Ace of Base: Toyota Corolla Altis (2008)

September 02,2008

Over the past decade, the compact car or locally known as the “c-segment car” has increasingly become expensive. More often than not, they’ve become shrunken counterparts of larger, more expensive executive sedans. Luxury features such as leather seats, premium audio systems and automated climate control, once reserved for the rich and affluent, have become commonplace in the market today. However, the continued increase of convenient features does affect the bottom line: compact cars are certainly more expensive. Though you can reckon the reason behind it is because of inflation, currency devaluation or production cost increase, still, it doesn’t change the fact that the practical family car will cost you north of one million pesos. Or does it?

Usually passed upon by potential buyers because of being blinded by the luxurious wood trim in the range topping model, mid- or sometimes entry-level variants present themselves as cars of excellent value—one that’s always located in the product sweet spot with the perfect balance of pricing and features. Though they may look plainer or more average than the spiffier models, these don’t seem lacking. And in the case of the Toyota Corolla Altis, a much better value. Technically, the 1.6 G driven here isn’t the Altis’s entry-level model; that credit goes to the taxi-cab spec 1.6 E. However, at P 854,000 (P 818,000 for the manual), it undercuts the kitchen sink-loaded 1.8 V by a whooping P 181,000. And despite the price deficit, you still get most of the features you’ll ever need in a daily driver.

From the outside, it’s obvious that Toyota deliberately made the 1.6 G plainer. Several chrome finishes (grille, fog lamps among others) have been deleted and so too the side skirt. Even the alloys have been given a diet, reducing the overall diameter by an inch to 15’s. And yet, these are not reasons to complain about. In fact, the removal of the shiny stuff has given the Altis a much purposeful, much youthful appearance. Having a plainer-looking car does have its perks: you’re less likely to get noticed (perfect if you live or work in a shoddy area) and the styling will more likely age gracefully. On the down side, if you live in a posh subdivision, guards will mistake you for a tax cab, especially if you get one in the shade of white.

While the exterior of the 1.6 G skirmishes on the side of practical or public transportation (your pick), the interior still manages to look and feel every bit as luxurious. Just like the range-topping variant, the mid-range Altis benefits from first-rate quality materials as well as fit and finish. “Luxurious” items such as the beige colored interior and wood trimmings have been dropped, in favor of something much more practical (and sporty): two-tone gray plastics and metallic accents. Overall, you feel that this cabin is much more soil and stain resistant, again making the 1.6 G a much better choice as a low-maintenance daily driver. Perhaps the only thing griping about is the moquette fabric material on the seats themselves, which have the big tendency to attract lint—not good if you favor black wardrobe.

Some interior luxury items have been deleted like the in-dash CD changer, speaker tweeters and the powered driver’s seat, but you certainly won’t miss those. After all, what’s a bit of manual labor to you? Plus, the sound system still pumps out pretty decent tunes and can still may MP3s and recordable CDs. Much more driver-oriented features have been retained (hurray) such as the very effective climate control system, steering wheel mounted audio buttons and the tilt/telescopic steering column. There are no Optitron gauges here, but the traditional dials still do their job by providing information that’s easy to read from a glance. Fuel misers will love the fact that the trip computer (range, fuel mileage and outside temperature) have been retained on the 1.6 G as well. And yes, they glow in that sporty orange hue at night too.

As its model designation connotes, the 1.6 G is powered by a smaller four-cylinder engine. It’s down 200 cc of displacement from the top variant, but 109 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque are still pretty good numbers. In fact, if you commute everyday to and from Makati (or Ortigas), it’s hard to tell the reduction in the engine’s displacement. It pretty much behaves and sounds like the 1.8-liter motor. Credit to the surprising performance to the four-speed automatic which does an excellent job in anticipating the driver’s needs (it even automatically shifts down a gear to engine brake over hilly terrain). High speed cruising is still easily attainable, but things can get a bit wobbly mainly because of the Altis’s softly sprung suspension and overly light steering.

The last of the incremental changes to equipment comes in the form of safety equipment (or the lack thereof). Though nothing to be really discontented about, the 1.6 G does only have a driver’s airbag (the other variants have two) and good, old reliable drums on the back wheels (the higher variants have four-wheel disc brakes). The omission on the latter is actually a blessing in disguise as Toyota’s vented disc/drum combination resulted in a much better, much sold pedal feel than the set-up found in the 1.8 V. There are no front or rear parking sensors here too, but with the Altis’s excellent visibility, it’s never missed. Thankfully though, anti-lock brakes with EBD and brake assist are still a standard issue.

Although opting for a mid-level car may not titillate your passion as much driving off with the range-topping car, the Altis 1.6 G still makes a good case for itself. The much larger size as opposed to getting a top-of-the-line sub-compact (the outrageously priced Honda Jazz comes to mind) make the Altis a much less fashionable, but better long-term ownership proposition. And it still comes loaded, but with just the right amount of stuff you’ll ever need for the daily commute. By being P 181,000 less than the Altis’s own 1.8 V variant, the monthly savings come up to roughly P 15,000 a month—that’s 290 liters of fuel at today’s price. Even if you can’t live with the 15-inchers and go for a good set of 17’s, it still translates to 210 liters of fuel. With that kind of savings, it’s certainly hard to ignore this mid-level anymore.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos by Ulysses Ang

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