Last week. KampungBoy and I had a little road trip with the Toyota Corolla Altis. Being one of the most renowned sedan cars produced by Toyota, the Japanese auto giant has improved the Corolla Altis comprehensively and the latest one is no different. It comes with a Dual VVT-i engine that intelligently adjusts valve timing, which is optimally suited to engine operating conditions. It provides more power and at the same time delivers fuel efficiency. Equally stunning is the Super CVT-i transmission with 7 virtual gear ratios.
The 1.8G and 2.0V variants come with new dark grey interior colour and optional DVD Audio-Video Navigation (DVD-AVN) system with reverse camera.
The front design is endorsed with long fog lamp brackets and large trapezoidal lower grille while the rear design comes with extended corners on the lower bumper, creating an overall wider, more robust rear.
The elongated headlamps look really good too.
Rear Lamps
The new sleek lower edge line was developed to bring out the sharpness of the car.
The 2.0V is also further enhanced with smoked finishing.
Together with Gareth of Shaolin Tiger fame, we formed the red team. We were going against the Black team in completing 6 tasks that were thrown upon us.
Task 1: Each team was given 3 minutes in filling up the trunk with as much boxes as we can. Each box carries different points; ranging from 1 to 5 depending on the size.
That was a whopping 32 points for us! Look at how much boxes can the Corolla Altis’s 475L space fit.
Off we go on our road trip!
Task 2: head to Wisma Manulife and look for a place where people are running without moving forward and attending classes without books and pens.
Forget about paper maps! The DVD Audio-Video Navigation (DVD-AVN) system display offers easy-to-read, bold turn-by-turn directions, distance to location and other useful features. Precise navigation and accurate directions shortens our time so much that we reached Wisma Manulife within minutes.
Mission accomplished! Answer: Fitness First
Task 3: if David Beckham’s wife were to open a steak house, what would it be named?
Answer: Victoria Station
Task 4: a village in Damansara Uptown that serves kick ass nasi lemak.
Answer: Village Park
Task 5: go to a shopping mall located along Sprint Highway that reminds you of the tropical weather in Malaysia, and look for a smoothies place that derives its name from “bubble”.
Answer: Bobalicious
Task 6: Look for an “I.C.E” attraction in the “city of digital lights”.
Answer: Snowalk, i City
The subsequent tasks were easily executed with the help of Corolla Altis’s built in navigation system. Of course, all these could not have been done without the great minds in our team. Haha!
Based on our test-driving experiences, we gathered that the Corolla Altis is very stable on the road. The ride is very quiet and even at high speed; the cabin noise is not overly loud.
The very smart Electronic Power Steering is light during low speed, and stiffens as you speed up for greater stability. The 2.0V also comes with cruise control feature where one can drive at a constant speed without stepping on the accelerator. Speed can be adjusted with a few flicks of a lever.
The dark grey interior with combination leather seats gives the feeling of elegance and luxury.
Optitron Meter
Gearshifts are smooth and hardly noticeable.
The much-needed reverse camera is one of my favourite features. It provides an accurate view of the space behind and effectively removes all blind spots from your field of vision.
Dials and controls are all laid out cleverly and easy to reach.
Congratulations to the Black Team (Saimatkong, Wani, Mohd Zaid) for winning the race. We had great fun taking the Toyota Corolla Altis out for a spin. It is a reliable car with sporty exterior, powerful engine and elegant interior. Retailing from RM 105,990; the new Corolla Altis is economical and reliable enough for everyday’s use.
For specs and price information, check out http://www.toyota.com.my/altis/specs-and-price/.
Sleek car, nice dashboard, wondering how does Toyota Altis compare to Honda Civic.