Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 Elegance Review
Minority Report

You'd have to squint your eyes really had to differentiate the updated Toyota Corolla Altis' looks from the old car's from certain angles. The Altis is the perfect example of the ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it' philosophy that car manufacturers sometimes adopt for their popular and mass market models.

The current Corolla Altis is the tenth generation of the most popular model in the world and it was launched back in 2008. Almost two and a half years on and Toyota deemed that conditions are right to introduce an updated version of the tenth generation Corolla to ASEAN markets like Singapore. According to Corolla Altis chief engineer, Michihiko Sato, the Altis is well loved for its reliability, refinement, dependability and well built nature but it is slightly lacking when it comes to performance and driving enjoyment and hence the changes to the new car will be concentrated on these two key areas.

On the outside, the changes at either end of the car are most obvious while the overall silhouette and glasshouse are similar as before. At the front, there is a new, sportier looking bumper, new radiator grille and headlamps that make the Altis look even more similar than its Camry big brother. The rear features new tail lamps while a chrome strip above the wider number plate surround accentuates the width of the car. But subtlety is the key word here obviously. Conservative will be the best word to describe the way it looks but like the pre facelift model, it does look better proportioned than the grey imported Corolla Axio.

There are similar subtle changes to the interior as well. There are some minor changes to switchgear details, more matte silver trim accents on the dashboard, an AUX input for the factory fitted stereo as well as new white Optitron dials for the 1.8-litre model.