New Toyota Corolla (Altis) coming in September!
New Toyota Corolla (Altis) coming in September!
Toyota Corolla has been one of the highest selling cars in the world. When introduced in the Indian market, Corolla took the D segment by storm and went on to become the bestseller in the luxury car segment. But Honda made life miserable for Toyota with its futuristic-looking Civic. Honda Civic, since its inception in the Indian auto arena, has been the highest selling car in the D segment but Toyota is now taking the war seriously (finally!) and is going to launch the new Corolla Altis in the first week of September (read 5th September).
First let’s talk about the aspect that instantly makes it stand tall over the current Corolla; the styling. Though the front end looks striking owing to the grille section and has stark resemblance to Camry, the rest of the car is quite staid. The otherwise boring rear is slightly energized by bulging tail lamps but the overall form does not induce any sense of style and the Civic will easily score over Corolla Altis in the looks department.
It is a similar story inside the cabin too. Civic’s cockpit is far more appealing and futuristic than Corolla’s. The digital speedo, driver oriented dash and sporty hand-brake lever positioning puts the Civic in a different plane altogether. The Corolla Altis on the other hand will sport well-built interior but won’t be able to hold a candle to Civic. Two glove compartments will add to the practicality quotient. The neatly fitted audio system and wooden finish on the centre console will add a veneer of luxury. The steering wheel is taken from the Camry and will sport audio and other controls on it. With a length of 4540mm and wheelbase of 2600mm, expect the Corolla Altis to be quite roomy and comfortable. Though standing 15mm taller than Honda Civic at 1465mm, the new Corolla will be helped by a footprint of 205/55 R16 to aid handling and stability.
Unlike the paddle shift in Civic, the Corolla Altis might be offered with a floor mounted automatic tranny. One will be able to shift manually by shifting the gear lever into sequential mode with forward movement resulting in up-shifts and backwards in down-shifts. What is a little strange and irritating is that the Corolla Altis in Thailand comes with a 4-speed automatic gearbox while the Civic has a 5-speed ‘box. We hope that a proper 5-speed paddle shift version is offered here! The Toyota Corolla Altis will be quite heavily loaded and will come with ABS, EBD, BA, airbags, traction control, cruise control etc.
Powering the Toyota Corolla Altis will be a 1.8-litre petrol engine that will deliver 132bhp to the front wheels. An option of a smaller 1.6-litre, 109bhp engine cannot however be ruled out in the current climate of ever rising fuel prices. Toyota will also be working towards getting a 1.6L, common rail diesel engine under the hood but that can only be speculated as of now. If Toyota does offer a diesel mill in the Corolla Altis, expect Honda Civic to experience a little blow in its sales figure. The 1.8L petrol engine is said to be highly fuel efficient and emission free. A figure of 35mpg on highway has been projected to be realistic figure to achieve which makes the Corolla stand tall on mileage claims as it works out to be approximately 14.8kmpl.
Toyota Corolla has been one of the highest selling cars in the world. When introduced in the Indian market, Corolla took the D segment by storm and went on to become the bestseller in the luxury car segment. But Honda made life miserable for Toyota with its futuristic-looking Civic. Honda Civic, since its inception in the Indian auto arena, has been the highest selling car in the D segment but Toyota is now taking the war seriously (finally!) and is going to launch the new Corolla Altis in the first week of September (read 5th September).
First let’s talk about the aspect that instantly makes it stand tall over the current Corolla; the styling. Though the front end looks striking owing to the grille section and has stark resemblance to Camry, the rest of the car is quite staid. The otherwise boring rear is slightly energized by bulging tail lamps but the overall form does not induce any sense of style and the Civic will easily score over Corolla Altis in the looks department.
It is a similar story inside the cabin too. Civic’s cockpit is far more appealing and futuristic than Corolla’s. The digital speedo, driver oriented dash and sporty hand-brake lever positioning puts the Civic in a different plane altogether. The Corolla Altis on the other hand will sport well-built interior but won’t be able to hold a candle to Civic. Two glove compartments will add to the practicality quotient. The neatly fitted audio system and wooden finish on the centre console will add a veneer of luxury. The steering wheel is taken from the Camry and will sport audio and other controls on it. With a length of 4540mm and wheelbase of 2600mm, expect the Corolla Altis to be quite roomy and comfortable. Though standing 15mm taller than Honda Civic at 1465mm, the new Corolla will be helped by a footprint of 205/55 R16 to aid handling and stability.
Unlike the paddle shift in Civic, the Corolla Altis might be offered with a floor mounted automatic tranny. One will be able to shift manually by shifting the gear lever into sequential mode with forward movement resulting in up-shifts and backwards in down-shifts. What is a little strange and irritating is that the Corolla Altis in Thailand comes with a 4-speed automatic gearbox while the Civic has a 5-speed ‘box. We hope that a proper 5-speed paddle shift version is offered here! The Toyota Corolla Altis will be quite heavily loaded and will come with ABS, EBD, BA, airbags, traction control, cruise control etc.
Powering the Toyota Corolla Altis will be a 1.8-litre petrol engine that will deliver 132bhp to the front wheels. An option of a smaller 1.6-litre, 109bhp engine cannot however be ruled out in the current climate of ever rising fuel prices. Toyota will also be working towards getting a 1.6L, common rail diesel engine under the hood but that can only be speculated as of now. If Toyota does offer a diesel mill in the Corolla Altis, expect Honda Civic to experience a little blow in its sales figure. The 1.8L petrol engine is said to be highly fuel efficient and emission free. A figure of 35mpg on highway has been projected to be realistic figure to achieve which makes the Corolla stand tall on mileage claims as it works out to be approximately 14.8kmpl.
Labels: Toyota India car car
posted by Gongfu @ 7:33:00 AM
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