Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Review

[Markiv]

Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Review​

After years of trustworthy driving on my hyundai accent petrol, i wanted something in the next segment. The cars considered were the Honda civic, chevy cruze, skoda Laura, Renault fluence , volkswagon jetta and the Toyota corolla.*

First love was the civic, but gave up because the new civic which was launched in US did not seem to be coming to India soon. Dropped the fluence because of their relatively small presence in India. The cruze and laura appealed a lot to the heart, but not much to the head after speaking to owner friends of those vehicles. I felt The jetta was a tad overpriced probably not to trouble its sibling, the laura.

The altis seemed to fit in all my requirements in the fields of brand reputation, long term reliability ,after sales service ,ground clearance etc. After finalising the altis, next came the perennial question, diesel or petrol?. The petrol was definetely smoother compared to the diesel sibling, but the diesel was definetely good on its own merit. I had read a lot about the size of the engine in the altis diesel car, but on TD, it was not so bad as i feared. In fact, it was overpowered for bangalore traffic and for long trips on the highway, it may take a few seconds more to reach 100km when compared to the cruze or the Laura, *but had the most important trump card, the amazing FE. So, settled on the altis diesel .(shall try to justify the diesel choice in another thread).

Dealership Experience: 18 days was the waiting period and 18 days was what was promised by the executive. Delivery process was smooth and slick. The car purchase was a surprise for my family and I had brought them to the showroom on a pretext of a test drive of the etios (which my wifey was not thrilled about). The executive and the manager played their part by coming with a box of choclates and the car keys on a big plate, gave them to my wife and said "ma'am,congratulations on your new drive, we are pleased to offer you a Toyota altis". What followed next was plain blank faces for some time, while me and the executive were just smiling". After the euphoria settled down,we finally drove home our new pearl white altis at 6pm on 30th November 2011. They don't offer any freebies or discounts for the diesel version.

Initial driving experience:- The car is an absolute pleasure to drive on long stretches of good road as well as in peak hour traffic. Seating comfort is top class and the interiors, fit and finish are top notch. Touch screen HU is good. However, nothing much to speak about the speakers. I got mine changed to component Rockford fosgate later at another place. After the initial running, the mileage more or less seems to have settled at around 17.2 for city drive. Haven't had the chance to go on a long drive yet, hence shall post on this later. The odometer presently reads 1450kms. The turbo lag is mostly unnoticeable because of the variable geometry transmission and also because of the additional 6th gear. Gear change is extremely smooth, though i felt that the clutch is a bit hard. Finished the first service at ravindu Toyota and the process was over in five hours.*

Presently enjoying my new set of wheels to the hilt. Shall post later after the odo has clocked a few thousand more.

Bye

 

[Prads]

Re: Toyota corolla Altis diesel

The Corolla Altis Diesel does have comfortable seats ,but the performance is just disappointing,most of whom i know choose the Chevrolet Cruz & performance is poles apart,
only one friend got the Corolla Altis diesel over Cruz for his dad as it would be Chauffeur driven , i see you are getting a mileage of 17 odd in the city in comparison to 12-13(city with ac) for the Cruz ,but when you have paid above 14 lakhs (dont know which variant you bought) for a car i dont think you should have justified a 90 paisa saving per km (Cruz)so much,i guess you are a calm driver & the Altis diesel suits your driving style/requirements more & the reputation of the Toyota badge over the Chevy here in India being another plus point for the choice,
as for your choice of diesel over petrol,cars in this category seem to have better resale value with a diesel power plant(under 20 lakhs segment) & the torque available at low rpms make it a pleasure to drive in city conditions!

Wishing you many more miles of safe & peaceful driving.

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Congos Markiv,as I have already mentioned before 'now I am not alone'.So where are the pics of your 'Altis'?
When we bought the Altis,I was not in the buying process in fact I myself came to know about the decision of buying Altis when the car had arrived the dealership here and on my birthday(9 August 2011)we people became a proud owner of Meerut's first new model Corolla Altis D-4D,we got a 'G' variant because dealership guys told my father that its the top end variant.

Although mine has already covered more than 12k kms still we are very happy with the vehicle.My father is a chauffeur driven and hence it proved to be the best car for us(although he still takes the Laura and I Corolla).
This car is really a delight to drive but I does not agree with your turbo-lag point,I am sure you have still not tried to climb it on an incline after stopping in between or hilly roads,if you are above 2000 rpm then it simply climbs but if you come to halt or stop,then you will surely have to take some pain buddy.
FE is simply great,it goes upto 20 kpl on highways and 14-15 in city.(But if driven with soft foot then it can go upto 17-18 in city itself and I have seen even 24 kpl on highway,while at elevated speeds such as 160-170 kph also it returns a healthy 16-18 kpl which really impressed me)
You can find my Corolla here..

@Prads:
Actually people who buy Corolla are quite different,those are the people for whom rear seat and comfort matters more than anything else.My father rejected the Cruze calling it a 'Compressor' because he felt that he can never by comfy in its rear seat.

 

[Umang]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

great start buddy and congo for corolla! well please also upload some pics of your beauty!!

 

[cooldhaya]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Congratulations brother , you have given your family a nice surprise! Please upload some pictures of your ride. I guess you are a calm and sedate driver seeing your FE , the Altis must suit you more.


When i pay 15 Lakh i want my car to perform better over the other cheaper cars so Altis diesel is not the car for me.

 

[Markiv]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Thanks everyone for your wishes.

@Prads :- I fully endorse your view when you say the performance of the Cruze or the laura engine is far more thrilling compared to that of the Altis Diesel. My personal view is that the performance of a car is not determined solely by the engine, but also by the suspension, road grip and handling, smooth gearbox etc. The Altis scores well on all aspects except the engine front.

As you said, it all depends on individual requirements. My lifestyle and daily driving habits in a year include outstation personal holidays of around 30 days and balance 335 days of Bangalore City Driving. As far as 335 days of city drive is concerned, my brother-in- law has a Mercedes E class and he had a Nissan x-trail prior to that. I have driven both the cars a bit and can safely say that my wife’s santro is quicker. What I am trying to say is that engine pick up is hardly put to test in bangalore.

Of the 30 holidays, 15 holiday days would by other modes such as Air or train/ and the balance 15 holidays days would be by car. Of these 15 days, around 10 days would be spent at the holiday destination and around 5 or 6 days would be on the highway. I personally felt that a slight compromise in the pick up for these 5-6 days in a total of 365 days in a year is not much of a consideration for the other plusses. (@TSIvipul:- only 3 days would be in hill stations).

The above are purely based on my lifestyle and requirements. If anybody holidays more than me, I can say he is a very lucky guy!

@ prads and @cooldhaya:- I did pay around 17 lakhs on road for the mid varant Altis G model(GL is the top variant), which was a bit pricey compared to the fully loaded cruze which was also at 17 lakhs. But what helped me make up my decision was the looks(personal view), plush feel interiors, comfortable drive, suspension, Toyota reliability and most importantly user reviews from my friends. Savings or mileage was not the criterion on which I chose the altis over the cruze. As said earlier, my first love was the civic which was a petrol and make note that my odometer has clocked less than 1500kms in almost 2 months of driving and what I have saved because of mileage is peanuts. I would have bought the altis even if the mileage was lower.That about sums it up!

I don’t want to think about resale now, but the resale value for a Toyota product versus a chevy product is much more than the initial extra investment you make. I felt I would not be making a wrong decision in buying the all time highest selling car in the world.

On a lighter note, you cant get the looks of an Aishwarya , the qualities of Mother Theresa and the oomph of mallika , all rolled into one..can you? I haven’t taken pics yet, shall post them in near future.

Bye.

 

[cooldhaya]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Thanks everyone for your wishes.

On a lighter note, you cant get the looks of an Aishwarya , the qualities of Mother Theresa and the oomph of mallika , all rolled into one..can you? I haven’t taken pics yet, shall post them in near future.

Bye.

Agree with you fully! Nice creativity!


I am no way saying Altis is a bad car just that it disappoints me when it comes to performance. I spend more time on road and highways so i prefer a performing saloon.

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Haha,what a fantastic reply to every query Vikram!!

Since there is a lot of difference between your and mine priorities so our view for the same car is also quite different,where your car spends most of the time in city,mine does on highways and has changed into a speed buddy.What I know about my Corolla is:-
1):It is a workhorse.
2):It really does not perform according to my wish.
3):ITS REALLY THE BEST OVERALL PACKAGE,it has all:-
-Acceptable performance.
-Fantastic FE.
-Ride and comfort(add space too).
-Rich feel and quality.
-Ease of ownership.
AND MANY MORE..

 

[Markiv]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Forgot to add....before u guys get any ideas, by pics, i meant that I shall post pics of the car only.

 

[Prads]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

@ Markiv

Whoa it cost you 17 lakhs !!! Also taxes in Karnataka are higher than others
I had no idea it cost that much ,out of curiosity what is the max speed you would go on a highway,just asking this cos at around 100 the petrol corolla would get unsettled over this bump we use to encounter while returning from BIA (airport),where as the other cars had no prob,as for the diesel Altis i have not driven it nor traveled in it,but the rear seat is the place to be in the Altis,it is a family car & the Cruz in a right word is a Diesel rocket
& you will feel your wife's car is quicker in city cos of the short gearing it uses making it a perfect city car & as i realize the 6 speed on your Altis gives you the same user friendliness for city driving,but still 17 lakhs has me stunned,looks like Toyota is taking its brand recognition a bit too far.

 

[Markiv]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

@prads, these are the days of inflation,buddy.And don't know why these car makers keep cribbing about lack of sales, i was in a que to take delivery of my car, all cars in this segment cost around the same. The altis is pricey by about 5 or 6% i.e just by about a lakh or so compared to others. I haven't encountered any particular bump on bia road bcos at present the road is full of bumps bcos of the flyover work. The max I would touch on the highway (my 6-7 days) with family would be around 135-140. Maybe alone, i would get a little adventurous.

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

@ Markiv

Whoa it cost you 17 lakhs !!! Also taxes in Karnataka are higher than others
I had no idea it cost that much ,out of curiosity what is the max speed you would go on a highway,just asking this cos at around 100 the petrol corolla would get unsettled over this bump we use to encounter while returning from BIA (airport),where as the other cars had no prob,as for the diesel Altis i have not driven it nor traveled in it,but the rear seat is the place to be in the Altis,it is a family car & the Cruz in a right word is a Diesel rocket
& you will feel your wife's car is quicker in city cos of the short gearing it uses making it a perfect city car & as i realize the 6 speed on your Altis gives you the same user friendliness for city driving,but still 17 lakhs has me stunned,looks like Toyota is taking its brand recognition a bit too far.

Well,17 lacs for Corolla Altis D-4D 'G' is really too much,our's costed us just about 15.2 lacs on-road Dehradun,that means if one buy an Altis+a Nano here will be paying the same amount as one will pay in KA.

Yes the high speed ride of Altis D-4D is nowhere close to a Laura but is somewhere as same as of Cruze,about Altis petrol no comments.
While about 6 speed box,I'll say if you need to drive the car quite fast then the 6th gear is seldom engaged while in city driving even 4th is never engaged and 3rd is seldom,while first and second keeps the car moving even faster than the traffic.But yes I really feel that Toyota has really 'over-priced' its cars(leave Etios here).

@prads, these are the days of inflation,buddy.And don't know why these car makers keep cribbing about lack of sales, I was in a que to take delivery of my car......all cars in this segment cost around the same. The altis is pricey by about 5 or 6% i.e just by about a lakh or so compared to others. I haven't encountered any particular bump on bia road bcos at present the road is full of bumps bcos of the flyover work. The max I would touch on the highway (my 6-7 days) with family would be around 135-140. Maybe alone, i would get a little adventurous.....

Whatever the inflation is buddy,but still a price difference of nearly 2 lacs in same country for same car is quite unjustifiable.
Again I agree that Altis is on the pricier side but then if you compare for what you get for what price,then the price can be quite justified.

 

[Markiv]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Sorry for not being clear. Let me clarify in detail.

16.8 for the car on 30th nov 2011 (latest price is 17)
22k for the fancy number
8k for the Teflon and under chassis(3m)
12k for the new set of speakers.

After that I was broke

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Hello buddy...you once said you will post the pics later..so now I am still waiting for the 'latest' pics....
tik tok tik tok tik tok tik tok...

 

[Vivian]

Re: Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel Ownership Experience

Yeah me too waiting for those pics Markiv. Please share some snaps ....
tik tok tik tok tik tok tik tok ........