Toyota Corolla Altis GL Diesel road test : Alt-is well

 

News about the launch of the Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel had been floating around for awhile. However, it is only now that Toyota Kirloskar has finally brought in the Corolla Altis Diesel. The Toyota Corolla Altis (The tenth-generation Corolla, project named E140) now comes with a 1.4-litre common rail diesel engine that produces 87bhp. The Toyota Corolla Altis sold in other Asian markets, is also powered by the same 1.4-litre D4-D engine that churns out similar power.

If you look at the car from the outside, the only features that differentiate the Corolla Altis Diesel from its petrol sibling are the new black honeycomb-mesh front grille and the D4-D badge at the rear. Step inside the Corolla Altis Diesel and you will find that the dash is finished in matt-silver with the centre console in grey with wooden trim. Our press demonstrator was a top-of-the-line variant, (GL), which came with all the bells and whistles such as the in-dash six-CD changer audio system, which we liked quite a lot, except for the fact that it took a little too long for our liking to change audio tracks. The other things which we liked about the car were the steering mounted audio controls and the fact that the music system came with a remote (giving easy access to your music system while driving or being driven) and the four-spoke steering wheel with leather and wood finish which enhanced the car’s appeal. The other features with which the Toyota Corolla Altis GL comes loaded with, include seven-spoke alloy wheels, automatic H.I.D. headlamps with retractable washers, vanity mirror with lighting and safety features such as  dual-airbags and ABS with EBD. We sorely missed cruise control on the car though.