Toyota Corolla Altis Facelift Launched At Rs 15.87 Lakh

If you have been waiting for the new Toyota Corolla Altis to come to India since its worldwide reveal last year, you are in luck. Toyota has launched the facelifted Corolla Altis in India. Prices for the new car start from Rs 15.87 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the G (MT) petrol and go all the way up to Rs 19.91 lakh for the top-spec VL variant. 

Here's a variant-wise price list:

Petrol

- G (MT) - Rs 15.87 lakh

- G (CVT) - Rs 17.52 lakh

- GL (MT) - Rs 18.30 lakh

- VL (CVT) - 19.91 lakh

Diesel

 - DG (MT) - Rs 17.36 lakh

- DGL (MT) - Rs 19.05 lakh

Notably, Toyota has dropped the base-spec J and J+ variants and has (sadly) not introduced a top-spec VL diesel or a diesel-automatic variant. Compared to the outgoing version, the top-end petrol VL variant is dearer by a full Rs 1.3 lakh, whereas the top-spec DGL diesel gets a sticker price that's Rs 1.49 lakh higher.

What's new in the facelifted Corolla Altis?

Well, it gets a new 'Phantom Brown' paint shade, Bi-beam LED headlamps, a narrower grille, and LED taillamps. As far as changes under the hood are concerned, there aren't any. You still get the option of a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that makes 140PS power and 173Nm torque. This engine can be had with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed CVT-i transmission which also features paddle shifters. The diesel on offer is turbocharged and displaces 1.4 litres. It makes 88PS power and 205Nm torque and has been mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Also, no hybrid variant of the car has been launched, quashing the earlier reports of Toyota's plans of bringing such a version of Corolla Altis to India.

Inside, changes have been made to the instrument cluster and soft-touch materials have been used on the dashboard. The interior now has lighter 'Flaxen' colour scheme and round air-conditioning vents. You continue to get goodies such as a 10-way adjustable powered driver's seat, rear sunshades and a reclining rear bench. Infotainment duties are handled by a 7.0-inch touchscreen unit paired with six speakers. The head unit does feature MirrorLink, but there's no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay on offer. 

In terms of safety, the new Corolla Altis gets seven airbags, ABS and EBD along with Hill Start Assist and Vehicle Stability Control. The new Corolla Altis is available in four petrol and two diesel variants and you can book one for an amount of Rs 1 lakh.

The Corolla Altis not just faces stiff competition from its sedan rivals but also from similarly priced SUVs such as the Hyundai Tucson. So much so that in the sales numbers revealed in January 2017, the Corolla Altis had slid down to being the fourth most popular car in its segment. So a facelift was definitely in order. We were hoping Toyota would up the ante in the segment by introducing the hybrid avatar, or bring in a fully-loaded diesel variant. Sadly, that's not the case this time round. While we get our hands on the updated Toyota Corolla Altis, here's what we think of its biggest rival, the Hyundai Elantra.

Recommended Read: Hyundai Elantra - First Drive Review