Toyota Corolla Altis versus Honda Civic

Toyota Corolla Altis is the facelifted version of the highly popular Toyota Corolla launched a few years back. It is one of the largest selling D-segment sedans in the world and proved to be a major success in India as well. Toyota is one of the top manufacturers of passenger cars in India and builds reliable and affordable cars. We compare the Toyota Corolla Altis with the Honda Civic. Honda Civic is one of the most popular cars in India and looks fantastic in its current avatar. It packs a lot of performance and brings the Honda bullet proof engineering to the table. If you are looking buying either of these two cars then look no further and keep reading.

Looks and design:

Toyota has a sleek new design that looks very elegant. It has a sporty front end with its well design headlamps which feature HID lamps. It also sports the Toyota logo above the grill. IT has body colored bumpers and brings the headlamp washers. It has fog lamps win well designed housing and the overall look is sporty. It indicator mounted rear view mirrors. The rear is well designed and looks quite proportionate in comparison with the front. It well designed rear tail lamps. The exhaust is almost hidden from view beneath the bumper. Toyota Corolla Altis is well constructed and the build quality is very good.

Honda has done a good job with the Honda Civic and it looks fantastic with its sporty headlights and long hood. It has a chromed front grill with Honda logo on it and brings trendy fog lamps. It has unique road presence and a beautifully designed rear with twin exhaust pipes adds to the aggressive looks of this Japanese sedan. It has 5 spoke alloy wheels shod with grippy rubber and the long and wide size of the car gives it a low slung look. It has large front windscreen and it has been built well by Honda. The fit and finish is excellent and it is available in different paint schemes.

Looks overall – Toyota Corolla Altis – 8/10
Looks overall – Honda Civic – 8.5/10

Interiors – design, space and features:

Toyota Corolla Altis has functional interiors and the glass area is large and that gives a spacious and airy feel to the interiors of the car. There is a lot of room in the front and rear seated passengers. If you are chauffeur driven then it is the choice of car to buy. The seats offer fantastic support to the back and add the comfortable drive. The air conditioner is an absolute chiller with a powerful blower. The dash has a simple layout and the focus is on functionality. The driving position and ergonomics are superb. It brings the usual list of gadgets seen in most cars. The steering wheel has audio controls and instrument cluster features the MID as well. It also has a spacious boot with a total space of 475 litres of luggage carrying space.

Honda Civic has spacious interiors and retains a modern look inside. The plastic quality is good and beige interiors look very elegant. The seats are comfortable and offer excellent back, lumbar support and lateral support is also very good. There is ample leg and headroom both at the front and rear. It has automatic climate control and a powerful air conditioner which takes care of the cooling inside the car. Honda Civic comes with CD changer and support for Aux-In and USB. Civic has plenty of space inside to store your small items and has a large glove box. Honda Civic packs 485 liters of space in its boot which is sufficient to carry your travel luggage.

Interiors overall – Toyota Corolla Altis – 8.5/10
Interiors overall – Honda Civic – 8/10

Engine – performance, power, torque, fuel economy, smoothness:

Toyota Corolla is loaded with performance given its petrol engine which is a 1794cc 4 cylinder 16 valve DOHC petrol engine with Dual VVT-i. It is a capable motor and delivers a maximum power of 137 BHP at 6400 RPM and 173 NM of maximum torque. The petrol engine is smooth and very refined and brings a gearbox which is a 6 speed manual transmission unit and then there is also an option of a 7 speed automatic. The manual gearbox offers a slick and smooth gearshifts. It remains quite fuel efficient for a powerful engine and ARAI has rated the Toyota Corolla Altis Petrol to deliver maximum fuel efficiency of 15.22 kmpl.

Honda Civic has a peppy and powerful engine and is available as a 4 cylinder 1.8 liter SOHC engine with i-VTEC. Honda Civic is available in a single engine variant and produces a maximum of 130 BHP of power at 6300 RPM and 17.5 kgm of torque at 4300 RPM. It has very good mid range and top end power but lacks a bit on the low end torque however if you play the gears managing bumper to bumper traffic isn’t very hard. Overtaking is the easy part with the Civic as the engine loves to be revved high and it instantly powers you down the road. Excellent performance on the highway from this motor. It is available in a 5 speed manual transmission and then there is an automatic option as well. ARAI has rated the Honda Civic to deliver a maximum fuel efficiency of 14.8 kmpl. The gearshifts are smooth and precise and overall a fantastic engine to play with.

Engine overall – Toyota Corolla Altis – 8/10
Engine overall – Honda Civic – 8.5/10

Suspension – Ride, comfort and handling:

Toyota has clearly tuned the Corolla Altis suspension for comfort and it good enough to ensure that you don’t feel bad roads and deep potholes as hard as you would in other cars from the segment. The ride quality is well cushioned and damping is spot on. Corolla Altis was not built to be a handler or for spirited driving and there is some amount of body roll. Despite that it retains a good amount of grip and the steering feels very light and not as well weighted as its rivals but manages to ensure that there is satisfactory feedback when you drive at triple digit speeds. It brings ABS + EBD and disk brakes to ensure that you are in control when slowing down the car under all conditions.

Honda Civic brings excellent highway performance and is fun to drive around corners as well. It comes with a well tuned suspension setup which takes care of all the bumps and undulations on the road at low speeds although a little firm given its sportier suspension setup but ensures the ride quality is good and comfortable without causing any discomfort to its passengers. The steering in the Honda Civic is light at lower speeds and remains well weighted at higher speeds and the feedback from the units is very good. It is a long car and not entirely great for cornering but it manages to inspire confidence as you drive it and seems to be built for the occasional spirited driving. Honda Civic has excellent brakes and the ABS + EBD are not intrusive and ensures you have maximum braking power available to you at all times to help you slow down from triple digit speeds which this car is easily capable of doing.

Suspension overall – Toyota Corolla Altis – 8.5/10
Suspension overall – Honda Civic – 8.5/10

Value for money – sticker price, standard features:

Toyota Corolla Altis is priced very sensibly and comes at very good value for money. Toyota Corolla Altis is priced from ex-showroom Delhi price of 11.07 lakhs for the Toyota Corolla ALtis 1.8J petrol variant. The Toyota Corolla Altis G petrol variant is priced at 13.01 lakhs and the automatic variant Toyota Corolla ALtis G HV AT is priced at 14.25 lakhs. Toyota Corolla Altis GL is priced at 14.40 lakhs and the top variant in petrol, the Toyota Corolla Altis VL is priced at 15.50 lakhs. This is very good pricing for a car that is an excellent combination of comfort and performance and we consider it to be great value for money.

Honda has done a good job with Civic pricing and it is available from an ex-showroom Delhi price for the base variant Honda Civic 1.8 S MT Petrol priced at 12.59 lakhs. Honda Civic 1.8 V MT Petrol is priced at 13.62 lakhs. Honda Civic V MT Sunroof petrol is priced at 14.10 lakhs while the automatic variant Honda Civic 1.8 V AT Sunroof Petrol is priced at 14.10 lakhs. It brings Honda lineage with a bullet proof precision engineered engine, good after sales and service, good built quality and excellent performance from its engine and chassis/suspension package. Honda Civic is very good value for money if you are looking for an all-round performer.

Value for money overall – Toyota Corolla Altis – 8/10
Value for money overall – Honda Civic – 8/10

Verdict:

Toyota Corolla Altis is a fantastic car and comes to the market at very good value for money. It is a durable machine and also a good performer. It offers a comfortable ride and the after sales and service experience has been very good with Toyota. Honda Civic is also a fantastic car which is available with only Petrol engine however has been selling in good numbers owing to the Honda brand and excellent features and looks of the car. It has found a crowd amongst the youth of the nation. Whichever you might select of these two, you will not be disappointed as both these cars offer good value for money and are fun to drive as well.