The Philippine Launch of the 2008 Corolla Altis

**AG4** · January 30th, 2008 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by orly_andico

egads.. for 1.1M mag discounted Mazda6 ka nalang...

or for 100K more mag CRV ka nalang.

Methinks toyota will sell less of these than they imagine. Just look at the overpriced RAV4.

I think its not as bad as the Rav4's case...
Aside from the Fortuner SUV eating into the sales of the Rav4, the Rav4 costs P200K-P400K more than its closest rivals, thats the reason why TMP is not selling as many Rav4s.

**Biggs** · January 30th, 2008 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by niky

while sound insulation and seat construction have been turned up a notch.

How does it compare to the NVH of the Focus?

**Djerms** · January 30th, 2008 07:26 AM

I THink otherwise. This will still be the #1 sedan becasue of the badge.

Maraming toyota loyalists diyan katulad ng tatay ko. This is why I currently own one coz nabili ko ng mura sa kanya.

IMO, its a decent car. I'm yearning for something more (that can be found in my dad's honda civic), and yet I don't want to let go...

Gets? Hehe.

**scharnhorst** · January 30th, 2008 07:47 AM

I like the front of this much more than that of the current vios.

**SaberRider** · January 30th, 2008 07:54 AM

Even if you're a toyota fan di ka naman mag iinvest on something that's the same old-same old. I've already seen this Altis when I went to Malaysia, too bland. To think that Toyota would have tried to re-think the Altis design since they know what their competition, the Honda Civic looks like since the Civic was launched 2 years ago. Oo nga pala, also the looks of the Mazda 3 and the Focus, all of them have that aggressive sporty design kaya nga napa-isip nalang ako kung baket pinilit pa rin ibenta ng Toyota itong Altis na'to. Still 4 speed A/T while the others have something as high as a 6 speed transmission.

Yung top variant V sana nila nilagay nalang yung 2ZZ engine so that if they couldn't go toe to toe with the Civic in design at least sana sa makina may laban sila. No qualms about the engine, no praises either.

I wouldn't buy another Altis just because it was just a facelift. Ika nga, just something evolutionary, nothing revolutionary.

**CVT** · January 30th, 2008 07:55 AM

Ganyan talaga ang style ng Toyota (Corolla), spartan-like.....

And many (loyal) people are still hooked on it....

5202:threadmil:

**Type 100** · January 30th, 2008 10:25 AM

Let's face it, even if the next Corolla was the most boring car in the world to own and drive it'll still sell. That's the point. "Boring" sells :p

I mean, think of it this way: if you wanted excitement and surprise, get a poorly-built car. You'd never know when it'd break down on you. At least you're never bored and always surprised (but disgruntled as well) :p

Kidding aside, Toyotas in this country sell. Reliable, cheap to maintain, parts in abundance. Pinoys don't care if they elicit yawns.

**kotiko** · January 30th, 2008 01:57 PM

Yuck!!! :D

**meledson** · January 30th, 2008 02:03 PM

Once this Altis is available in the market, we will see if it would sell. Ito naman talaga ang gage kung ok ang isang model ng car.

**niky** · January 30th, 2008 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by Biggs

How does it compare to the NVH of the Focus?

Well, we won't be able to tell until the test drive. But the engine itself is impressively quiet.

Either that, or our ears were still ringing from the loud music when we did our walk-around and interior test of the car...

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AG4 is right... the RAV4's problem is not just that it's expensive... it's that it's ridiculously expensive compared to the competition.

Look at the base 1.6 E model... it already has ABS and a single airbag at 774k pesos... which the 777k Civic does not. Sure, the base Focus and Mazda3 are better equipped, but the Mazda3 doesn't have a manual (which counts for quite a bit in the entry-level market, especially since the lack of a manual fuels the belief that the Mazda3 is a gas-guzzler) and most people don't consider the Focus because it's an "American" car... dolts.

I'm betting we'll start seeing a lot of 1.6 Es on the road once they're released.

The top-of-the-line Corolla isn't impressive in terms of engine specs, but that's not what sells Corollas, anyway... it's comfort and convenience that does... which makes it a shame that the 1.6 G doesn't get leather.

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Most of us at the launch had the same idea: not our cup of tea, but something that we might actually recommend to a female friend/relative/significant other looking for a car.