It has been quite a few days since the 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8 was moved into the dealerships allover Pakistan and it began popping up over on our newsfeed. I, like many others, was waiting for some details and pictures of it until my curiosity took me to one of the dealerships. There was earlier an article about Corolla getting ready for display at a dealership but that was before the official display.
Anyway, I visited Toyota Garden Motors in Lahore and though it seemed to be a very busy time for the dealership, as almost every type of customer was stopping by to have a look at the new model of Toyota Corolla. Since we, PakWheels members don’t get such support from automakers except a few, I managed to get enough time at the dealership to write a dealership review on different aspects of this car:
Exterior:
Good. In fact, very good. Far better than the previous one and the one before it and the one before. It’s sleek, sharp, and at the same time curvy, as you may expect from Corolla. I reckon that one can easily tell its a Corolla at the first glance, which is a good thing, and a bad thing too, but it does manage to keep its presence far better than Civic. There are chrome trims on door handles and turn indicators on side mirrors, a chrome grille at front and a chrome strip at the back, above the license plate. The wheels are the same size as previous model, with alloys as standard in the Altis category.
Sorry for no shots of the front, don’t know how I forgot it.
Interior:
I was very much doubtful as the discussions on forums and pictures, both were disappointing. But it’s not bad. It seems simple and modest. The steering wheel is sturdy, solid and tough. The three spokes hold a leather grip in the Grande and a plastic one in others. There are some multimedia controls on left spoke in Grande whereas the other ones are blank. It would have been better to have some controls on both spokes as it seems out of proportion. The cruise control stick is standard on CVT versions. The Grande also has Paddle Shifters which is a new thing for Pakistani market.
The meter cluster is also one of the best. Again, it’s simple, no extra things, just a blue background and thin needles, and unfortunately that’s all about it because they weren’t allowing to turn the car on.
The Dashboard is the part where most of Corolla fans were disappointed, as was I, but it’s not that bad. Toyota have tried to give it some humbleness and simplicity and they have done it quite well. It may resemble the 70’s Corolla but in a refined, very refined form, which looks impressive.
The two tone plastic comes in black and beige and the plastic feels solid, not in any way cheap as some were predicting (it may be because it was new). There’s a standard size glove box on passenger’s side and a touchscreen display in the middle, under the AC vents. There’s no climate control, just a simple AC with three regulators under the display, which is disappointing. If not in all, then at least in Altis or Grande version should they have given it.
The gear stick is a gate type in CVT versions and a six speed manual stick otherwise. Two cup holders reside behind the gear stick and beside the hand brake.
The seats are comfortable and soft, as expected from Corolla. The standard ones are fabric, while Grande has leather seats.The legroom is amazing. Even with the front seats fully backed up, I was able to sit easily in the back seats, my knees weren’t touching the front seats (which is one of my major problems as I am 6’1″). The rear seats recline forwards to give access to the trunk from inside.
Engine and Transmission:
It’s a 1.8 liter, four cylinder VVT-i (2ZR-FE), producing around 130 horsepower. As it’s only 1.8 Altis which is displayed, the details about 1.6 and 1.3 engines are vague but the 1.6 is expected to be 1ZR-FE. It’s been mated to a six speed manual in Altis, a virtual 7 speed CVT-i in Altis CVT and Altis Grande. The 1.6 variant will come with only automatic transmission while 1.3 will have both manual and automatic, and both of them will be launched either by the end of this year or the start of 2015. The new CVT-i transmission is first to come after Honda City Vario and it’s not something related to VVT-i which is an internal engine technology, I heard some guys confusing the two so I considered it better to clarify.
Trunk:
Of course anyone can tell, Corollas are famous for bigger trunks, and that is the case with this one too.
What a disgrace for 23000$ …
No Climate control, no leather on the steering wheel, only audio controls on the steering wheels, cheap plastic dash and the list goes on and on … and just to prove the point, the Mexican Corolla has better options then this ..
i as a potential buyer also went to se the car today the exterior was good but the interior was a huge let down. the material used on the roof resembled to a carpet compared to soft one of civic. the dashboard for myself was too high and too wide vertically. the knobs look bad in pictures but they are ok. The corolla has all sorts of extra stuff that does.not really matter.If i had this much money i would invest some more and buy the civic, an that would be because of the airbags and immobilizer and the great interior.
Hope that someone relevant reads your comments
interior bkwas tareen
Disappointing (not the review) but the car.
u are wrong gli will be ;aunched on 2
took a test drive of 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis Grande 1.8 cvti
had an awesome experience of paddle shfter 7 speed cvti transmission (Floppy Paddle gearbox) excellent ride, handling, braking specially in corners n bends even with stock eurostar tyres.
quite and comfortable cabin much much smoother ride than previous models and way beyond new civic
Just note one thing about toyota pakistan the cars which we get from pak toyota are third graded both in performance and material. There is a difference of day and night in each and every part of the machine. So always opt for foreign assembled cars.
dont waste money on Pakistani manufacture cars
OMG Murti giving car reviews 😮
😛
Its called commenting :p
giving reviews in Comments 😛
2 what?
Too expensive
Nothing so special about new corolla
U have no idea how a CVT works, right? Those paddle shifters are fake. Every gear is fake in a CVT.
People will flock to buy this as if their life depends on it. If we boycott the auto industry just for a month, they will get back in line…but no. We shower praises at piece of garbage like this instead
Muhammad Bilal well i think u need to study about CVT first please, i know it very well and i havnt driven it for the first time, if u dont know about it, if u dont know how to use it then u can say its fake.
by looking at dash board i thought its toyota hiace LOL another piece of junk from toyota welcome to pakistan auto industry. japanese 5 year old car is better than brand new local corrolla
First of all, there are no gears in CVT. There is one continous gear with infinite ratios. So how can you say paddle shifters were good when obviously Toyota faked the step-gearing???
And "floppy paddle" gearbox is no such thing. It is flappy paddle and that term is reserved for DCTs.
I don't know what's the matter with the reviewers in PAkistan. They don't review safety features at all. For them looks are the only thing that counts in buying decision. Will looks help you and your family in a crash?
You got to educate your readers on Car Safety that's how car manufacturers will be forced to include safety features that are MANDATORY in other countries.
We cannot blame IMC for poor fit & finish. Unfortunately its the local vendors supplying poor quality parts under the umbrella of localization. This is one of the reasons we dont see new players coming to Pakistan. We have cartels every where.
Ill keep driving optra 2005 …. and still be happy instead of investing in this bloatware
With respect to interior absolutely pathetic, I think Toyota also following the path of Honda in bringing the standards down as the model goes up, come on Altis 2010 till 2013 is in far better look if compared with new model.
you are too biased sir…i too love honda more, but this is a good attempt…far better than previous ones…by the way i too laughed at the dashboard….hehe…looks like a rikshaw dashboard….
yes i am not a hypocrite 😛 if i dont like something i just dont like it 😛 btw i tried a lot in previous years somehow i start liking corrolla but all went invain 😛 few of other toyota models i love them like prious over honda insight and premio
Agreed 100%
Best post sir.
Thumbs up
Muhammad Bilal Insted you dont know about CVT…my fiend!!!!!
Excellent Post….Thats Why, PAk Automobiles are lack of Safety Features,,,,Coz We as a nation dont have any idea about Safety in every field of Life…In Europe or USA or Other countries…Safety is Major and mendetory point for Automobiles
Muhammad Bilal if u r a car enthusiast then u shud know that in many countries car enthusiasts use the term "Floppy Paddle Gear Box" for these trip tronic tranies or the continuously variable trannies.
@ASIF RAZZAQ wud u care elaborating then what a CVT is?
CVT stands for continously variable transmission. The name speaks for itself. If you are an auto-enthusiast u shud know CVTs are disliked for performance but praised for economy.
Introducing fake shifter in CVT is just like making love to a blow up doll which a lot of Pakistanis enjoy I presume.
U keep using the term floppy.
Real enthusiasts will keep using the term flappy for DCTs.
Muhammad Bilal how can u say fake shifters, have u driven it?
Muhammad Bilal ha ha ha…Well….Keep Stick with you ideas and Imaginations.you have Equal Rights for that..Well…I am Technical Engineer in One of Automobile Manufacture…..
Sir a CVT does not have gears like ordinary gearbox. It is one big gear with continously changing ratios. All that flappy paddle does is give u thee feeling tht u r changing gears whereas whats actually happening is tht CVT is changing its ratio. What's the point of having a CVT if you are going to introduce fake stepping? Why not introduce a normal 7 speed gearbox with adjusted ratios and actual SC flappy paddles???
Asif bro ur English shows how technical you are…. just saying
No safety feature will save you if you drive like a moron or u r out of luck. Most of the mandatory features are passive and only activate after a crash has occurred. Therefore they r rendered moot
thats why i prefer honda civic
Muhammad Bilal . You would want to get hit by a moron in Ancap 5 star Crash Safety Standard car or a 1 Star car? Driving style is perquisite to safety but driving style does not save you from countless other morons and forces of nature.
Would you like to skid on a rainy day in car with ESP or without ESP?
Would you like lose traction when you break hard to save a child on the road in a NON ABS car or break hard but still have traction and steer clear of the child?
BTW, which safety features activate AFTER crash?
I would humbly suggest you read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_safety
Passive safety does not protect AFTER crash it protects DURING crash.
I fully agree with the original comment; people need to be educated about vehicle safety in Pakistan. But our reviewers seem to be helping car manufactures save a lot of money.
These same manufactures install all kind of active and passive safety features even in Dinky cars in Japan. Their body structures are made to absorb forces of crash and inner zone/structure is hardened to protect the occupants.
I hope Pakistani reviewers make it a mission to educate car owners about safe driving style and safe car features.
Don't argue, everyone's right to some extent. Bilal bhai said right in the above comments as its a fake gear change, it does make you feel that you are changing gears, but you're actually stepping to a fixed ratio between infinite ratios. Toyota gave CVT to improve fuel efficiency, and as far as shifters are concerned, they are just to give you a fake sporty feel, so you can rev it high at a specific gear ratio. That's why I used the term "virtual 7 speed". Now as far as Flappy and Floppy is concerned, it's "flappy pedal", comes from the term "flaps" as the paddle shifters look like flaps on the back of steering.
Just Pathetic Legroom on BackSeats
they are charging you 5lak puls for the chrome and headlights
Car is very beautiful but you should be aware of one thing that the model 2015 of corolla which you will make should be bomb proof but this Altus is ow some
well said 🙂 they damn care about precious life. as all the authorities in Pakistan do the same:) i guess car is more precious in Pakistan then a person's life.so sad really
Ahmed Hembel and Muhammad Bilal: better that, you should have a test drive , please inbox me you city of living, i will arrange a test drive for you… You will experience it by yourself…Imagine…..Toyota is selling its technology worldwide…..Its not possible that the technology is fake……………
all new kahan se ho gai, aloy rims tu purane he hain, 😀
Asif bhai, no one said anything like the "technology is fake", please read carefully, and I can translate this for you if you say so, don't take it personally . Nevertheless, I will love to have a test drive, I am in Lahore.
A bald attempt to copy civic, cruze and BMW, corolla designers have no originality and it will fail giving way to prius
What is ' not that bad ' ? It appears to be a hard attempt to like the car. The phrase is no justification that the car is actually nice. Confused article. In short, the looks are crappy, the feel is crappy, the interior is crappy. Period.
When Toyota designers design a new car, it is supposed to be manufactured accordingly. By adding the 3 knobs (as they are cheaper ), and not installing the complete climate control system, the entire dashboard look has changed from classy to crappy. This modification has been done in Pakistan and not in Japan. I have seen the original in Thailand, and it looks decent with climate control.
The amazing thing is that Pakistani's are willing to pay premium of 2 laks on this car..Why do we have to buy it? if nobody buys the new corolla indus motors would be forced to improve it. But we as a nation has to show off with the latest car..
"CVTs are a great bit of technology, efficient and simple. But efficient and simple is also boring. Pick an rpm range and let the ever changing gear ratio do the rest. Some manufacturers have added 'shift' modes to CVTs, which can be controlled via steering wheel mounter paddles or a push pull pattern on the shifter. While this may seem exciting, its really not as all you are doing is limiting the expansive gear ratios to a select range of five or six gears, while simultaneously killing any efforts of efficiency which the transmission was designed for." Paddle shifts are more real in DCT automatics where they are more like manual change.
I noted size little less than 2013
Only If Indus Motor had gone to lengths to introduce the Axio Hybrid Version of the Corolla in Parallel to the current line-up, it would have done wonders. It seems like these Local Assemblers work in a wolf patch style where one doesn’t want to intervene into the territory of the others. Corolla Axio Hybrid will now hit the Imported Car Market and will sell easily above 3 Million for the full options (P.S. the steering wheel and the controls make it so intriguing). Toyota will be launching the Hybrid Version of the Current Corolla in US and European markets pretty soon as well.
there is small holes in front and back light which shows the careless n untidy art of work which is shown by toyota . and interior is like to sit in public weagon or bus cheapest material and color combination.