In this week’s WapCar Ratings, we’re analyzing the 2020 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G to evaluate all aspects from driving performance to purchase and cost.

Driving Performance - 33/50 pts, slowest in class

The 1.8-litre naturally aspirated engine may be aging now, but it’s refined and delivers acceptable performance for daily driving. The CVT is smooth in operation, with a decent response time upon throttle depression.

Steering has off-centre vagueness and its ratio is not as quick as in the Honda Civic, which means the Toyota Corolla Altis doesn’t turn quite as sharply as the Civic.

However, the Corolla handles more fluidly than the Civic. Mid-corner bumps are skillfully tackled, resulting in an utterly composed chassis.

Ride Comfort - 41/50 pts, like riding on mattress

Suspension is the supplest in its class. Lumps and bumps are soaked up with minimal disruptions in the cabin. Only the sharpest of edges and largest of potholes can send a jolt, otherwise it’s a gentle nudge.

Seats are nicely sculptured and supportive. There’s plenty of adjustments including lumbar to get comfortable.

Mechanical noises are well suppressed, but tyre and wind noise do become intrusive at highway speeds. At 110 km/h, it averaged 69 dB, which is on par with the Toyota Vios.

Quality and Features - 36/50 pts, first with all-speed ACC

Panel gaps deviated by 1.0 mm between opposite sides of the boot, while the rest of the panels were either equal on both sides or differed by 0.5 mm. This indicates decent build quality.
Interior build and material quality are par for the money, with soft plastics on the top part of the cabin and leather on the centre as well as the door armrest.

The updated infotainment system – now supports Apple CarPlay/Android Auto – is responsive in operation, although the display isn’t the crispest and the black levels are a little low. 

The range-topping 1.8G variant gets the full suite of Toyota Safety Sense. The adaptive cruise control works well on our roads and is smooth in operation in terms of braking, accelerating and steering.

One aspect lacking is the lack of keyless entry on the front passenger door, which the Honda Civic has.

Space and Practicality - 26.5/50, the in-betweener

Kneeroom at the rear is decent, slotting in between the Honda Civic and the Mazda 3. Although headroom is slightly limited due to the raised bench.

Storage spaces are lacking in the 2020 Toyota Corolla Altis. Apart from the usual glovebox and centre armrest storage, there’s a charging tray and 2 cupholders. That’s it. The front door bins are average-sized at best and the rear door bins are more like shelfs.

Fuel consumption - 15/20 pts, not as good as the Mazda 3

After completing a 100 km journey broken down to 70% highway and 30% city driving, the amount of fuel required to fill brim the tank is 7.7 litres.

Which gives us an easy calculation of 7.7-litre/100 km. Strangely, the trip computer showed 8.5-litre/100 km. In comparison, the Mazda 3 2.0L returned 7.6-litre/100 km and the turbocharged Honda Civic achieved 7.9-itre/100 km.

Purchase and Cost - 21.5/30, not as good value as the Civic

The Thailand-imported 2020 Toyota Corolla Altis starts at RM 128,888 for the 1.8E variant and goes up to RM 139,888 for the 1.8G variant. In terms of value proposition, the Honda Civic still trumps with its more powerful engine and superior interior packaging.

Servicing cost over the span of 5 years/100,000 km is relatively low - estimated at RM 4,405.

Conclusion

The 2020 Toyota Corolla Altis is the most comfortable car in its class, with its supple suspension and comfortable seats. More impressively, it does so without sacrificing handling competency. But it isn’t particularly quick in a straight line, the cabin isn’t the most spacious and lacks storage spaces.

If your priority is comfort and straight-line performance does not appeal to you, then the 2020 Toyota Corolla Altis should be at the top of your list.

Also read: 

Ratings: 2019 Mazda 3 2.0L Sedan High Plus – Top marks in quality, 174.5 overall

Ratings: 2020 Honda Civic 1.5 TC-P - Most spacious but not the most fuel efficient