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 is **nowhere 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 the **old 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