Two years since the world was placed on lockdown, Filipinos are itching to go to one of their favorite tourist destination in Asia – Japan! For people like me who has been to the land of the rising sun many times already, there is still this sheer wonder and excitement as though going there the first time. Everything seemed to be orderly, and technology seems to have been fully integrated in day-to-day life. The shinkansen or bullet train, the uber hi-tech toilets you want to bring home if you could, the sushi on rails, the vending machines which give out almost anything than just plain old drinks and chips, and everything else one could think of. It’s like living in an anime fantasy world. But for now, we have to make do of what we have in the Philippines.

Luckily, there are many things Japanese found in the Philippines. You can even ship Donki or Don Quixote items to the country. And then, there are, of course, Japanese cars. You have Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Isuzu, and of course, Filipino-favorite Toyota. Toyotas in the Philippines have already been integrated in regular Filipino life in the cultural sense that reliability is equated with a Toyota. Some models like the Vios are manufactured in the Philippines already, making its price significantly lower and the availability of parts very abundant. The Japanese-ness sometimes lost in this translation. But lo and behold, there are still Toyota cars which can remind us about Japanese ingenuity. Enter the Toyota Corolla Altis.

The Toyota Corolla and Altis names have been mainstays in the Philippine market for decades already, but the Corolla Altis gives us a fresh reminder of what buying a Japanese-made and brand car is like, especially with the introduction of the Corolla Altis Hybrid CVT. Entered the Philippine car market in 2019, the Corolla Altis Hybrid has changed the game in fuel efficiency in the Philippines. The country still has not moved away from being reliant to fossil fuels but with the introduction of cars like the Nissan Leaf and the Corolla Altis Hybrid, as well as the Prius and similar ones, in baby steps, like Japanese geisha steps in the traditional slippers matching the kimono steps, we are getting there.

So, what is in the Corolla Altis Hybrid? To start off, you must know that there are still Corolla Altises which are not hybrid, and they are significantly cheaper, like 300,000 pesos cheaper or more, than the hybrid model. The top-of-the-line model before the hybrid is the 1.6 GR-S CVT, next is the 1.6 G CVT, and the 1.6 E CVT. Now, one thing you must keep in mind is, A. they almost look alike in whatever variant you choose save for a few details like the extra badge, some awesome blue accents for the hybrid, and B. the engine for the hybrid is of course different from the one that is not. Also, the lower variants have a manual transmission option, if you still think driving the hard way makes you manlier or just plain masochist.

Now in this article, let’s just focus first on the exterior and interior parts of the Corolla Altis, cos they look alike, before going to the oily and electrical bits where the two engine models diverge.

On the exterior, the Corolla Altis exemplifies functionality and style in the urban sense. Meant as a car for the city, the Corolla Altis is like a sleekier version of the bigger Camry with the same bells and whistles its big sister has. The Corolla Altis exudes class whenever one sees it on the road.

With common but necessary luxuries like Smart Entry, Auto-folding Side Mirrors, a suave daytime-running lamp, and LED taillights, and 17” alloy wheels with a machined finish, the Corolla Altis is a head turning functional sedan. Inside the car, the classiness continues. A 7-inchMulti-information Display, Auto-dimming mirrors, a Push Start system, a Rear Cooler, Electronic Parking Brakes, and an 8-inch Audio Infotainment System with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, paired with the leather trimmings on the steering wheel, the center console, the dash even if there are evident plastic parts. Luxury is also defined by space, also the Corolla Altis has moved its instrument panel and side mirrors; thinner front pillars and higher windows make maximum visibility a pleasure in driving.

The Corolla Altis also has great safety features, like a Pre-collision System which warns you when you are about to collide with a car or object nearby, to also avoid abrupt stopping and braking. There is also A Dynamic Radar Cruise Control which monitors the cars in front and adjusts the cruising speed to create a consistently safe distance. A Lane Tracing Assist that works like a Lane Keep assist, and a Lane Departure Alert. The Corolla Altis also has an Automatic High Beam, 7 airbags, clearance and back sonar, vehicle stability control and a back monitor.

Now to the oily and electrical bits. The GR-S variant and lower share the 1.6L Dual VVT-I, 4 Cylinder in-line DOHC, 16 Valve engine. It produces an ample 121 horsepower and 153 Newton meters of torque. Its tank capacity is at 50 liters. This is mated in a CVT, except for the E variant which can be bought with a Manual Transmission. The 1.8 V Hybrid CVT has a VVT-I, 4-cylinder in-line DOHC 16 valve engine and an electric motor. The conventional gasoline engine makes just 97 horsepower and 142 Newton meters of torque, close to an older generation Vios engine, but with the electric motor which produces about 72 horsepower.  The electric motor works on lower speeds so it’s saving on gasoline on idle or stop and go traffic. When you accelerate, both the gasoline engine and the electric motor pushes you for optimum performance. The electric motor also recharges when you brake, more like the KERS system of a Ferrari or an MGU-K of an F1 engine presently, where the motor generator recovers the kinetic energy from the braking process and uses it to charge the hybrid battery.

 The Toyota Corolla Altis retails at about PhP 1.6 million, and three hundred thousand pesos down is the GR-S version. The G variant is priced at about PhP 1.1 million while the E is at PhP 1.06 million, the manual, just ta tad cheaper.

Combining function and style, the Toyota Corolla Altis lives up to its namesakes. They are still up there in the line-up of Toyota royalty. Be mindful that there is another Corolla, the Corolla Cross which is another thing of beauty. (PS-- It also has a hybrid!)