Toyota Corolla 10th Generation Altis Owners [continued]

[gearhead000]

besides, i find the 10.5 more handsome than its replacement 11th gen.
cutting up the 10 to make it look like the 11, is, in my mind, a step backward.

I am of the same opinion when I first saw the 11th gen. It just grew my desire to get any of the 10th and 10.5's, most especially the latter. It's just more talikodgenic for me. Also, the previous iterations feels more robust, like the 11th is made of thinner gauge body. And perhaps it is given how light it felt when driving it, as compared to the '03 and my latest ride even with its 2.0 power plant.

My take on the 9th to the 10.5 timelessness is maybe because Toyota didn't change things much - an advantage for old buyers, and may be not so for newer ones looking for some radical changes, not just updates. Have they kept changing its looks every other year or so, the older ones gets dated much faster. As it is, those in these model years even share quite a lot of DNA from its bigger brother the Toyota Camry, affording it some more years of looking fresh.

you bought it!
great!
i'm also thinking of getting an 11 or 13. i like the looks, better than the new altis's.. but how does the '03 model's driver and passenger spaces, compare with the '11 ? if it's just as cramped...

I'm not sure I can make an accurate determination on the space differences between the 9th, 10th and the 11th even having used all of them. It all seems the same to me. Maybe because I'm the one driving in most situations, though the times I am one of the 4 back row passengers, the wiggle room seems about the same to me. But I do feel they're more spacious than the Honda Civic or the Nissan Sylphy. I even managed to load 8 people into my '03 before from Bacoor to Tagaytay and back. Of course, comfort goes out the window in that situation, even me being in the driver's seat. I can't see my right rear view mirror already. Hehe. Not sure I can do that with my 2.0V though with its much lower ride height.

[jut703]

I am of the same opinion when I first saw the 11th gen. It just grew my desire to get any of the 10th and 10.5's, most especially the latter. It's just more talikodgenic for me. Also, the previous iterations feels more robust, like the 11th is made of thinner gauge body. And perhaps it is given how light it felt when driving it, as compared to the '03 and my latest ride even with its 2.0 power plant.

My take on the 9th to the 10.5 timelessness is maybe because Toyota didn't change things much - an advantage for old buyers, and may be not so for newer ones looking for some radical changes, not just updates. Have they kept changing its looks every other year or so, the older ones gets dated much faster. As it is, those in these model years even share quite a lot of DNA from its bigger brother the Toyota Camry, affording it some more years of looking fresh.



I'm not sure I can make an accurate determination on the space differences between the 9th, 10th and the 11th even having used all of them. It all seems the same to me. Maybe because I'm the one driving in most situations, though the times I am one of the 4 back row passengers, the wiggle room seems about the same to me. But I do feel they're more spacious than the Honda Civic or the Nissan Sylphy. I even managed to load 8 people into my '03 before from Bacoor to Tagaytay and back. Of course, comfort goes out the window in that situation, even me being in the driver's seat. I can't see my right rear view mirror already. Hehe. Not sure I can do that with my 2.0V though with its much lower ride height.

Odd, I have very different observations with you.

We agree on one point though, the 10.5 has a really nice rear. 😊

I've owned the 10th, 10.5, and 11th. Also have driven the 9th. In typical Toyota fashion, improvement is evolutionary in all models. Biggest jump for me is 10th/10.5 to 11th.

Both inside and out, the 10th gen looks clean, but unexciting. It really is vanilla (I love vanilla so it's okay). The 11th gen was when Toyota started with the waku-doki mindset. More radical interior and exterior, with better build quality. The only thing I didn't like is that the 11th gen's armrest doesn't slide anymore.

11th is noticeably wider when you drive it. This gives it more room inside, with the tradeoff of being harder to drive on narrow streets. 11th is also longer - I have tight parking at home so I immediately notice how much less margins I have when parking the 11th to the 10th. Specs also prove this, as the 11th is 15mm wider and 80mm more length, with a wheelbase 100mm longer. Legroom at the rear is a big, big difference. I would know because I regularly ride at the back. My knees would sometimes touch the front seat with the 10th, and I'm not even tall. Not so with the 11th, with the same front seat position.

The 11th is also heavier than the 10th by 40-60 kg (depending on the variant), so you can't say it's made of thinner sheetmetal. It's just that the CVT of the newer model is better-tuned for low-speed driving, especially if you compare it to the 4AT. But flat out, the 10th 2.0V is faster than the 11th 1.6. Handling-wise though, significant difference again as the 10th has a lot more body roll, weaker brakes, and slower steering compared to the 11th.

Also interesting that you compare to the Sylphy and Civic, both as big as the 11th gen. The Sylphy has about the same legroom as the 11th gen, while the Civic has a tiny bit less. But both don't have flat center tunnels which is why the Altis has the most spacious rear among all compacts today. In any case, all 3 have significantly more space than the 10th gen.

Ride height is the same for all 10th gen Altises at 150 mm, just that the 2.0V has side skirts. But approach angle is the same whether 1.6G or 2.0V.

I'm not dissing the 10th gen, it's just that from my ownership experience of both, the 11th is really a big improvement objectively, though looks are a personal preference. Most car reviews are of the same opinion too.

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[gearhead000]

Judging from the actual dimensions, the 11th gen sure is bigger than the 10/10.5 then. That's why I said I can't be accurate in my opinion about spaciousness of these units as I have not looked at the measurements or measured the differences myself. It's more of how I feel inside these cars - do I feel I can breathe easy or feel claustrophobic. So the interior design/color might have more effect on me than actual volume. From memory, yes I think the 11th has probably more legroom at the back. With regards length, my brod had to extend their gate when they acquired the 11th. They had the Honda Civic and the 9th gen Altis previously and just need to have the gate ajar by a few inches to accommodate those cars.

Not dissing the 11th also, just that I feel the 10th-10.5 has more 'character' whatever that amounts to. Hehe. I would have to agree that the 11th handles better than the 10th/10.5. Also, probably due to the better steering and better slow-speed driving that I say it's lighter than the 10.5.