A year with Altis !

I've been using this car for almost one year. Yes, it's a Toyota Corolla Altis (let's call her Ally XD) which is 10 years old in the year 2012. Bought Ally last year at a price cheaper than a brand new Myvi 1.5SE, where I would say it's a bargain eventhough I've spent a sum of money to refurbish the engine and other parts of the car due to wear and tear.

And I love this car! Been constantly giving Ally car wash and brought it for polishing and waxing once so that it will look awesome. I'll feel happy when the exterior of the car is shiny and clean! :) Gave it better window tint and installed a lock to prevent theives from taking Ally away too XD

Took Ally outstation twice and balik kampung numerous time, it never failed me *touchwood* in terms of performance and comfort. Engine noise is nicely suppressed (even better than some new C-segment sedans I've tested) but wind and road noise is apparent when it is going at highway speed. It's probably due to the aging of door rubbers/sills and noise insulators. The comfort level of Altis is surprisingly high, where most of the road undulations are nicely absorbed by the soft-biased suspension. However, due to the cushy setup, the car tends to roll when taking corners.

The 1.8litre VVT-i engine has 136bhp and 173Nm of torque at 4200rpm, and by pressing the 'Super ECT' button (it increases the rpm but consumes more fuel) will give you more than enough power to go up the hills of Genting Highlands. Although the spec shows the maximum amount of torque is only available at 4200rpm, somehow the engine has strong pulling power around 2000rpm. This benefits you when the car is moving from standstill! *Can win traffic light race*

Since Ally is using hydraulic power steering system opposed to Electric Power Steering (EPS) in the newest generation Altis, Ally's steering has more feel and feedback than the latter's feather-light setup. More weight does make driving more enjoyable and controllable! In terms of fuel consumption, Ally sips fuel like an English woman sipping her tea slowly while enjoying the scenary at her balcony. The best record so far I achieved is 600KM per fuel tank from Puchong to Cameron Highlands and back!

Since Ally actually belongs to my dad (I'm just 'borrowing' Ally for now), I would have to return the car someday. So, if you ask me will I buy an used Altis after I graduated, my answer is YES! (Of course I will go for new car if I can afford it, it's always new car > old car)

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