Despite its
sleek exterior, the essence
of Toyota Corolla Altis actually lies in its functionality – which is what I
appreciate even more amidst a hectic lifestyle. Attending events, meeting
friends at different corners of Singapore and running errands are just some of
the activities which I have to juggle from day to day. Not to mention the frequent
traffic jams and the maddening crowd on public transport, which makes hassle-free driving
so important for me.

The Toyota
Corolla Altis has been thoughtfully built to make driving much simpler. The intelligent
functions will automatically turn on the car’s headlights when it is dark,
activate the wipers when it rains (even adjusting the wiper speed to the level
of rain) and dim the rear-view mirror when it detects glare from the cars
behind. Talk about convenience at your fingertips! The Nanoe auto-climate aircon is another well thought through feature which eliminates odour and cleans the air as it cools.

The Toyota
Corolla Altis certainly keeps up with technology, which has increasingly become an integral part
of our lives.  The touch-screen multi-information
display, Bluetooth and USB port are part of the package too. Personally, I really appreciate the in-built GPS and rear-cam which comes
on in reverse gear. The keyless sensor is also extremely useful for me, especially when I have to
carry numerous items for my weekend fashion shoots. For once,I don’t have to fumble for my car key
to unlock the door! 

The car’s spaciousness is another feature that I fell in love with. My male
friends
who sat at the rear of the car commented on the abundant leg-room, and I
found out
that it is because Toyota increased the vehicle wheelbase by 100mm as
well as
moved the rear-seat back by 75mm and adopted a slim front seat back. 

The
middle
spine, which is a huge inconvenience to ladies wearing
skirts,
has also been flattened by re-routing the exhaust pipes beneath the
vehicle. 

  Did you know that the 470-litre boot space is also able easily contain 4 golf bags? More amazingly, you can also expand the boot further by lowering the rear seats, which translates to more luggage space and room for
my shopping! 

Despite the extra room, Toyota actually managed to reduce
the turning radius to
a mere 5.4m which is great for executing those ridiculously narrow U-turns near my home. 

Finally, let’s talk about the car’s performance, which I dare say is truly
commendable. 

Although its
engine is only 1.6 litre, it boasts power output of 121 bhp and 154 Nm torque –
making it one of the most powerful 1.6-litre Asian sedans on the road.  I can sense the smoothness as I cruise along
the expressways, but I had to be careful as it already hits 110km/h at 2000rpm
and it doesn’t even feel so fast. 

 Plus, that speed is achieved with an
impressive fuel economy of 6.5-litre/100km, which means you can easily cover more than 15km mileage
for every litre of fuel.  Given the high price of COE, you really need other
cost factors of car ownership to be as economical as possible.  

Toyota cars have always been known for their fuel efficiency, but even then, this is no mean feat. I had to be in multiple locations all over Singapore for a fashion shoot, family gatherings and meet-up with friends over the weekend and despite driving from morning till night for two days, the fuel tank was still full!

 If
functionality is your key priority when it comes to car hunting, you
can be assured that the Toyota Corolla Altis is well placed to meet, or even surpass your
requirements. This baby certainly exceeded my expectations when it comes to practicality and I had a wonderful time driving it around all weekend!

For more information on Toyota Corolla Altis, do visit the Toyota Corolla Altis website.