Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla Altis
The
Japanese have been recently distraught about the Tsunami which struck their
lands. However people across were more concerned with the automotive loss
rather than that of the lives. We haven’t heard or read of many fund raisers
for these grief stricken Japanese people. The only lamentations that can be
heard are that production facilities have been destroyed all across the “Land
of Rising Sun”. Many companies like Nissan, Mitsubishi and also Toyota were
forced to go off track for this very reason. However it seems that Honda Motors
were the worst affected. The reason for this is that although Honda claims that
nearly all their facilities are okay but then CBUs coming down to India have
been stopped. There is almost a waiting period of 5-6 months for almost all of
Honda products in India. That Honda prefers not to manufacture these products
here is another part. Toyota don’t look as much hit by the Tsunami however
facts do suggest that even they have suffered big losses. But then except for
the Camry, production of no other vehicle has been stopped as of yet. But we
Indians are in for a big loss since two of the hatches from this
prestigious Japanese manufacturers were supposed to come to our shores very
soon. Those two hatches are the Honda Brio and the Toyota Liva. Their launch
dates have been postponed and this seems like a bit of disappointment for the
Indian car buying populace. After all seeing the success that the Etios is
enjoying, Toyota definitely want to capitalize on it. However the story here is
of a different kind. Its between the traditional Japanese rivals, the Honda
Civic and the Toyota Corolla Altis. But this war is not being carried out in
Japan now but rather in India. So gear up for the Toyota
Corolla Altis in Indiaand the Honda
Civic in India duel.
Looks
As far as
the looks go, the Honda is the more radical design. So much so that even after
years of it being launched here, it still commands fleeting or even lingering
glances. The Honda Civic in India and when
we say India, the American model definitely has to be dismissed. It looks more
like the Honda City that we have here in India. So the 7th generation Civic
that we have here is one of the best one as far as its looks go. Its more like
an eligible bachelor all dressed up in the finest of clothes and women just
admiring him so that they can hook up with him for the night or even for life.
The Toyota Corolla in India however is more of the middle aged man who has
designer clothes to his credit, is rich and pompous with a fetish for middle
aged women. So both the cars are different in their looks. Actually the earlier
Toyota Corolla was the blandest things on wheels. That the same company
manufactures the Prius with its Kammback tail is another story. However the
newer Altis looks good and is far more a good looker than what the previous
generation can lay claim to. Its HID lights would definitely make heads turn as
far as night time driving is concerned. Of all the manufacturers out here,
Honda is the only one which doesn’t carry a family face legacy here. All its
vehicles look different from each other but they definitely have the Japanese
look to them. While the Honda looks a boy racer from every angle, the Corolla
Altis tends to lend the imposing stance. The Civic has a more radical alloy
wheel design than the Corolla Altis and this would appeal to those young at
heart. Out at the rear, the Altis with its bulbous sticking out LED tail lamps
are a stark contrast to the Civic’s pentagonal LEDs.
As far as looks
go, it’s the Honda Civic which goes one up over the Toyota Corolla Altis.
However if you prefer a more laid back design, then the Toyota
Corolla Altis is the one to go for.
Interiors
As far as
the interiors go, the more funky one is the Honda Civic while the better one is
the Toyota Corolla Altis as far as build quality goes. Moreover, the Altis
feels a bit better built than its Japanese rival, the Honda Civic.
The Honda
Civic is setup on the stiffer side than the Toyota Corolla Altis. This
manifests in the fact that the Civic goes quicker around corners and can carry
far more better speeds at the exit points. The Honda
Civic in Indiahowever suffers from the time honored
Honda problem of a suspension which bottoms out. Load the Civic fully and its
suspension would bottom out and it would seems like that the car is actually
just balanced on its wheels and there is no suspension travel left. Infact the
Civic harboring on its sporty intentions has got a much lower ground clearance
than any other car in India, forget the Corolla Altis. The ride quality in the
meanwhile is great in a straight line however once the bumps come in, the Civic
would let you know of each and every bump that came its way. Sitting closer to
the ground has its own perils as far as the ride quality is concerned and the
Civic’s pretensions of being a sporty car means it sacrifices the ride quality
at the altar of handling. The Civic’s steering wheel is a small unit and is a
delight to use. However the lack of much sound deadening materials under the
hood means that the Civic is quite a noisy car at full clip. As for the Toyota
Corolla Altis in India, ride quality was always its forte. Its neither that
stiffly sprung and nor is it overtly soft. The chassis however doesn’t seem to
be able to cope up with the mass that is there. It is more than willing to
throw its occupants out of the windows, at the first sight of a corner. The steering
wheel is an electronic unit and like all the electronic ones, this one also
lacks the feel. It is very good to hold and while the Civic’s one may transmit
some vibes via the steering wheel, the Corolla’s doesn’t. Ride quality, which
is the Altis’s trump card remains so. It doesn’t transmit any bumps into the
cabin and moreover NVH also has been nicely damped however while the Civic’s
motor doesn’t seem to be creating a racket under the hood, the Corolla’s, if
you keep the windows open, loses its composure. Everywhere in the world, Toyota
cars are known for their ride quality rather than outright handling. So going
fast around a corner in a Toyota is a big no-no. The best way to enjoy a
Corolla is to take it on a long straight road and the Toyota would delight one
with its mile munching and relaxed attitude. The Civic on the other hand has
got an engine and suspension combination which begs the driver to cane it from
time to time. It is more comfortable on a race track than on the normal roads.
The Toyota
Corolla on this one due to its superior suspension setup. It also ensures that
the passengers are isolated from the roads and are wrapped around in the luxury
home that it is aimed to be. The Civic delights with its sportiness however in
the daily grind, its more likely to scrape its underbelly with speed breakers.
Engine,
performance and fuel efficiency
The
Corolla has been soldering on for ages with its 1.8 liter motor for India.
Elsewhere, it also gets a 2.0 liter engine which makes about 150 Bhp of power.
But then, we Indians always end up getting a raw deal. This 1.8 liter engine is
the same one as the one on the previous generation Corolla. It has got 16
valves to boot for plus VVT and a good 132 Ps on tap. The torque figure reads
as 170 Nm. A 5 speed manual transmission is what helps the Corolla driver with
his gear shifting duties. For the Civic, it is a new 1.8 liter engine (new
because the Civic is the only Honda car with this 1.8 liter engine in India
while the Corolla has been living off its heritage from the past). This engine
has Honda’s fabled I-Vtec for company. Mated to a 5 speed manual, this engine
manages to produce 132 Ps of power, the same like the Corolla however with
slightly more torque ratings at 172 Nm. The Civic is the faster car here with a
0-100 kmph timing of 11.3 seconds compared to the 11.8 seconds which the
Corolla takes. The top speed stakes are also won by the Honda Civic with it
reaching 186 kmph to the 180 kmph at which the Corolla tops out.
Both the
cars here also carry automatic gearboxes. While the Civic gets a 5 speed auto
with paddle shifts behind the steering wheel, the Altis makes do without paddle
shifts and has only a 4 speed ECT transmission for duties. Out of the two, the
Civic naturally feels more sporty to drive around due to the paddle shifters
which imitate the F1 style of gear shifting. The Altis feels the more relaxed
of the two out here in the mile munching duties. The Honda
Civic has an excellent brake feel however the brake bite in the
Corolla Altis is better since it has bigger discs than the Civic. Both the cars
come kitted with EBD and ABS as their braking aids. As far as safety is
concerned both the cars are equally equipped. Dual front air bags, collapsible
steering columns and also adjustable seat belts ensure that the occupants are
safe, were a collision to happen. Both have reputed names for their body
construction. While Honda chose the moniker as G-CON, Toyota uses it as GOA.
Both essentially mean the same that the chassis is rigid and much of the
aftershocks from a collision are transferred or distributed evenly throughout
the structure of the car.
As far as
fuel efficiency is concerned, it is the Altis with a remapped ECU and engine
tuning which manages to edge out the ever efficient Honda engine. The Corolla
Altis petrol model returns an overall fuel efficiency of 14.4 kmpl to the
Honda’s 13.3 kmpl. Noteworthy is the Altis’s fuel efficiency of 19.6 kmpl on
the highway. The Honda could just manage 17.4 kmpl.
First of
all, if you are in the market looking out for any of these two sedans, then
bear in mind that both are due for a replacement. The frenzied activity from
Toyota ensures that it would be the first one coming out with a replacement.
Many spy shots of the 2011 Toyota Corolla Altis
in India have come up on the web and there was a
recent picture with the car almost shown without any tapes all over it. Most
likely the car would be launched by about June or July 2011. As for the winner
of this bout, first the pros and cons. The Honda Civic is the best buy right
now coz the next generation one is not so good looking and seems much like a
grown up Honda City.
Moreover, as with all the Honda products, it comes with a heft price tag, as
can be seen from the US market. The current model has got space, pace, handling
and nice interiors. Not to forget, the killer looks and the Honda badge. For
its cons, it has got a low ground clearance and that means looking out more for
all those speed breakers and stuff. In India, there are more speed breakers
than roads themselves. Moreover the Honda has a problem with its ride quality
and typically the Indian roads demand better ride quality than outright
handling. As for the Toyota Corolla Altis, it has got space, nice interiors,
cosseting ride quality and also fuel efficiency going its way. However the
things to be discarded are the not so good handling and also grown up looks.
However when it comes to the Toyota badge, few things come as close. This
battle is more about the badge and which one is more prestigious Honda or
Toyota. Well, this would be the right time to bargain for heavy discounts on
the 2010 Altis model as the new one is due in a few months time. That is if you
can live with the thought that you are getting an older model. New things to
watch out for the 2011 model are a better tuned engine for more power, more
goodies in the interiors and also spruced up looks. There would also be an all
new transmission coming up. As for the Civic, apart from its looks, not much
would change in the interiors or the power ratings.
Now, the
decider, the price. The Toyota Corolla
Altis price in India starts from Rs 1,032,387
lakhs whereas the diesel top end model retails at Rs 14.13 lakhs. For the Honda
Civic price in India, the tip is Rs 12.77 lakhs
and goes upto Rs 15.19 lakhs. Enough of a difference to settle down for the
Toyota top end diesel rather than go for the Honda. Well, the Civic doesn’t
have a diesel engine and wouldn’t have one in the near future but it does boast
of a sunroof which the Altis doesn’t offer. Our pick for the day is the
comfortable Altis over the Civic
No comments:
Post a Comment
what do you think?