Car tested: 2008 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8GL
Price OTR Mumbai: 14,09,000/-
MotorBeam rating: 
We had reviewed the all new Toyota Corolla Altis a week back and now we got a chance to get behind the wheel (read test drive) of the new Corolla Altis. We had the top end manual model to our disposal. Check out the detailed picture gallery after the jump.
Exteriors – The COROLLA ALTIS comes with automatic headlights with HID lamps and headlight washers. The headlights look impressive and overall it is obvious that the COROLLA is inspired by its elder sibling the CAMRY.
Interiors - Getting into the drivers seat, one is greeted by the plush interiors, with a lot of attention to detail. The steering has a wooden finish, which looks great. Steering wheel is slightly smaller compared to the old COROLLA with quite a few buttons and controls giving it a high tech feel.
The COROLLA ALTIS comes with Leather Seats for the top models and fabric seats for the base ones. Headroom was a bit of a problem for the tall and the drivers seat in the rearmost position was not rear enough to seat the driver comfortably. We thought the seat could have gone further back. Electronic Lumbar Support was definitely a boon and electronic seat adjustment was a feature only available to the drivers seat. The front passenger seat comes with manual seat adjustment mechanism.The rear seats can be folded in 60:40 ratio and provide good storage in addition to the 475 liter boot. The rear seats come with a flat floor.
The instrument cluster is advanced with multi info display which shows mileage, kms before fuel runs out etc. TOYOTA has done well to give an audio system which looks cool as well is quite good for a stock audio system. The Car comes with six speakers, two on the front door and two behind the rear seats and 2 tweeters mounted on the front doors near the A pillar. The built in Audio system has a 6 Cd changer and provision for auxiliary. Sound quality is impressive for stock audio.
There is ample storage space with double glove boxes and side seat pockets. The outside rearview mirrors are electronically adjustable and retractable. The Automatic climate control system is not only very efficient but also looks very neat.
Getting Started – Switching on the ignition the car starts with the smoothest sound. Engine is well refined with slick gearshift. The car accelerates smoothly and the steering wheel feels super light. Maneuvering the car is easy thanks to the light feel Electronic Power Steering. The horn is slightly awkwardly placed in the centre of the steering, which makes one lift their hand from the steering in order to honk. Despite this, the controls on the steering are easily accessible in the driving position.
Ride and Handling – The ride of the COROLLA ALTIS was decently good, a tad better than the HONDA CIVIC. Handling is where the CIVIC gets ahead. The car does not turn in sharply at high seeds but was well balanced with very little tendency to oversteer.
Performance – The 1.8 litre VVTI engine produces 132 PS at 6000 RPM. The engine accelerates well with good gear ratios. However, the car feels slightly sluggish from 0–100 as compared to the HONDA CIVIC. Low end performance is good but the engine becomes slightly audible and rough when the revvs rise. Lower end torque for a petrol is good but we would have liked more power.
Conclusion - A great car with a lot of attention to detail but it slightly falls behind the CIVIC which looks more futuristic and appealing. The Corolla is for the person who wants to get from point A to point B in luxury, the Civic is for those who love driving and want a car that is sporty.
Whats Kool 
- Good quality audio system
- Attention to detail
- Light steering with multi information display
- Superb TOYOTA build quality
- Engine well refined and smooth
- Awesome interiors
Whats UnKool 
- Headroom
- Drivers seat in the rearmost position slightly cramped for tall drivers
- No black colour
How does it Drive :
How does it Look: 
How does it Ride:
How does it Handle :
How does it Go:
Specifications:
- Engine: 1.8 liter, 16V, DOHC, VVT-i
- Power: 132 PS @ 6000rpm
- Torque: 170Nm @ 4200rpm
- Transmission: 5 speed manual
- Top Speed: 195kmph
- 0-100kmph: 10.2 seconds
- Fuel Consumption: 10-11 kmpl (City), 14-15 kmpl (highway)
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
- Fuel Type: Petrol Unleaded
- Tires: 195/65/15 Tubeless Radials
- Weight: 1215 kgs
- Brakes: All Wheel Discs, ABS, EBD
- Safety: ABS, EBD, Dual Front Airbags, Seat Belt Warning (D+P), Alarm System
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September 15th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Nice review. I loved the pics. Videos could have made it better. Keep up the good work.
September 15th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Somehow I did not like the wooden finish in the interiors. It looks completely at odd compared to the rest of the stuff. The overall fit and finish inside also cannot be called top notch though better than older Corolla. High speed performance was clearly lacking and the salesman was asking me to keep the accelerator pressed full for a long time to get maximum acceleration. Even in this case, speeds above 160 looked very slow to happen. I was driving an automatic version. I think manual version may perform a little better. The best part is the aggressive pricing and better features compared to Honda Civic, especially for the base model.
September 15th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Nice inputs Appu. The automatic is a old school 4 speed. Toyota should have given atleast a 5 speed auto to compete with the Civic. The Civic auto feels so much better to drive with the paddle shifts. The extra weight of the Altis makes it slightly sluggish when it comes to performance.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:28 am
I think this is the best review yet. A video would have certainly been well appreciated. Maybe next time?
Anyway I’m not very impressed with the Corolla in general because it looks like they tried very hard to match the Civic’s hype but failed. Fortunately for them there will never be a shortage of loyal Corolla buyers, and I dont blame them because the Corolla is a great go-getter. The only question then is will people spend their money on the much more interesting Civic or this?
BTW nice to see Indians got the nice console package. Some countries arnd the world are getting very ugly controls in the console.
September 17th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thanks ed. Yeah the Corolla is still not an exciting car, it never was and Toyota are not targeting the youth segment either. However the new Corolla makes the Civic look overpriced with so many more features in the Altis that the Civic lacks.
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