Toyota launched the much awaited and much needed diesel version of the Corolla Altis today at a launch in Delhi. The Corolla Altis diesel will be priced between 10.95 and 13.75 lakhs (Ex Showroom Delhi) and will be available in 3 variants namely D4DJ, D4DG and D4DGL. The car will more or less resemble its petrol sibling besides a changed front grille.

The Altis diesel is powered by a 1.4 litre common rail diesel engine (D-4D) capable of producing 88.4PS and a torque of 205 Nm and gearshift is by means of a manual 6 speed gearbox. Not very impressive when compared to the Chevrolet Cruze, which fits in the similar price bracket but produces 150 bhp of power but Toyota has got is spot on as far as the fuel efficiency is concerned. Toyota claims a figure of 21 kmpl which is fantastic for a car of this size, the best in the segment by far. Bookings have opened today.

The Corolla Altis Diesel gets a differentiating sporty mesh grille, better aerodynamic characteristics, and the lowest NVH and best ground clearance in its segment. The car is available in seven colours – Silver Mica Metallic, Champagne Mica Metallic, Dark Red Mica Metallic, White Pearl Mica, Light Blue Mica Metallic, Super White and Black Mica.

“The Corolla DNA that has been handed down for 40 years is now in its 10th Generation with over 35 million happy customers worldwide. The car made its debut in India in 2003, and now has more than 60,000 satisfied owners in the country. As part of our long-term commitment to bring the best of Toyota’s technology to India, we are very proud to introduce the Corolla Altis Diesel. The Corolla Altis Diesel has Toyota’s proven D-4D technology, and I am happy to say will have the best fuel efficiency in its segment. ” –
Mr. Nakagawa, MD, Toyota Kirloskar Motors

“Apart from the spacious interiors and luxury features of the Corolla Altis, the diesel variant has the best fuel efficiency, lowest NVH and the best ground clearance in its segment. Our target customers are individuals who are business professionals, in the 35 to 45 age group looking for a perfect balance of performance and economy. The launch of the Corolla Altis Diesel has enhanced Toyota’s line-up in India, and we are looking at consolidating our leadership position in the C-segment with a sales target of 10,500 units for the Corolla Altis in 2010.” – Mr Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motors

July seems to be the month of new launches. First the Nissan Micra, then the Fiat Grande Punto 90bhp and now Toyota has decided to launch the much awaited diesel version of the Corolla Altis in the third week of July. The Corolla diesel will be powered by a 1.4 ltr common rail engine producing 90bhp and drive will be provided with the help of a 6 speed gearbox. This new engine is expected to achieve high fuel efficiency figures.

Besides the engine, there will be a few cosmetic changes which will include a new front grille and a new light assembly. It is expected to be costlier than the existing version by about 1 lakh.

Source – Autocar

Toyota India has just introduced the Corolla Altis Sport (Limited Edition) to target young car enthusiasts. We had posted earlier about the launch of the Limited Edition Corolla Altis. The car gets an aerodynamic front and rear bumper spoiler, a classy headlamp garnish, sleek side skirts and exclusive rear LED spoilers. A contemporary dual tone seat fabric and wood finish rear cup holders heighten the feeling of luxury and elegance. The Corolla Altis Sport is priced at Rs. 1,129,695/- (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

“Only 300 units of the new Limited Edition Corolla Altis Sport will be available for sales. Additionally, individual personalized logos for each of our customers will enhance the exclusivity of ownership of the Corolla Altis Sport. We look forward to bringing to our customers a limited edition of the widely appreciated Corolla Altis, which will offer exclusive ownership and sporty style. The new Corolla Altis Sport will be attractively priced at Rs 11.35 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) and will be available at all Toyota dealerships from today,” Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director (Marketing), Toyota India, said.

Toyota India has quitely launched a new stripped down version of the Corolla Altis. The Corolla Altis Executive (known as 1.8J) is targetted more towards the taxi segment and loses load of important features such as front SRS Airbags, fog lamps,  HIDs, mud flaps, audio system, audio controls on steering wheel, power seats, auto headlamps, rear arm rest, front arm rest, keyless entry, impact sensing fuel cut, etc. The Corolla Altis Executive is priced at Rs. 9,65,000/- (ex-showroom, Mumbai) and is cheaper by Rs. 1.3 lakhs from the 1.8G.

Toyota India will launch the Corolla Altis Limited Edition in June this year. Toyota will manufacture only 100 cars per month for the next three months. The Corolla Altis Limited Edition will get a rear spoiler, side skirts all around, sporty alloy wheels, chrome finished grille and 2 new colors – Warm Silver and Grey Mica Metallic. After all the 300 limited edition cars are sold, all the accesories on the Limited Edition Corolla will be available at Toyota dealerships.

2010 Toyota Corolla Altis - Click above for high resolution picture gallery

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 of the Corolla Altis 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

We thought since the Corolla Altis is the most awaited car in this segment, we should review the Toyota Corolla Altis without any delay. We feel the car looks amazing, inspired by its elder and much more expensive sibling , the Camry. However we are a bit disappointed with the rear. It looks a wee bit like the old Corolla and you can mistake the new Altis to be the old Corolla if you see the rear first. Check out the big photo gallery of the Corolla Altis after the jump.

All the variants in the Altis range get high intensity discharge lamps. The rear tail lamps have LEDs.  The car has some very interesting small touches. For instance when you open the mirror on the sun blinder, the light above it gets switched on automatically . There are puddle lamps on the front two doors, scuff plates and two glove boxes. The boot is decent enough. Alloys look good and like all Toyota’s the built quality is fantastic.  The gear lever feels good to hold and the wipers are somewhat like the Civic with flat blades. The Corolla Altis comes with 195/65/15 Bridgestone Turanza ER300 tubeless steel belted radials. On overall appeal it doesn’t beat the Civic, but a test drive of the Corolla Altis will mostly make us think otherwise. Test Drive Review to come soon.

Toyota has finally launched the much awaited Corolla Altis in three different grades at a price between Rs 10.83 lakh and Rs 12.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Altis uses Toyota’s 1.8 liter VVTi petrol engine, which produces a decent power of 132bhp@6000RPM and torque of 17.3KGM@4200RPM and is available with a 5 speed manual and a 4 speed automatic gearbox. The Civic has similar engine specifications. The new Corolla is really impressive, atleast on paper. It looks like a Mini Camry and has features un talked of in this segment.

We are really very impressed with the pricing of the car and the features it offers. The car has features like 8 way powered driver seat, lumbar support, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, multi information display, cruise control, audio controls and multi information switches on steering wheel, Hgh Intensity Discharge headlamps, headlamp washers, Electro Chromatic inside rear view mirror (auto dimming mirror) and all wheel disc brakes to name a few. It also has has flat rear floor, ABS, Dual SRS Airbags,  Automatic Climate Control, ORVM Turn Signals, 195/65/R15 tires and Integrated Audio System like the Civic. There is no black colour yet. But at the price Toyota plans to sell the Altis, it seems extreme value for money. On paper it looks faster then the Civic with better brakes. Diesel is on the cards too. The Civic and the Jetta better run for cover. Stay tuned for a test drive report of the Corolla Altis.

P.S Looks like the timer on Toyota’s site seems to be working overtime :) but you can check out the site here.

Toyota plans to launch the New Corolla by 5th September as per their site here. The New Corolla will be better known as the Corolla Altis. However you wont have to wait till the 5th to get a glimpse of the new Corolla. Toyota will be showing it at selected showrooms on the 23rd and 24th of this month.

The New Corolla will get a host of features such as instrument cluster with multi-info display,  vehicle stability control,  8-way electrically adjustable power driver’s seat,  steering wheel-mounted audio controls,  16 inch wheels wrapped with 205/55R16 tyres, dual SRS airbags, brake assist, ABS, EBD.

It will be priced from 13.5 Lakhs for the base manual to 15.5 Lakhs for the top end automatic, so it better be good as this is bang in Jetta territory. Bookings for the Altis are open.  I think what Toyota plans to do is to keep the current Corolla as the entry level vehicle to fight the City and the new Corolla Altis as a premium offering to combat the Civic. Toyota is emphasizing on quality and i dont see why this car wont be a success. Only if it was more sainly priced, now the Civic looks terrific value.