[Honda Monk]

Hi Geronimo
Your review couldn't have come at a better time. I am looking to buy a used corolla altis or civic (both manual) and your review is what I was looking for.. I am stuck between civic and corolla.
Its strange the forum ain't having any sufficient review about the altis petrol.
Apart from it I want to know few specs of the Atlis i.e. Bhp, Torque, Gearbox.
It would be great if someone will put light on these specs.

@Goslow... let me know if you go through a good altis manual.
Thanks!

[rosh_aveo1.4]

You are so right about the pros and cons of the Corolla vs the Civic. The Civic is perfect for flicking it around and get prompt pickup the min you slightly prod the accelerator (and I just love it when the rpm goes all crazy when that happens). It's so damn addictive and exciting. Something that the Corolla can never be, which makes it the perfect companion for the aged at my home. So my next car would be the Corolla (or maybe the Innova). And yes, as far as maintenance goes, I am very sure the Corolla would be way cheaper than the Civic.
I guess putting it lightly, the Civic is your crazy sexy model girlfriend that doesn't do well with the parents while the Corolla is your perfect idea of a wife to take home and present to your parents! LOL!

[geronimo]

Originally Posted by Honda Monk

Hi Geronimo
Your review couldn't have come at a better time. I am looking to buy a used corolla altis or civic (both manual) and your review is what I was looking for.. I am stuck between civic and corolla.
@Goslow... let me know if you go through a good altis manual.
Thanks!

Well, I was always going to buy an automatic - which I seriously recommend you consider, in case you're going to drive a lot in the city.

I've also driven my friend's automatic Civic extensively, which was with me for 5-6 months, and I found the following differences:
- The ground clearance of the Civic is really bad. Speed breakers which I had begun to believe are normal (none of my previous cars grazed on them unless completely loaded) had suddenly become scary. Even with just the driver onboard, Civic just about touches everything on the ground.
- The boot in the Civic is really small (while the Altis has a pretty spacious boot)
- Generally, found the Altis to be more reliable
- The Civic had a pretty pronounced rubber band effect too. Don't know if the gearbox has since changed. Though it was much better at higher speeds given the extra gear
- My wife thought that the Altis is a premium car, and the Civic from a segment below (maybe the beige / leather interiors did the trick).
- I like the Civic dash better!
- I actually get better mileage with the Altis.
- Ride, with both front and rear seat comfort are better in Altis, though Civic is a more involved car to drive - with much better handling.

Overall, since you are buying second hand and I guess longevity is a consideration, I would suggest an Altis. Civic is out of production though, so you may get better prices. All the best for your decision, do let us know what you decide!

A quick google gave me this link for the Altis manuals. Its American, but I guess most of the stuff should be relevant:

http://www.toyota.com/owners/web/pag...Owners-Manuals

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

I guess putting it lightly, the Civic is your crazy sexy model girlfriend that doesn't do well with the parents while the Corolla is your perfect idea of a wife to take home and present to your parents! LOL!

Haha yeah - Civic does have killer looks. Your simile is spot on - I would like to flirt with a Civic, but go home with an Altis .

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by geronimo

Well I think the engine is the same - mine also has the dual VVT-i sticker. I was secretly hoping they would do a major recall and change my 4 speed to the 7 speed CVT .

Just a small correction here. The car you have is the pre facelift one. The pre facelift had the older 1ZZ-FE which has only VVT-i and not Dual VVT-i. The engine cover in your car will not have the Dual VVT-i sticker whereas the new one has it.

The 7 speed CVT was offered along with the new 2ZR-FE Dual VVT-i engine when they released the facelift.

There is no model of Altis that has 4 speed AT mated to Dual VVT-i 2ZR-FE engine.

The manual and engine number will mention that your engine is older 1ZZ-FE.

My Altis MT has the same old engine. Approaching 40K kms and 4 years. Still on original battery, original tyres and original HID's.

HID's are universal so you could have got them from outside without voiding your warranty as long as it was branded like Philips or Osram.

[GrammarNazi]

Hey! Just needed to ask if the Corolla Altis came with a 5+R speed gearbox. I'm being offered a Sept. '09 model, and it supposedly has a 5+R GB.

Would really appreciate a reply.

[geronimo]

Back to back posts, please wait for Mod approval of posts to EDIT. Thanks

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Hey! Just needed to ask if the Corolla Altis came with a 5+R speed gearbox. I'm being offered a Sept. '09 model, and it supposedly has a 5+R GB.

Would really appreciate a reply.

Hi - the gearbox is a 4 speed auto gearbox. The later models started coming with a 7 speed CVT. Though from personal experience, the 4 speed also does the job well.

Hope it helps

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

OK, just researched abit & turns out the old Altis had a 5 speed GB & (single) VVT-i. Actually, there's not much info on Altis here, so got a bit confused thinking the Altis only ever had a 6 speed GB.

I am quite sure the Altis never came with a 5 speed gearbox (unless we refer to 4 forward gears and 1 reverse gear as a 5 speed GB). Mine has 4 gears for sure!

Fished out a link from a website that has not updated it since...

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Hey! Just needed to ask if the Corolla Altis came with a 5+R speed gearbox. I'm being offered a Sept. '09 model, and it supposedly has a 5+R GB.

Would really appreciate a reply.

OK, just researched abit & turns out the old Altis had a 5 speed GB & (single) VVT-i. Actually, there's not much info on Altis here, so got a bit confused thinking the Altis only ever had a 6 speed GB.

[yogibear007]

Hi team,
My friend recently bought the new Corolla Altis Diesel around four month back. His own experience is quiet good with the vehicle which is driven mainly for office commutes.
Recently he faced a very peculiar problem. Some cables got chewed by the rats. When he visited the service center, they told him that the expense will be in the region of 100K and this is not covered under insurance fully. I guess this means that they would be replacing the entire harness assembly. Anybody has heard of similar replacement in the Altis or any other Toyota car for that matter ?

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by yogibear007

Hi team,
My friend recently bought the new Corolla Altis Diesel around four month back... Some cables got chewed by the rats. When he visited the service center, they told him that the expense will be in the region of 100K and this is not covered under insurance fully...

So any updates..? 100k for just some cables does seem to be high but it depends on which cable too!

[Simhi]

Thanks for the detailed review. I have shortlisted Altis for my next buy but the following statement quoted by you worries me.

Originally Posted by geronimo

If you do happen to take a fast turn, there is body roll. In general the car feels fine, but when you try and be adventurous, it feels bulky and unwieldy.

I have driven my friend's fiesta S (now classic) extensively and never lost confidence in taking turns at high speeds, least worry about body roll. Is there noticeable body roll in Altis above 90?

[geronimo]

Originally Posted by Simhi

Thanks for the detailed review. I have shortlisted Altis for my next buy but the following statement quoted by you worries me.

I have driven my friend's fiesta S (now classic) extensively and never lost confidence in taking turns at high speeds, least worry about body roll. Is there noticeable body roll in Altis above 90?

Hi Simhi

I've also driven the Fiesta extensively, and also had owned the Ikon 1.3 Flair for 8 years.

I am quite confident at high speeds in the Altis (driven on hills and curves), but frankly it does feel much bigger and bulkier than the Fiesta on these. Having said that, I don't personally see that as a deal breaker, and Ford cars are anyway supposed to be very good driver's cars.

I also make sure that the tyre pressure is at 34, which I think helps greatly..

[kannyrocks]

Hi Geronimo,

Could you please share more about your experience with your corolla altis since the last 2 years? It has been quite a while since you posted the wonderful detailed report about your car.

Thanks

[ramanak]

Originally Posted by geronimo

- The ground clearance of the Civic is really bad. Speed breakers which I had begun to believe are normal (none of my previous cars grazed on them unless completely loaded) had suddenly become scary. Even with just the driver onboard, Civic just about touches everything on the ground.
I actually get better mileage with the Altis.
.

Low ground clearance is easily fixed by upgrading the tyres to 205*65*15.My civic handled the lunar landscapes in notorious stretches like Adilabad-Nagpur with aplomb,So speed breakers are pretty much a non issue.
Civic AT has a very tall 5th gear.Though city mileages can be as low as 8 kmpl, one can get astounding mileages (close to 18-20 kmpl) in highways when driven sedately.

[createrkid]

Urgent help required! I'm writing this as I'm stuck in my altis, the problem is that when I put the key in for ignition, nothing happens and I can hear a whizzing of electronics, the lights inside flicker and even the headlights flicker very fast. On the steering console, there's a red battery light and a red steering wheel with an exclamation. I'm not sure what's wrong! Is the battery dead or do I have to reset?! Please advise asap!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by createrkid

Urgent help required! I'm writing this as I'm stuck in my altis, the problem is that when I put the key in for ignition, nothing happens and I can hear a whizzing of electronics, the lights inside flicker and even the headlights flicker very fast. On the steering console, there's a red battery light and a red steering wheel with an exclamation. I'm not sure what's wrong! Is the battery dead or do I have to reset?! Please advise asap!

The battery is dead. Classic symptoms of dead battery.