The most practical option in the C+ segment. Review on Toyota Corolla

My testdrive series is continuing this weekend with wheels that comes just above 10 Lakhs. I thought of test-driving the Corolla Altis 'G' variant this time as in my research this was the most practical and value for money choice among the 10-13L ex-price category. I must say that I am pretty proud of myself because the call was right!

The first experience

Thanks to the recession, I was fortunate to get a test drive car from Ravindu Toyota, Bangalore on short notice. The pre-sales person was a friendly chap who got the car to my apartment on time with all necessary things that I had requested (quote, accessory cost sheet and brochure). I guess, the Toyota dealers in the city are far better behaved than the ones in Honda showrooms.

The car that I requested was the 'G' variant that has everything you need - except the xenon headlamps with washers, eight-way driver seat adjustment and leather seats. But it costs only 10, 98, 000 ex-Bangalore (and futher 20K discount, some goodies like parking sensors, sunfilms, mats etc)

The looks

The very first thing that you notice about the Corolla Altis (from outside) is probably the protruding 'bums' but soon you realize that it contributes to a huge boot space (475 L) you will forget it. Corolla has definitely reworked on this car in terms of its exterior looks and shape but this one isnowhere near the Civic's sleak, sporty and modern looks. Once you get in you feel good but Civic scores better though the design team has put together a lot of effort to make the console and controls look more 'digital'. My first impression, however, is that the old corolla interiors looked cleaner and better. I thought, the Altis interiors looked a bit sub-standard for the price - perhaps it's the beige color part that looked a bit cheaper. However, there's a blue-brightly-lit ALTIS logo on the door steps that looks amazing at night - it looks very sporty. When you open the rear doors, the first thing you will notice is the protrusion-free flat floor that should be really convenient for the person sitting in the middle. It's really built for five passengers.

Convenience & features, saftey etc

The 'G' variant has a good quality 6-CD MP3/CD changer with steering audio controls, A/C with climate control, electrically adjustable/retractable ORVMs with turn indicators, glass integrated antenna, a lot of storage space, center armrests with cupholders on front/rear seats, a better looking console etc as features. There are two SRS airbags and the braking system is with ABS and EBD. There are a number of other features that I do not want to list here for the sake of brevity.

Driving experience

Now over to the main business. The car that I got for test driving had done only 5000kms and hence I could not assess it much in terms of screech and rattle. I believe that Toyota offers a very good build quality on this vehicle that should take it through for at least 50K kms without any problem (while the engine might last for a good 1, 50K kms). I started the engine and there was absolutely no sound coming into the cabin. I had to check the tachometer to believe that the engine was on. Now, with four people in the car (and A/C on) I took it forwad. The engine was really powerful and smooth and no grunts with that kind of load. The only time, some sound came inside was when I took it through a series of small speedbreakers when it actually produced some tyre noise. However, the immediate disappointment was the steering that was too soft something that I do not like. I was told that theold corolla had a better hydrolic powersteering while the Altis sport an EPS. And this is one of the differentiators with Civic and I found that on reasonably higher speeds, it felt a little wayward when you take curves. There are multiple reasons to it - the higher ground clearance, softer steering, more passenger oriented suspension, narrow tyres etc. Coming back to the ground clearance - at no time during our drive (with four people) this car's chassis hit the ground. And that is the biggest advantage of this vehicle with respect to Civic. As for the gear ratios and turning radius, I must admit that it is a great car to drive in traffic. I took the car on uphill in third gear (four people) and at something like 30K/hr and it was not complaining and no rattles from the driveshaft. That was really heartening. And the next best part was while taking U-turns without any difficulties. I drove the car for almost 20-25 minutes and about 15Kms. The brakes were tested twice from 80-0 it was super smooth stop and the brakes with ABS was superb (Hardly two days back I had tested the brakes of couple of other vehicles and I must say that this one's really good) undoubtedly supported by those huge 15" brake discs on all wheels. Another good thing about driving the Altis was the great visibility from the cabin on all sides. It was just great to see things around while driving.

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, Cedias 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

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

What I did not like?

Of course, the softer steering is the first thing that I did not like. This one for sure will feel unsafe at higher speeds. The other improvement area is the alloy wheels that look a bit plain. And as I remember, the keys do not come with integrated central locking buttons. Otherwise, this one is perfect!

Recommendation

I would recommend the following additons to your Corolla Altis G-variant

1) Parking sensors:A must for this car with a huge boot

2) Chrome front grills and wheel archs: The car that I test drove had those beautiful wheel archs that enhanced the looks of the Altis big time - especially on silver and light blue shades.

Probably upsizing to 205 or 215 mm tyres might enhance the drivability of this car. However, the pre-sales person said it's not technically possible. I must find out why.Overall the new Corolla Altis G-variant is a great value for money option in this segment. I would recommend it anytime over the Honda Civic unless you drive on the Airport runways every single day. That much for now... Stay tuned for more test drive reports