So, the Toyota Corolla Altis E120, sold in Malaysia (and the USA and most of Southeast Asia) a variant of the plain vanilla Corolla, positioned as a more up-market alternative. It was initially sold in 3 specs; the 1.6E Auto & Manual, and the 1.8G. The version sold in Malaysia was introduced in 2001, and lasted until recently when the E140 Altis was launched early 2008.
Toyota Altis 1.8G 2005
Throughout its life cycle, it went through 2 facelifts. It was launched with a vertically striped grille. In 2004, the 1st facelift gave it a horizontally striped grille, new front bumper and new foglight design, larger 16” wheels, darker shade of plastic wood, MP3 capable stereo and LED rear lamps. It was also around this time that the 1.6E manual model disappeared.
In 2006, the 2nd facelift changed the seat upholstery, reinstated a vertically striped grille (with chromed vertical slats), front parking sensors, LED 3rd brake lamp, new rear license plate garnish (painted, with a chrome stripe), new steering wheel with audio controls that looked like the one in the outgoing Camry, turning lamps on the side mirrors, and the option of a (very ugly) bodykit. Note that this refers to the 1.8G model. The 1.6E model had different specs altogether, most notably the lack of VSC, though the cosmetic changes were adopted.
Mine was the 2004-facelift version, manufactured in 2005. I bought it with under 25k kms on the clock in late 2006, and sold it off with a little over 40k kms in mid 2008. Throughout its model life it sold for varying prices, but from 2006 it's list price was about RM111k. It was fairly well kitted out, with dual airbags, ABS, 4-disk brakes, powered driver’s seat, climate control, UV-cut glass (though it still needed a decent tint), MP3 capable stereo, immobilizer, 16” wheels with Bridgestone Turanza ER30s, and lots of fake wood and chrome bits. Its trump card though was VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) incorporating TRC (Traction Control) which none of its mass market peers in Malaysia had until the introduction of the new Civic in 2006.
First off, the drivetrain. In normal pottering about town, the 1ZZ-FE (makes 100kW/134bhp @ 6000rpm and 170nm @ 4200rpm) engine is in its element, with lots of torque down low, and very eager to leap and go. Engine sound was muted with the occasional very faint rattle, sounding like valvetrian noise. However, it sounded a bit coarse and tinny towards the upper reaches of the rev range, though at the same time also sounding a bit sporty, but veering more towards agricultural. Also the eagerness at low revs didn’t translate into high rev performance. After 5000rpms, further prods on the throttle produced noise that didn’t really match the acceleration. This then is a car tuned for drivability than outright performance. The gearbox, despite being 4-speeds was perfectly fine, being smooth, quick to react, and you won’t really notice nor care after a while about the missing 5th gear. It had an “ECT power” function, which held on to gears longer if activated, which supposedly held on to gears higher up the rev range, but throughout my ownership I probably used it once just to test it, and left it off for the rest of the time as the gearbox intelligence made this rather superfluous. Fuel consumption is quite good, returning an average of 10km/L in town driving. Only real gripe I can think of is the rather light throttle pedal, and more than once I found myself surging forward when all I wanted to do was to inch forward.
As for the chassis, all I can say is that it works. And that's being nice. It meets its brief well, offering decent comfort and acceptable handling for most people. However, take it for a few corners and you realize this is the proverbial “sampan” (Malay for small boat) in handling stakes. In seeking comfort, the softening of the springs and absorbers led to obvious amounts of body roll and traces of float at speeds higher than 150km/h. In sweeping corners it performs quite alright, but its the tight and continuous corners that floor it (and most family cars). Apparently I was told that the facelift (endowing it with larger wheels and better tyres) had cured a lot of it, so I shudder to think what the pre-facelift was like. No wonder they had to fit in VSC… :P
In the urban environment away from the twisties of Ulu Yam, it performs admirably, cocooning its occupants from bumps and road imperfections. Personally, comfort was just so-so, and while it damped out the larger bumps, ruts and corrugated roads were rather too faithfully transmitted. Do note though that I tend to benchmarks most cars' comfort levels to my Peugeot, which are pretty much masters of the comfort-handling stakes (or at least they used to be…) so I do tend to be more critical than I should here.
The interior? I would say it's good. Lots of soft touch plastics, light colors, everything well placed, clearly labeled and minimalist as far as buttons were concerned (as opposed to the button-fests some competitors went for) makes for a pleasant cabin. Seats are supportive and nice to touch, though overall color scheme (two-tone beige) can cause the cabin and upholstery to look ratty if not taken care of, but that’s a small price to pay for an airier cabin. I don't understand why some people love dark cabins in family cars. True, they look sportier, but in a family sedan, the novelty is not going to last, and over time that shade of schizophrenic black or suicidal grey would annoy me more and more. I’d much prefer the car to be really sporty as opposed to LOOKING sporty, thank you very much. Still on the plus side, convenience features like lots of cubby holes and cupholders, fold down rear seats, “tapau” (takeaway) hooks behind the passenger seat makes it easier to live with. Also, the chrome bits on the door handles and air cond vent adjusters, leather steering wheel and gear knob do give it a more up-market feel, though the chrome surround on the gearshift is a bad call. It is a large chromed plate that, on a sunny day (which is most days in Malaysia) shoots blinding sunlight straight into your eyes at certain angles. I could also do with less of the fake plastic wood. Overall, very well built with everything tightly screwed together and gaps at a minimum, living up to the perceived Toyota quality.
Noise insulation, a near-obsession for me, is decent. Road noise is minimal despite the large wheels and rather noisy tyres, wind noise well suppressed, and engine noise sufficiently muted except in hard acceleration. No complaints here.
Space is quite decent, though not great width-wise as it is rather a narrow car, and legroom for rear passengers is just adequate. Boot space is good, and no uneven boot-floor issues to contend with. The car on the whole feels light, which largely contributes to its leap-and-go behaviour, but you do wish they hadn’t skimped on the boot-lid lining (without which the boot-lid top feels and sounds like a tin can) and the roof insulation (obviously not enough; when it rains causes quite a racket). However in light of high fuel prices, I wouldn't protest too vigorously all these cost (and weight) savings.
Overall, quite a pleasant ownership experience. Great car for the urban jungle. I claimed 2 new front shocks and an interior rear view mirror under warranty, and this was done with no fuss. The Toyota service centers are however, not as numerous as I’d like, and service appointments need to be arranged way in advance due to the high amount of Toyotas. The charges are also on the high side, with a simple oil change costing RM175 for oil, RM25 for filter, RM72 for labor and some small amount for gasket, though the thought (or belief) that it is being done right goes some way towards justifying the premium.
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