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-   -   Corolla Altis AT- Test drive (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/48335-corolla-altis-test-drive-8.html)

Well, I am not too sure on this one. Neither was it specified by the sales guy nor is it mentioned in the car manual. I guess, in that context it is as good or bad as other car a/c.
Slightly getting off track from your question, the a/c otherwise is very very powerful. Once you turn the auto a/c on with a set temperature, it hardly takes a mintue to get to the desired temperature. Infact, I have now started setting it to 25 degree to feel comfortable. Anything less than 25 degrees become quite cold

Hi,

Unlike the 9G Corolla, (in India the car has the slide-out tray required for a filter but was not fitted with one,) the Altis comes with a cabin filter.

It is located behind the glove compartment. The owners manual has details on how to maintain or replace it. The cabin filter traps dust and pollen keeping the car's passengers and driver relatively protected from these potential allergens. The part I like is that the filter keeps the A/C vents clean and free of dust. :-)

Rgds,

Sorry Ashish - I missed your query so could not reply earlier.

So far I driven 1550 Kms including a 600 Km trip to interiors of Rajsthan. Out of this only 250 kms was on good high way and rest was on some of the worst roads I have ever seen. On this trip Altis AT gave me a milage of 13.85 with AC on all the way. So on good highways, it can give nearly 15 kmpl. The overall milage so far is 11.1 as per the trip computer. Within City useage it drops down to 9-10.

Music system is good and it only has a Aux port.

Car is big but has a very short turning radius so maneovourability is not an issue. I also live / drive in Delhi / Noida, so I also face the space constraint.

As I drive myself so I find Auto tranny very useful. The Automatic transmission has an ECU for itself, so shifts are super smooth and it adapts to your driving cycle. Interiors and music system are very good and it has a host of extra features over Civic. The ride and driving comfort is simply outstanding.

It also has very low maintenance with 3 years warranty. Only the oil and oil filters needs to be changed every 10000 kms. Air cleaner Filter & Coolant on 40000 kms and Fuel Filter will be changed on 80000 kms as per Toyota maintenance schedule. Add the legendary Toyota reliability and very good resale value and you have a extremely satisfying car with 'least cost of ownership'.

Toyota maintenance is not only cheaper than Honda, the dealer attitude is also better.

So go for Altis without any hesitation. If you can then go for Automatic.

Hey all,

Thanks for the info. I think i am falling in love with the Altis. its such a beautiful car, with sensible features and reasonable prices.

I have to wait till August for buying the new car. It makes sense to buy a car after rains, since in Mumbai, rains can play havoc.

Thanks again
Ashish

H Gys,

i happened to test drive the Altis on sunday. Here's my feedback

- the car looks reallllllyyyyy big from outside (I drive a Santro, so this comment in relative)
- Interiors are well laid out and look very nice
- Start the car, and there is no sound of the engine (i had TD of SX4 few hrs back, so the difference was noticeable. Of course no point comparing it to the Santro)
- I found the turning radius big. While taking u turns (on a 2 lane highway), i had to reverse the car
- The front seats didn't feel very comfortable. I found the Honda City (ANHC) front seats better than Altis.
- The rear seats are very well laid out and comfortable
- The ride was smooth and silky, but i couldn't test the full power of the car, due to Mumbai traffic.
- All in all, i was impressed with the car, but not completely taken away.

The most imp point - the prices of Altis have increase by almost Rs. 80K (i am interested in the G variant). Infact, even the website of Toyota india shows the earlier prices, but the price quoted by the showroom was higher.

I am now having second thoughts abt the Altis.

P.S my comparison of Altis with SX4 and ANHC may be wierd, but i happened to TD these cars on the same day, hence the obvious references.

Hi Ashish,
Its been one and half month, since I bought Altis GL and have driven around 1500km, so here is my take on this experience.
I feel that the turning radius is quite small compared to other cars...maybe you should try the same turn with others cars as well to check
Earlier I too wanted to buy G version as I thought the extra features in GL wasn't worth the money. But having bought GL (ofcourse with streched budget) I feel 3 features i.e. Leather seats, adjustable driver seats and HID lamps give a feel of luxary and comfort. If you can strech you buget, I would recommend to go for GL.

Has anyone tried connecting the aux-in port with the I-touch in Altis? I was told that the aux-in port was meant only for I-pod, but I am not sure if its compatible with i-touch as well.

I booked an Altis G. Basically the additions that comes with GL (automatic headlamp, headlamp wash, HID lamps, leather, 8-way driver seat) were of no interest to me for the price :) but I plan to put leather...

Considering the options like Stanley, Karlsson, Ceralli...

I wish you gone for AT. If you are going to drive then AT and 8-way driver seat makes lot of difference. I have Altis with AT. On highway, cruise control does the job for me. It really helps to speed up or down. lol: It makes my life cool. I wish Altis comes with
1. Breaks controls mounted on steering.
2. TPM - tyre pressure monitoring
3. Temp control on steering
4. Sunroof as option
5. CNG as option
6. Ac vent for rear seat
7. remote lid opener
8. cooled glove box
9. parking sensor for front and rear with camera
10. GPS as option
11. DVD player with screens for everyone except driver
12. laptop charger and tray at rear
13. more airbags - 6 instead 2
14. power seat for co-passenger as option
15. ESC - electronic stability control

I am sure many of the Altis AT buyers also test drove the Civic AT. The latter has a 5-speed transmission.

I have one simple query? What was the A-B comparison and why you chose Altis in preference to the Civic.

(I am not talking about Auto transmission here but manual mid-variant)

I picked Altis G (still awaiting delivery) after test driving 5-6 cars based on pure practicality on Bangalore roads and wherever I usually drive to (my village in Kerala). I am sure I cannot take Civic to such places due to ground clearance issues. Definitely Civic offers superior driving dynamics and Altis is nowhere near that if you are an enthusiast. But the following is my view on Altis (G) that I had expressed in another place as well.

Why the most practical option?
To cut things short, let me explain why I consider the Corolla Altis the most practical option on Indian roads.

1) Ground clearance: No cars in this category offers this kind of ground clearance. Octavias and Civics will invariably hit the road while driving. Otherwise, you have to go for something like a Skoda Laura that’s probably 2.5 lakhs more expensive than the G variant

2) Ride comfort: Passenger friendly suspension offers some driving pleasure but greater comfort to those who are behind

3) Mileage: In the petrol category, Corolla has to be the most economic car in the segment

4) Turning radius: Drive it around like a Ford Ikon and take U-turns on smaller roads without much difficulties

5) Right balance of power and features: The G-variant has put together the right set of features at a lower price (Civic S doesn't offer fog lamps, indicators on ORVMs, 60:40 rear seat folding, 475L boot space, dual glovebox, Auto anti-glare night mirrors etc)

6) Super for city driving: Take it in third gear at 20 kmph, no complaints.

7) Price: A lakh cheaper than Civic 1.8 MT S

Of course, I miss the superb hydrolic steering on Civic. Altis comes with a over-smooth EPS steering that can be bad at higher speeds).

Driving a Civic in Bangalore must be pure torture. I've heard of the so called "speedbreakers". As someone mentioned in some other thread, they are better named SUV-pass filters. Or mountains on the road. Or back breakers. Or tyre destroyers. Or suspension shattering equipment.

Fun fact : The Laura has less GC than the Civic.

Octavia : 134mm
Laura : 164mm
Civic : 170mm

The difference is in wheelbase. The Civic has a long 2700mm, while the Laura has 2578mm and the Octavia, an even shorter 2512mm. This is why the Civic scrapes in tricky incline changes while the Octavia will breeze through. The tradeoff is massive interior space.

Actually the ground clearance figures are not what you need. The ground clearance is the lowest part of the car - this almost invariably is the bottom of the steering linkage. Now this point is smack between the front wheels, and rides up and down with the wheels. What matters is the underside and the springing more than this simple figure.

I feel that the Civic manual is lying about the minimum ground clearance. Corolla's manual says they have 176mm GC and 2600mm WB where are Civic's figures are 170mm and 2700 mm respectively. I doubt if a vehicle scraps too much for a 10 cm difference in WB. I strongly believe that Civic's actual GC is something like 160 (like the younger brother City - both scrap)! Any thoughts on this?

Don't worry about that, I am always around 140 - 170 on highways and even 190 and its perfectly OK. The steering character changes at high speed.