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The car, although only with a 4-speed auto with a manual shift mode, is moderately quick off the block, but it's no scorcher - and neither is it meant to be. We do think that 4-speed auto transmissions are passe but then one has to really ask oneself whether it really matters while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. We managed a 0-60kph time of 6.0 seconds and a 0-100 time of 13.8 seconds. Of course, we will be doing a thorough road-test of the car in a short while and we do expect the car to be marginally quicker, so watch this space! The transmission also has a 'save-my-skin' mode where it refuses to downshift in Manual mode if the engine is over 3000rpm and keeps beeping to remind you that it's not going to let you blow its powertrain!
We also managed to achieve a shade over 170kph but quickly ran out of road. But the Altis doesn't feel as confident as it should at speeds over a 140kph and makes you want to back off. Maybe this is due largely to the fact that the car's suspension is tuned with an emphasis on ride quality rather than handling, since a constant complaint on the old Corolla was low speed ride quality. The Altis in quite good in this respect and it soaks up bad roads with ease and doesn't let any nasty shocks filter into the cabin. There is also plenty of grip at speed from the 196/65 R15 Bridgestone Turanza ER 300s - it's just the lack of composure at extreme three-digit speeds that makes you back off. Also commendable is the braking. We saw an 80-0kph distance of 29.2 metres on less-than-perfect road surface.
Push the Altis hard and you can hear the engine straining beyond 5000rpm and it does quite get very vocal to the point where it sounds like it's running out of breath. It's almost as if it didn't want to be pushed any further. At cruising speeds, with the engine barely turning at 2000rpm the car is fairly hushed with almost no noise filtering through the cabin. We also found the air-conditioning to be extremely effective and its ability to chill a baking hot interior (with leather seats) is necessary in our hot and humid clime.
Ingress and egress to the rear though can be a bit of an issue in the Altis. To start with you sit a lot lower than in the older Corolla. Once seated, it is a comfortable place, but you do realise that the car is smaller than its predecessor on the inside and this is more evident in the back than when you're driving. Getting out of the car isn't quite as graceful as you'd like, and you may have to contend with the high door sill and the narrow footwell. Your luggage however will be very comfortable in the 475 litre boot that can swallow quite a load of bags for a trip to the airport or a really long holiday!
We were quite pleasantly surprised when it came to the fuel economy since we not only drove in pedal-to-metal mode, but also chugged along in bumper-to-bumper traffic almost all day. So we find the figure of 8.45kpl for an automatic quite commendable and this should silence most critics who talk about automatics being inefficient. We do however feel that the Altis, especially the automatic, could be priced a little lower.. While some may argue that the Civic automatic and the Altis automatic are on par, the Corolla loses out on the styling front - which let's face it, appeals a lot more to the younger generation and women who are taking to the wheel.
But as an overall package the Altis does score highly and please all who have driven or sat in it. It will be interesting to see what happens in the marketplace with the supreme champion now back to fight in the ring. But we don't think Honda and now VW are going to sit about quietly. They will retaliate and at the end of the day it will boil down to just one thing - price. We, as consumers, really have never had it better.
From what we have seen at the Toyota dealerships with people flocking to the car like ducks to water and from people's reactions on the road, we think the Altis has what it takes to win back the crown. And talking of winning back the crown, interestingly enough the word Altis comes from Greece and was the area of 'sanctuary to the gods' in ancient Olympia which was the center of worship the God of Gods, Zeus. As cliched as it may sound - let the games begin!
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