 12th April 2009, 10:25

I am posting my car's pics. Registration is temp.

redeff · 12th April 2009, 12:23

She looks Good! Just wish there was no wood on the steering wheel though! However, the Camry blue color really brings out her lines!

Ym-enjn · 13th April 2009, 10:13

Congrats AKJ.. It looks fab.. What is the on road cost you got for it and are you considering any accessories like bumper fins etc?

Enjoy it man..

akj53 · 13th April 2009, 23:26

Thank you redeff and Ym-enjn.

That leather and wood steering wheel looks and feels great and give a very satisfying steering experience. Even the gear lever is finished in wood and leather. Feels expensive. Yes the car looks very good in blue.

It costed me 13 lacs on road which I think is a good and VFM price for this car. I have bought only the floor mats (good) and car cover (tyyex) which keeps the car cool in hot sun. I wanted the bumper protectors, but they were available only in black which looked bad, so did not buy. The car is fully loaded so not other accessories are really needed. Even the sun screen film is not needed as it has good quality tinted glasses all round.

ashishgandhi_00 · 23rd April 2009, 17:55

hey AJK,

nice buy... congrats... the color looks really rich... i somehow dont like the wodden finish on the steering wheel and center console... anyways, enjoy

one point though - am confused regarding the pricing. You got the AT version at 13 lacs on road, while the toyota webise shows the price as 13.18 lacs ex-showroom.

Did yu got some heavy discounts or has toyota increased its prices recently?

akj53 · 24th April 2009, 17:55

Toyota has increased prices from 1st April. The AT model's price has gone up by about 50000 Rs.

Delhi / Noida prices are also lower than Mumbai as we dont have any octroi here.
I also managed to get a discount in March, so my total cost was slightly lower than 13 lacs. You can bargain on the insurance premium also.

I am taking my car for service tomorrow so can give the current pricing and discount info on this Sunday. I have driven 1100 kms so far, and it has proved to be a lovely car. The wooden finish is slightly more shiny but the steering feels very good to hold and the driver's seat is very very comfortable.

ashishgandhi_00 · 24th April 2009, 18:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by akj53

Toyota has increased prices from 1st April. The AT model's price has gone up by about 50000 Rs.

Delhi / Noida prices are also lower than Mumbai as we dont have any octroi here.
I also managed to get a discount in March, so my total cost was slightly lower than 13 lacs. You can bargain on the insurance premium also.

I am taking my car for service tomorrow so can give the current pricing and discount info on this Sunday. I have driven 1100 kms so far, and it has proved to be a lovely car. The wooden finish is slightly more shiny but the steering feels very good to hold and the driver's seat is very very comfortable.

thanks

. Also, does the wooden steering wheel feel slippary - meaning, do hands slip over the wooden portion while using the steering (i read it one of the reviews of the altis). I guess it will not be a major concern, as toyota would have definitely thought about it, but still wanted to check

akj53 · 25th April 2009, 13:03

Noida showroom price is also 13.18 lacs and currently there is a waiting period of 20 days, so no discounts are being offered, but you try to bargain with your dealer. They tend to give more discount in last week of month.

No there is no issue of slipping of wooden steering. The wooden part is on the top side of wheel and normally wheel is held in 10.10 position. If you like the car, buy it and you will not be disappointed.

ashishgandhi_00 · 5th May 2009, 12:21

Hey akj,

I am very close to deciding on the Altis... just a few more concerns:

- Whats the fuel economy that you are getting?
- Does the car have a USB port for music?
- Does the car feel very big while driving - meaning is it easy to maneovour the car in traffic? This question might sound stupid, but since i stay in Mumbai, space is a real constraint and there is always bumper to bumper traffic
- Did you compare the maintenance cost of Toyota vs other makers (e.g. Honda)? I heard Toyota maintenance is cheaper than Honda
- Hows the output of the music system?

Thanks
Ashish

Ym-enjn · 6th May 2009, 17:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashishgandhi_00

Hey akj,

I am very close to deciding on the Altis... just a few more concerns:

- Whats the fuel economy that you are getting?
- Does the car have a USB port for music?
- Does the car feel very big while driving - meaning is it easy to maneovour the car in traffic? This question might sound stupid, but since i stay in Mumbai, space is a real constraint and there is always bumper to bumper traffic
- Did you compare the maintenance cost of Toyota vs other makers (e.g. Honda)? I heard Toyota maintenance is cheaper than Honda
- Hows the output of the music system?

Thanks
Ashish

I have manual Altis from 6 months, so I will answer your questions:

- FE is between 11 and 13 kmpl.
- No there is no USB port, there is AUX input port.
- Its excellent in traffic, thanks to its Electric power steering. If you buy the A/T one it will be jewel on the cap.
- Nop I didn't compared.
- Music system is good, but each has his own standards. Take a test drive. Only drawback is that there is no clock on it.. otherwise it has reasonablly good output and controls.

R2D2 · 6th May 2009, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashishgandhi_00

Hey akj,

I am very close to deciding on the Altis... just a few more concerns:

- Whats the fuel economy that you are getting?
- Does the car have a USB port for music?
- Does the car feel very big while driving - meaning is it easy to maneovour the car in traffic? This question might sound stupid, but since i stay in Mumbai, space is a real constraint and there is always bumper to bumper traffic
- Did you compare the maintenance cost of Toyota vs other makers (e.g. Honda)? I heard Toyota maintenance is cheaper than Honda
- Hows the output of the music system?

Thanks
Ashish

Some more Altis feedback:
a) 11-12 in city and 14.5 on the hwy
b) Excellent in city. Silky smooth EPS steering which is v effective at low speeds.
c) Does the car feel big...well, depends on what car you compare it to. For it's size it does not feel big and it is easy to maneuver.
d) Regular maintenance costs are reasonable and comparable to Honda. But like most cars nowadays accident repairs are expensive.
e) I found the stock music system pleasant but needed more. So I replaced it with a JVC AVX 810 with a Bluetooth adapter + Infinity amp and speakers. It floats my boat without busting my wallet.

Rgds,

manish123 · 14th May 2009, 14:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashishgandhi_00

Hey akj,

I am very close to deciding on the Altis... just a few more concerns:

- Whats the fuel economy that you are getting?
- Does the car have a USB port for music?
- Does the car feel very big while driving - meaning is it easy to maneovour the car in traffic? This question might sound stupid, but since i stay in Mumbai, space is a real constraint and there is always bumper to bumper traffic
- Did you compare the maintenance cost of Toyota vs other makers (e.g. Honda)? I heard Toyota maintenance is cheaper than Honda
- Hows the output of the music system?

Thanks
Ashish

Hi Ashish,
I bought Altis GL recently and have run around 700kms. Here is my take on your questions:
No USB port but there is an aux input
Driving in city is absolutely pleasure. However, I did go on highway and although I had a bit of apprehension about lack of feel (as discussed in many other threads), i was pleasantly surprised that driving on highway was equally pleasurable. Not once did I feel that steering wheel was too soft. I drove at about 100kms/hr and I have no reason to believe that at 120 or 130km/hr it would have been any different.
The inside look and feel (especially of GL with leather seats) are quite nice.
On the negative side, the only problem I am facing is that when I change gears, engine rpm increases and I feel a bit of pull at gear change. Its been only 2 weeks since I have started driving and I hope that by the time I complete 1-2 months, I would have got mastery over clutch/accelerator pedals to be able to manuover it smoothly
Music system output is average to good. Only a keen music enthusiast may find it to be below expectation, otherwise IMO it does its job well

Vid6639 · 14th May 2009, 16:08

The leather seats are not what they seem. They advertise as leather seats but are actually a mix of both. Only the back rest and the underthigh is leather. The rest of the sides, the back of front seats are all PU art leather. Saw that in an old Altis that the level of fade was different.

ashishgandhi_00 · 16th May 2009, 15:26

hey Manish,

Does the Altis have air filters in its AC? not sure whether any cars have it (or all cars have it??).. but i read somewhere that some cars have pollen filters ... whats that...?

ImmortalZ · 16th May 2009, 20:49

Well, they will have some sort of filter in place or the system will suck in everything under the car - leaves, dust, fur etc. Pollen filters are finer filters that can block pollen (think flowers). The reason this is heavily advertised is because certain pollen particles cause allergies and depending on the severity of the person's reaction, it can be even fatal.

So for people with allergies to pollen, a pollen filter in the A/C is a very necessary feature.

12th April 2009, 10:25	#91
akj53 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NOIDA, Manchester & Cardiff Posts: 585 Thanked: 92 Times	I am posting my car's pics. Registration is temp. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

12th April 2009, 12:23	#92
redeff BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 356 Thanked: 272 Times View My Garage	She looks Good! Just wish there was no wood on the steering wheel though! However, the Camry blue color really brings out her lines!
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 10:13	#93
Ym-enjn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Jaipur Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 59 Times	Congrats AKJ.. It looks fab.. What is the on road cost you got for it and are you considering any accessories like bumper fins etc? Enjoy it man..
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 23:26	#94
akj53 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NOIDA, Manchester & Cardiff Posts: 585 Thanked: 92 Times	Thank you redeff and Ym-enjn. That leather and wood steering wheel looks and feels great and give a very satisfying steering experience. Even the gear lever is finished in wood and leather. Feels expensive. Yes the car looks very good in blue. It costed me 13 lacs on road which I think is a good and VFM price for this car. I have bought only the floor mats (good) and car cover (tyyex) which keeps the car cool in hot sun. I wanted the bumper protectors, but they were available only in black which looked bad, so did not buy. The car is fully loaded so not other accessories are really needed. Even the sun screen film is not needed as it has good quality tinted glasses all round.
	() Thanks

23rd April 2009, 17:55	#95
ashishgandhi_00 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 200 Thanked: 0 Times	hey AJK, nice buy... congrats... the color looks really rich... i somehow dont like the wodden finish on the steering wheel and center console... anyways, enjoy one point though - am confused regarding the pricing. You got the AT version at 13 lacs on road, while the toyota webise shows the price as 13.18 lacs ex-showroom. Did yu got some heavy discounts or has toyota increased its prices recently?
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 17:55	#96
akj53 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NOIDA, Manchester & Cardiff Posts: 585 Thanked: 92 Times	Toyota has increased prices from 1st April. The AT model's price has gone up by about 50000 Rs. Delhi / Noida prices are also lower than Mumbai as we dont have any octroi here. I also managed to get a discount in March, so my total cost was slightly lower than 13 lacs. You can bargain on the insurance premium also. I am taking my car for service tomorrow so can give the current pricing and discount info on this Sunday. I have driven 1100 kms so far, and it has proved to be a lovely car. The wooden finish is slightly more shiny but the steering feels very good to hold and the driver's seat is very very comfortable.
	() Thanks

25th April 2009, 13:03	#98
akj53 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NOIDA, Manchester & Cardiff Posts: 585 Thanked: 92 Times	Noida showroom price is also 13.18 lacs and currently there is a waiting period of 20 days, so no discounts are being offered, but you try to bargain with your dealer. They tend to give more discount in last week of month. No there is no issue of slipping of wooden steering. The wooden part is on the top side of wheel and normally wheel is held in 10.10 position. If you like the car, buy it and you will not be disappointed.
	() Thanks

5th May 2009, 12:21	#99
ashishgandhi_00 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 200 Thanked: 0 Times	Hey akj, I am very close to deciding on the Altis... just a few more concerns: - Whats the fuel economy that you are getting? - Does the car have a USB port for music? - Does the car feel very big while driving - meaning is it easy to maneovour the car in traffic? This question might sound stupid, but since i stay in Mumbai, space is a real constraint and there is always bumper to bumper traffic - Did you compare the maintenance cost of Toyota vs other makers (e.g. Honda)? I heard Toyota maintenance is cheaper than Honda - Hows the output of the music system? Thanks Ashish
	() Thanks

14th May 2009, 16:08	#103
Vid6639 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,727 Thanked: 43,457 Times View My Garage	The leather seats are not what they seem. They advertise as leather seats but are actually a mix of both. Only the back rest and the underthigh is leather. The rest of the sides, the back of front seats are all PU art leather. Saw that in an old Altis that the level of fade was different.
	() Thanks

16th May 2009, 15:26	#104
ashishgandhi_00 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 200 Thanked: 0 Times	hey Manish, Does the Altis have air filters in its AC? not sure whether any cars have it (or all cars have it??).. but i read somewhere that some cars have pollen filters ... whats that...?
	() Thanks

16th May 2009, 20:49	#105
ImmortalZ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,179 Thanked: 488 Times View My Garage	Well, they will have some sort of filter in place or the system will suck in everything under the car - leaves, dust, fur etc. Pollen filters are finer filters that can block pollen (think flowers). The reason this is heavily advertised is because certain pollen particles cause allergies and depending on the severity of the person's reaction, it can be even fatal. So for people with allergies to pollen, a pollen filter in the A/C is a very necessary feature.
	() Thanks