DIESEL AVATAR - ALTIS

DIESEL AVATAR - ALTIS

The year 2010 will be known as 'THE YEAR OF RECALLS' , blame it or appreciate it, credit goes to the TOYOTA for starting it. In this chaos came the Diesel Avatar of Corolla Altis Diesel. My uncle wanted to buy a Sedan and was searching for one. We happen to filter the market and shortlisted Optra Magnum Diesel,Fiat's Linea and Toyota's Corolla Altis Diesel.  The very first thing that Doesnt impress one is the moment the executive says its a 1.4 ltr Diesel. True, infact when we first say the advert in the news papers, everything about the car was printed except the CC of the car. No surprises there. The car is impressive, well nothing new as its the same old design from the petrol head except for the badging and the front grill. The space inside the car is good, crediting that Toyota uses IMV (International Motor Vehicle) platforms to some of its cars too. The interiors are as dull as the Innova, the black,grey and white finish with some Plastic wooden paneling thrown here and there.  The drive of the car is not that exciting if one expects to drive self. I always wondered what can a 1.4 ltr diesel could do to such a huge body car, and to my expectations the car did not impress me. the gear shift was to be frequent and the car demand it too. The turbo lag was felt all the while. Its the same like Linea. The car felt as if an Elephant being dragged by an ant. Though Toyota has a huge service backing, the car this time disappoints. I was expecting the Innova's 2.2 Ltr head into this, that would have made huge sense, but .......... The price point is where we were taken a back, an under powered car at such a price. The car sits in the danger zone where biggies like Skoda Laura and the ring leader Chevy Cruze are. Its priced on lines with these ones and has got a pony under its head, 1.4 ltr, and engine that Ford Fiesta has got, which performs more better. No comparision though, but we are Value For Money oriented country, we count each rupee which we earn. And some how Corolla Altis according to me doesnt deserve the rupee we r going to spend on it. My uncle finally settled with Optra Magnum Diesel as it has got 2.0 ltr diesel churning 140 bhp and almost 5 lakhs cheaper to Corolla Altis Diesel. He seems to be satisfied with the choice. Its not a big ask, Toyota can do wonders as they have did with Innova. Toyota has been battered by the recalls and loosing customer base......but to compete with the leader, one must think like a leader................