It would
seem Toyota has heeded our calls to inject some spice into their bread and
butter range of cars. The all-new Corolla Altis is so
radically different from its predecessor both inside and out, it actually
stopped motorists in their tracks during the weekend that I had with the car.
And when I
mean stop, I meant it in every sense of the word and in a very positive way of
course. In car parks to even traffic junctions, I had people coming up to me
and asking which Toyota model is that, and when I told them it’s the new Altis they were even more surprised. In fact, during the
course of the three day test-drive, I conducted numerous guided tours of the
car’s revamped interior.
Needless to
say, the most common comments I heard were that the exterior looks very
upmarket and the interior’s predominantly black/dark grey colour
combination made the Thai-made Altis look a class
above its price range.
The Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 offers decent looks, combined with reasonable
specification as well as the good old Toyota reliability
The 11th
generation 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis borrows styling
cues from the earlier Toyota Furia Concept, giving it
a rather sleek silhouette with a rakish windscreen, a sporty chromed front
grille and bumper that blends into aggressive looking LED headlights that come
complete with Daytime-Running Lights.
If you had
driven any of the previous generation Corollas, you would have noticed the
interior was usually clad in a rather unexciting hue of beige, light brown and
faux wood trim – something that would have settled well with a visibly more
senior age group.
The new Altis however, changes all that, we now get an
all-black/dark grey ensemble accented with a little brushed chrome trimmings
here and there – which not only gives the cabin a more upmarket executive feel
but actually feels rather well made too thanks to clever usage of textured
plastics and soft leather panels.
Instrumentation
panels have all been refreshed as well, forget about the gaudy greenish-yellow
illumination of yore, everything now is bathed in a cool blue – you even get to
choose from three colours to lit up the factory
installed audio display unit. The new Altis also gets
new upholstery, which are a tad firmer compared to the mushy ones from the
previous Altis.
The Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 has a well-designed interior
The new
seats not only provide adequate support but maintain optimum comfort levels.
Space is of primary concern here and the Altis
doesn’t disappoint with lots of headroom, shoulder room and legroom too thanks
to a flat floor at the rear bench and a 100mm longer wheelbase.
On the
move, the Altis drives remarkably well when compared
to the previous model, which had a fair bit of roll and flex when driven around
corners at anything above the permitted speed limit. The new car maintained its
composure and balance – giving it a decidedly European flair.
Of course,
that signature Toyota ride comfort has been largely maintained too even with
the stiffer setup, road irregularities, humps and other bumps are soaked up
pretty convincingly without jarring the passengers inside. The cabin is
extremely well insulated as well as road noise, tyre
or engine roar are barely audible once you close the doors.
The Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 gets its power from a 1.6-liter Dual VVT-i engine
Making yet
another appearance is the trusty 1.6-litre four-potter from the previous Altis, with an output of 121bhp and 154Nm of twist mated to
an all-new CVT gearbox that ensures silky smooth responsive acceleration and
fuel efficiency. Switch to manual mode, and you will be able to drive the Altis with seven virtual automatic gears.
So there
you have it, Toyota’s all new Corolla Altis isn’t a
boring sedan for retirees anymore, the new model brings with it a host of
add-ons and revamps that should keep the car relevant in this day and age and
appeal to a younger age group. It drives and feels better than ever, has
impeccable fuel efficiency, that famous Toyota reliability factor and most of
all looks the part.
