New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Review

India’s once famous premium sedan, the Toyota Corolla has recently come under a lot of pressure. One is due to competition launches such as new Hyundai Elantra and the Skoda Octavia and on the other hand due to the shrinking segment itself. Toyota had to make their once-best seller more exciting and attractive. The Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 has recently been launched. This is a facelift of the car and comes with some upgrades in terms of cosmetics and features. The new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 now looks sharper and more premium. What are the changes in this premium sedan? Read more about the new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 in our review.

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Price in India

The new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 has been priced at INR 17.45 lakhs for the base petrol model and the highest petrol variant is priced at INR 21.9 lakhs (on-road, New Delhi). The diesel on the other hand starts at INR 19.09 lakhs and goes upto INR 21 lakhs.

Also Read: Toyota CHR SUV Price and Review

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Specifications

There is no change in the engines and specifications of the 2017 Toyota Corolla Altis. The same engines and transmissions continue on the facelift as well.

Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Dimensions

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New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Features

The New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 gets automatic climate control. It also gets a new seven-inch touchscreen audio with Bluetooth, Navigation and Steering mounted controls. It also gets a revers parking camera. This touch screen is new and is easy to use. The touch functionality is nice and feels more premium now. The car also features cruise control, which becomes a boon on this long expressway drives. Auto dimming mirrors and chrome door handles are also seen now on this car. The headlamps of the New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 are projectors with LED DRLS and also the taillamps are LEDs. It terms of safety, it is equipped with seven airbags, ABS with EBD, Brake Assist and ESP.

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New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Design

The new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 now looks much more sharper and even more aggressive than its predecessor. It is definitely one of the best looking sedans from the Japanese manufacturer. The front grille has two horizontal chrome slats. The top slat seems to continue into the headlamps. It gives the car that mean look which forms the basic character. The headlamps are projector ones and offer very good illumination. These headlamps also get daytime running LEDs, which are placed on the outside bottom corner of the headlamps.  A new redesigned front and rear bumpers also make their way into the facelift.

There is no change in the side profile of the car. The rear of the new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 has a very European feel to it. The tail lamps are longer this time and are sleeker just like the headlamps. The new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 looks much more appealing now. Toyota has transformed the styling of the Altis with minimal changes to the already radical design. Though one may not notice it instantly, the front look definitely is worth turning heads.

Also Read: Skoda Octavia 2017 Review

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Interiors

The interiors of the New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 haven’t seen any major change. The same dashboard is being offered, albeit some changes. It gets better materials and a dual tome theme. The air vents on the centre console are new rectangular ones, that make th overall dashboard design look sleeker. There is new leather trim offered in top variants. The steering wheel is the same as well. The biggest change is the new infotainment system that now gets a larger touchscreen and feels nice to use. The Auto AC controls are place below the touchscreen, ut it does not get dual-zone climate control, like some of its rivals.

The Toyota Corolla 2017 continues to offer great seats which are very comfortable. The driver seat also gets electric adjustment. The steering adjustment though remains manual. The seats offer good all round support. The same is the case with the rear. The Corolla has always had one of the best rear seats and the facelift also continues to have this trait. However the rear armrest takes some struggle to open. The rear seats have a 60:40 split and there is generous amount of legroom on offer.

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New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Engine

The new Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 continue with the same engines It has a 1.8-litre petrol engine that develops 139bhp of power@6400rpm and a peak torque of 172Nm@4000rpm. This engine coms mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and also a seven-speed CVT transmission.  A new addition to the line-up could be the inclusion of a hybrid variant in the New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017. But this may take some more time now, after the new GST regulations.

On the other hand, the 1.4-litre diesel engine continues to be offered as well. This comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission. This engine is tuned for fuel-efficiency more than performance. It is ideal when you do a lot of long distance travelling and prefer to be driven around. The comfort remains the same and the car is more economical to run too.

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New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Mileage

The New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 petrol will return a mileage of 13 km/l in the manual transmission and about 11 km/l with the CVT. The diesel engine will return a fuel efficiency of around 17 km/l. These figures are a mix of city and highway runs and may vary as per driving conditions.

Also Read: Hyundai Tucson SUV Price and Review – Corolla Altis pricing

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Ride and Handling

We drove the top-of-the-line VL petrol variant which comes with a CVT transmission. The engine feels extremely refined and that is a highlight of this 1.8-litre motor. The cabin is well insulated and keeps it quiet inside. The power and torque are well-spread across the power band and there is never any lack of power that you feel. It is not sprightly quick off the mark, but feels easy to drive. The mid-range is where all the meat of performance lies. The CVT also gets paddle shifts which are very convenient to use and makes driving a bit more exciting.

In terms of ride, the Corolla Altis was always good and this facelift is no different. The suspension has a pretty long travel and this gobbles up most of the undulations on the road. The handling too, though not razor sharp like some European car, it does manage very well and actually gives you a very European feel in the way it takes to corners. The composure of the car is maintained and you never feel loss of confidence even while driving it hard. The steering is well-weighed and remains light at slow speeds.

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 – Why should you buy?

The facelift of the Toyota Corolla Altis does not bring along any major change with it. The good part is that it retains all its virtues and additionally now looks better, meaner and classier, while offering some new features like the all-new touchscreen. The Corolla Altis is a sorted car offers a good balance when it comes to either self-driving or even being chauffeured. It is a very reliable car and with Toyota’s after sales service record, there is very little that can ever go wrong.

New Toyota Corolla Altis 2017 Image Gallery