[AKSarkar1]

My friend was in a similar dilemma with his 2010 3rd Owner ~1L Kms driven Altis but after doing loads of research he found that sedans <30L budget wouldn't really be an upgrade over the Corolla.

Instead, he went to a local FNG which he has good relations with and did a major mechanical + cosmetic overhaul. He also added a couple of nice accessories like ICE with AA and Carplay. He now says that he is happy to keep the car until the second major round of expenses.

I would say that you should at least consider following this path too, afterall it is a Toyota and crossing the 10 year mark is just getting over with the warmup period! I would alternatively suggest going in for a pre-owned Top of the line facelifted Corolla Altis.

[Sheel]

I just spent ~1.25L on a suspension job / tire replacements as my SUV too just crossed the 1L mark on the odo. A vehicle at 1,00,000 odo mark or thereabouts will demand some TLC apart from regular service. You can either do this or you can replace it with

# The new Tucson
# Innova Crysta

If discounts are there & you can stretch a bit, Tiguan / C5 Aircross can be good options too.

[DicKy]

1. Stretch to a slightly used Camry hybrid.

Or

2. If you can repair the Corolla. Do it. These things will run for long and 100k kms is nothing. Will serve you till the Hycross is launched proper. I believe the Hycross would be more of an upgrade for you and more of a Toyota than the Hyryder. Yes, it is an MPV and not a sedan, still.

Only reason not mentioning the Innova Crysta is because of the city mileage criteria. Either strong hybrid or BEV for you.

[Strider24]

It's very difficult to upgrade from Corolla in sedan segment in 30 lakhs budget, you should definitely strech it and look for a slightly used Camry.

I own a same generation's petrol AT model and recently had an extensive test drive of City Hybrid and Petrol , as far as I can tell is that Corolla's possible lateral change will be an Honda City Hybrid. This is considering all the factors you have listed and keeping budget in check.

I suggest you take a good look at city Hybrid before you finalize,only downside will be the less cabin width and some compromise on the plastic quality in city, apart from these it should be sufficient to keep your driving experience at same level as you get in Corolla.

If you choose to overhaul (cosmetic and Mechanical) Corolla itself, do check out Autorounders' video on Corolla modification in YouTube. They have done some good work on 10th gen Corolla in Mumbai.

[Aakash118]

A top diesel AT variant of Creta/Seltos will suit you best as it covers most of your needs. Hyryder/Grand Vitara is also a good option but the reliability & performance of hybrid powertrain is still unknown.

[Swapnil4585]

I am the owner of a 2010 Altis petrol and have been through the phase of having required to replace the suspension, clutch (but not the rack yet). I am too nearing the 1.5 lakh mark by the month end. And by my own estimation, might need replacement to the fuel pump, ignition coils, the V belt and its pulleys (long overdue), in the coming 6 months period.

I would only suggest letting Toyota inspect the car and do the replacements in a time bound manner, the more worn component to be replaced first and the less worn, later on. I have followed this style whenever on a tight purse and has helped me maintain this car very well. There are only 3 such petrol (1ZZFE) Altis in my town and one Corolla. We 4 owners are hardcore Corolla-Altis fans and have decided to keep the car till the law of the land permit us to.

It is very difficult to find a reliable alternative to this car. I would suggest you keep this car and replace parts in a phased manner or find a used Altis of the latest possible year prior to its discontinuance - if at all you intend to stay in the Corolla family.

As far as new car goes, solely looking at the FE requirement, only two cars come to my mind and that are the Tata Altroz and the Mahindra XUV 3OO. I know of users extracting an economy of above 20 consistently from these cars. They are adequately powerful, reliable, safe and cheaper to maintain.

[Phantom 510]

If i were you I would have kept the Corolla running as long as I could. Toyota's are really hard to part with once you get used to their rock solid dependability. However, if you have a strong urge to change it then getting an another Toyota is the best thing to do. The Urban Cruiser Hyryder in it's strong hybrid guise would suit your requirements really well IMHO.

[TorqMaster]

Hello,

In my opinion only a Toyota can replace another Toyota. this is because of the trouble free experience one associates with Toyotas. Any other car from any other brand would always seem like a trade-off .

I suggest you fix your existing Toyota with some very good after-market parts (or company parts if that makes you feel better), spruce up your interiors, maybe a paint-job too if necessary. All of these may cost you about 2 lakhs. Reliability is key, so better to do it at Toyota itself if you dont have good aftermarket garages.

Enjoy the car for another 5 years or anther 2 lakh kilometers. By this time the market would have matured even more. The Diesel engines in Toyota last for atleast 3 lakh kilometers.

[rajshenoy]

Can understand your dilemma as a fellow corolla owner. I bought a 2014 Altis (pre-owned) thinking it will be a safe bet for couple of years but after 3 years, I can't really think of any alternatives under 30 lakhs.

I would have suggested you to stick to the corolla but it is a manual and you have mentioned AT as one of the requirements.

Are you open to Pre-owned segment ? A good Camry might meet all your requirements

It may be difficult to meet Toyota level of service experience, so other alternative would be an Innova AT or upcoming Hyryder strong hybrid.

Honestly I am also waiting for that next car worthy of an upgrade

[TechnoBloop]

Wow, the point of FE>20km/L knocks out almost all the options out of the park!
There's always the City Hybrid and ZS EV if you want such mileage, but then the driving performance will be compromised a lot!
But if you want the driving experience then you can go for the Virtus GT or Octavia but don't expect a mileage above 12-15 km/L max in cities. Virtus GT/Octavia covers all your requirements except the mileage, also if unluckily the DSG fails, it will burn a hole in your pocket!

So the safe bet is to stick with your Corolla for some time, save money and extend your budget to get a Camry Hybrid or some other better option that is available at that point of time. Talking about Camry, it would feel like a perfect upgrade from a Corolla, it also ticks all your requirements. Soo, maybe a pre-owned one could be an option? Depends on how open you're to pre-owned cars.
Only a Toyota can replace a Toyota.
Hope my reply helps you in some way or the other, good luck!

[RRU]

My 2 cents:

Nothing like enjoying Toyota and remaining in Toyota family with another car:

Only one compromise: move to SUV/Crossover from Sedan.

1) Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder (strong hybrid) - this will merge the two requirements - replacement for Altis and a small AT hatchback for city rides - Hyryder (D22) is the best of both the world - and less the 30L - barring the Sedan criterion, it satisfies all other.

2) Wait for a few months and upgrade to Innova Hycross (the completely revamped Innova Crysta with 2.0L Petrol hybrid) - currently being tested and slated for launch in early 2023 - code named 560B.


I know the pride of owning a Toyota!

[sumeethaldankar]

At 30 lacs I am sure you can get an Innova Crysta D. Once you get the taste of the Toyota reliability and fuss free ownership you may not like anything else. However 1.5 lac kms for a Toyota is nothing. Best you wait for the Hyryder and remain in the Toyota family as it is just around the corner.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by adnankw

…I am looking for recommendations to test drive & check out a replacement car from the people best suited to provide them…

Your requirements have ‘Camry Hybrid’ written all over it and it’s understandable as that’s a natural progression from a Corolla. However thanks to India pricing, your budget falls short for new one. So do the next best thing as many suggested here, go for a ‘used’ Camry hybrid. Nothing, I repeat, nothing else would suffice after spending a decade with a Toyota original (to differentiate from rebadged marutis)

However if you don’t find a good enough option in used market, do checkout the Hyryder strong hybrid. Its built with Maruti but has some significant inputs(hybrid powertrain) from Toyota as well unlike the Brezza/Balenos.

[VikrantD]

Oh boy, the Toyota question again.

I would just spend money for the replacement parts and retain the Altis. Your car is leagues ahead of today's crappy choices.

[adnankw]

Wow, so many useful responses! Team BHP certainly didn't disappoint. I now have enough views to take a decision - for those following this thread, I will summarize the feedback received so far:

Repair the Altis and run it for another couple years, because a) it can easily run longer with the expected repairs and b) its smarter to wait a few years for better cars meetings these requirements

- This has been the overwhelming feedback and will also be my decision. The Altis has served me well for 10 years and I do believe it can go on for another 2ish years after the repairs. I will wait for better (Toyota?) hybrids at that time, something which will feel like a proper upgrade.

The replacement cars, in order of most recommended, were:

1) Toyota Hyryder
- The natural choice for me, I will certainly test drive it, but likely wait for a stronger hybrid since I am keeping the Altis for a few more years (unless it really blows me away!)

2) Used Camry Hybrid
- more on this below

3) MG ZS EV
- I hadn't considered this, but it looks great and seems to tick most boxes. Only concern is the long term reliability since MG is still new to India.

4) Honda City Hybrid
- solid all round car, have had a great experience with the Honda Brio. I just wish a Civic Hybrid was around!

6) Innova Crysta
- more on this below

I should have mentioned this in the original post (newbie error, sorry), but we already have a 2019 Camry Hyrbid and 2017 Crysta Diesel in the family garage - both phenomenal vehicles which will easily last us through the 2020s. Our tryst with Toyota began with the OG Innova (2005) and we have never really looked outside after that (but are open to it)

To all those who took out the time to post - thank you!