2014 Toyota Corolla Altis Test Drive Score Sheet

The Cash Cow

To understand Toyota better, you need to only look at one particular model – the best-selling car on the planet.

The Toyota Corolla Altis is now in its 11th generation, and it still holds a title that it’s owned for a large portion of its existence – the best-selling car in the world. In India, however, the Corolla Altis doesn’t figure as high.

Out of all the cars that we had at the BIC, the Corolla Altis comes nowhere near cars like the Hyundai Xcent, for instance, in terms of sales. The Corolla Altis sits in a segment in India where sales have actually been declining over the years. The latest Altis was launched earlier this year, and it gets a major design overhaul. The end result is far more striking and interesting than the previous model.

Toyota has banked on its quality control to improve the car, and so you would expect the Corolla Altis to be of a very high quality. However, the competition is getting tougher and quality standards have been improving. Especially when you look at the trim on the centre console of the Toyota, you can’t help but think that the Japanese automaker is simply trying too hard. Where it does grab most points, however, is in space and comfort – which continues to be excellent.

In terms of engineering, the car is very refined and the 1.8-litre petrol unit is fantastic. With 138bhp, it’s more than enough to enjoy your every day commute. But, at the BIC, the CVT automatic gearbox proved to be a real liability. Yes, it has paddles to change ratios, but a CVT gearbox isn’t the most well suited to a track – or a spirited drive for that matter. Yes, it is very comfortable and efficient – and those are traits that pretty much sum up the Corolla Altis. It’s a great car to be chauffeured around in – and it comes with the peace of mind that you get with a Toyota badge. I’m certain that if we were actually conducting an endurance test at the BIC, the Toyota would have won hands down. Even with a manual gearbox, for that matter, the Corolla would have scored better.

As always, the Altis is an extremely competent car and makes for a very sensible choice. The D-segment may be shrinking, but the Altis still belongs at the top of the heap.

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