Since its appearance in the Philippine market, the Corolla has built a stellar reputation based on three pillars: quality, durability, and reliability. They may not be the sexiest adjectives to put on a brochure, but they’re enough to convince more than 220,000 Filipinos to spend hard-earned money on one. True enough, everyone knows someone who’s owned a Corolla at least once in their life, and they’ll be the first to tell you that unexciting as it is, they’re built to outlast the apocalypse. And that’s a bit troubling for Toyota’s top man, Akio Toyoda who wants a bit more excitement in his cars.

Style-wise, it’s hard to see where all this talk about excitement has gone. Yes, it has an all-new platform and yes, there’s a newfound edginess to the design and it’s more cohesive from tip-to-stern too, but by and large, it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary. It’s the automotive equivalent of wearing head-to-toe Uniqlo—it’s visually agreeable, if a bit plain. Still no one will call the attention of the fashion police, and for most buyers, that bit of obscurity is golden.



The same can be said about the Corolla Altis’s interior: solid, well-finished, but largely inoffensive. Toyota’s tried doing the whole minimalist thing here too, but they didn’t do it convincingly. There have been attempts to break up the large expanse of plain, black-grained plastic, particularly from the front passenger’s side, but the end result is still quite drab. Moreover, there are some unexplainable elements too like how the dashboard is higher than the front door trims making the front port windows close to being rendered useless. Truth be told, the straightforward, surprise-free cabin is closer to Shinzo Abe’s stern disposition than Marie Kondo cheeriness.

Now, while the Corolla Altis won’t win any interior design contests anytime soon, it does win in one crucial aspect: practicality. Despite its doom-and-gloom color scheme, front or back, it feels airy with lots of head, shoulder, and legroom to go around. The seats themselves look great and are supportive, though finding the perfect driving position can still be elusive. In the end, you’ll simply settle for one that’s “good enough” and you learn to live with it. Driving long distances are quite alright, but the pedals are still a bit off-center resulting in a numbed out right butt cheek.


The glove box is deep, and surprising for this day and age, lit; while the padded arm rest opens up, swallowing most knick-knacks. Weirdly enough, this is where you’ll find the only 12-volt charging port on offer so good luck if you drive around with a dash cam. More minus points go to the archaic-looking infotainment system, too. Not only doesn’t it offer standard Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but the thick, almost one-inch bezel and lack of physical controls amplifies its aftermarket appearance.