Drive in comfort

Exterior

The exterior is not jazzy but gives the impression of a decent car.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Interior is awesome. Leather seats, automatic headlamps, photo-chromic rear-view mirror, power driver seat add to the comfort, In the rear seat three people can sit comfortably. The missing bump in the rear cabin floor makes moving in and out easy. The passenger in the middle sits comfortably. AC is very powerful, Skoda Laura has a better audio. But the bump in the rear cabin floor was a deterrent.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

If I don't drive aggressively I get a mileage of about 10 Kmph in Hyderabad city traffic, When I drive more often on the (so-called) highway (Outer Ring Road), the mileage increases to 11+ change.

Ride Quality & Handling

Very comfortable ride. Car obeys the driver. Skoda Laura appeared a lot heavier but that was compensated by its engine power (which was awesome).

Final Words

I had to make a difficult choice between Skoda Laura and Altis. I settled for Corolla because of the comfort it provides to the third passenger sitting in the rear-middle seat - there is a head-reast for this passenger too. I would recommend an automatic transmission for owner-driven cars. I have been driving it for last 3 months and the experience has been "money well spent".

Areas of improvement  

Improve the audio system - install a Bose like Skoda, Price tag - a bit high. Can't believe I paid almost double of what I would have paid in the US. but this is India and the government does make a lot of money on these cars.