A comprehensive makeover “from the inside out” with a fresh, youthful design, luxurious interior, modern equipment with the active safety technology package TSS and a fuel-efficient hybrid engine, along with a reasonable price; it can be said that the Corolla Altis is truly a comprehensive model in the Vietnamese market, stirring up the C-segment sedan.
World number one position
Not the elder brother “Ministerial car” Camry, not the “king of off-road” Land Cruiser rock pot; It is the new Corolla that is the model that made the name, taking the Toyota logo around the world. Just look at a few simple statistics, you can see the “terrifying” of this familiar sedan model.
The Toyota Corolla was born in 1966, and by 1974 it had become the best-selling model in the world and has maintained its position ever since. In 1997, the Corolla surpassed the Beetle model of VW to become the best-selling model of all time.
As of 2021, Toyota has produced more than 50 million Corolla cars worldwide. If all of these cars were lined up, we would have a column of Corolla stretching 5 orbits around the Earth. But that’s not all, the average distance that the Corolla cars travel each year is estimated to be about 50 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back.
With a total of 50 million cars sold, an average of one new Toyota Corolla is sold every 15 seconds worldwide, and for every five cars sold by Toyota, one is a Corolla, accounting for 20% of the total sales of the company.
This is an achievement that surely any manufacturer would desire. But how does the Toyota Corolla manage to gain the trust of consumers and be chosen by so many customers? – The answer lies right in the 2022 Corolla Altis – the latest generation of products just launched in the Vietnamese market.
Meticulous sedan design
Completely abandoning the image of an old, boring, slow-changing car model; the new 2022 Corolla Altis, which belongs to the 12th generation, has just been launched with a very eye-catching exterior design, with youthful lines following the spirit of “No more boring cars” that the company’s president, Mr. Akio Toyoda, immediately established when taking over Toyota’s management.
Similar to its elder brother Camry, the face of the new 2022 Corolla Altis has also changed to a more youthful and aggressive style. The diamond-shaped grille design with the bottom lip extended to the sides. Combined with the two “fake” air intakes deepened, creating a fierce feeling like a shark about to attack its prey for the “mouth” of the car.
Meanwhile, the chrome strip along with the demi LED J-shaped lights in the shape of wings, retains the elegance and sophistication for the C-segment sedan. On the windshield, the car is equipped with a camera to serve the Toyota Safety Sense safety technology package.
Moving on to the body, the most impressive detail for customers is the legs of the Corolla Altis. The car owns 17-inch alloy wheels with a very eye-catching two-tone multi-spoke design that contributes to the sleekness of the car.
The power-adjustable – foldable rearview mirrors are integrated with a camera, providing a 360-degree view around the car for the highest-end 1.8 HEV version. The upper window frames are chrome-trimmed, giving a luxurious and necessary sense of style for the traditional Corolla Altis customer file.
With an overall length of 4,630mm and a wheelbase length of 2,700mm, the new 2022 Corolla Altis has significantly improved its appearance. The most delicious detail of the Japanese sedan model probably lies in the design of the rear end of the car.
The rear brake light cluster is very easy to “memorable”, with a design that flares up the two side wings combined with a long chrome strip that extends to the sides. Along with the gently curved trunk lid in the style of an integrated duckbill wing, making the Corolla Altis easily reminiscent of a European sports sedan.
The rear bumper has a minimalist and firm design. The exhaust pipe is hidden under the rear end and the fake air intake is arranged appropriately with the front end lines and contributes to creating a luxurious atmosphere for the sedan. Equipment like a rearview camera and 4 proximity sensors are also complete, no less than competitors in the same segment.
Luxurious, minimalist, modern interior
Tidy, modern but still full of convenience is what can be summarized when a quick description of the interior space of the Toyota Corolla Altis 2022 is needed. The car shares almost the entire cabin design with the Corolla Cross. This elder sibling of the high-ground-clearance Altis is also a noteworthy phenomenon, which has been well received and chosen by many consumers in the country.
In the 1.8 V version present in the review, the 2022 Corolla Altis owns a 3-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, with all the function shortcut buttons, proving that the car is not trimmed when brought to Vietnam – a very commendable point for Toyota Vietnam.
Behind the steering wheel is a modern multi-information display, which plays the role of displaying the most intuitive operating parameters of the vehicle. The HUD – Head-up display function is only available on the highest-end HEV version.
At the same time, the car is equipped with a 9-inch infotainment screen located right in the middle of the dashboard, with Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto standards that are extremely convenient! Real-world experience shows that smart wireless connectivity is truly a “great invention” that deserves to be popularized for every car, making the use of vehicles more convenient, safe, and modern in the context of 4.0 life.
Although it is only equipped with a 6-speaker audio system, the real experience shows that the speakers on the 2022 Corolla Altis are more than capable of meeting the basic entertainment needs of ordinary users, helping to dispel the fatigue of driving in congested traffic or “boost the mood” of all passengers on long trips.
Other conveniences are also fully equipped for the 2022 Corolla Altis, including: electronic parking brake with automatic hold, auto-dimming mirrors, leather seats with a sporty design that hugs and can be adjusted electrically in 10 directions for the driver’s seat, dual-zone automatic air conditioning with rear seat vents and charging ports including a 12V socket, USB and even the most premium type-C port.
Compared to the highest-end hybrid version, the 1.8 V version also lacks some features, such as a 360-degree camera, a HUD, blind spot warning on the mirror, tire pressure warning, and the EV pure electric mode. Instead, the car is only equipped with two driving modes: Normal or Sport.
Similar to the Land Cruiser, Camry, Corolla Cross, the Corolla Altis also owns the TNGA global standard chassis system, with all the superior advantages: providing spacious space for passengers, ensuring flexibility, more stable during operation, and especially increasing the view for the driver, contributing to ensuring safety.
Stable operation, safe, reliable
In the 1.8 V version, Toyota provides the 2ZR-FBE engine block with a displacement of 1.8 L naturally aspirated engine combined with front-wheel drive configuration and CVT transmission; helping to create a power of 138 horsepower and a maximum torque of 172 Nm.
This power is undoubtedly difficult to compare with competitors. However, it is just enough to help the C-segment sedan slide gently in all driving conditions, according to the Japanese driving style: cost-effective, enough to use, and aiming for comfort and fuel efficiency.
This is also the philosophy that makes the Corolla can conquer 50 million users – something that no competitor can do, no matter how much they desire.
In addition to the elements of durability, smoothness, and the inherent reliability, the 2022 Corolla Altis has been additionally equipped with the second-generation Toyota Safety Sense safety technology package (available on the V and HEV versions), with the ability to provide many smart driving support solutions, including:
PCS forward collision warning;
Lane keep assist LTA and lane departure warning LDA;
DRCC active cruise control;
AHB automatic high beam headlights.
At the same time, the car is also equipped with standard 7 airbags for all versions. This shows that Toyota Vietnam pays great attention to the safety of customers and places safety as the top priority when designing product development for Vietnamese people.
If choosing the highest-end 1.8 HEV version, customers will own the 2ZR-FXE hybrid engine with an unmatched fuel economy ability of only 4.5 L / 100km on a mixed road, pure electric EV driving mode, and a comfortable and surprising feeling every time the car accelerates very smoothly but still very powerful.
Quick summary, with prices of 719, 765, and 860 million VND for the 1.8 G, 1.8 V, and 1.8 HEV versions respectively, it can be asserted that the 2022 Toyota Corolla Altis will make competitors in the same segment worry.
The design on the 12th generation product has been modern, youthful, and more eye-catching. The list of convenience equipment in the car is also “endless” no less than anyone else. Spaciousness and durable operation are still maintained by Toyota. Meanwhile, the key safety factor with 7 standard airbags, along with the TSS safety package, is the highlight of the new Corolla Altis.
Especially, the hybrid version with the advantage of fuel economy combined with outstanding performance is the ultimate weapon that makes the 2022 Toyota Corolla Altis take the lead in the segment, contributing to showing the position and conquering users.
Anh Phan (Tuoitrethudo)
