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Altezza is cheap to fuel, easy to maintain
What you need to know:
For these motorists, the Altezza is an ideal car because of its friendly fuel consumption, speed and availability of spare parts, writes Roland D. Nasasira
Derrick Tugume
I have had my Toyota Altezza for three years. The decision to acquire one came after test driving a friend’s and realised it picked up speed faster than the Toyota Mark II Grande I had at the time. I also loved its sporty feel compared to the Mark II Grande which is more luxurious.
In the three years I have had it, I have found its fuel consumption to be reasonable. It runs on a 2000cc petrol engine, which is not only smaller in size and consumption but equally powerful.
I can refuel with as low as Shs10,000 and this will take me from my home in Ntinda, Kampala, to my workplace in Nakasero, Kampala (a distance of about 7.7kms). This has only changed with an increase in fuel prices.
When I fill its tank of 60 litres, it will keep me on the road for almost four weeks as long as I drive from home to work and back home. With heavy traffic, I will cover six to 10km per litre of fuel and between 10km to 15km on the highway where there is no traffic. But this also depends on how you accelerate. The lighter you keep the foot on the acceleration pedal, the more mileage per litre you will cover.
When it comes to service and maintenance, the Altezza shares lots of parts with many other Toyota brands, especially those in the same classification.
For instance, the air cleaner, oil and fuel filter and brake pads are similar to those of the Toyota Premio.
This makes its maintenance easy and affordable. Its service costs me Shs150,000 and I spend this after covering 5,000km as per the service manual.
Tonny Mugabi
One of the features I like about the Altezza is the rate at which it picks speed. I also love its bucket seats that hold the driver firmly, while providing ample legroom and enough driving height to maintain proper view of the road. And unlike some long saloon cars, the Altezza is short by make and this allows you to see the extreme edge of the bonnet to avoid ramming into other road users or objects.
However, because of its low ground clearance, the Altezza is limiting. If you want to drive it upcountry, you have to use spacers to raise its ground clearance but this will reduce the speed at which you can drive.
What I did was use low profile rims and use big profile tyres to have a good driving experience because I did not want my driving speed compromised in anyway.
Big profile tyres also absorb the driving discomfort caused by potholes and road bumps.
Mark Katende
The Altezza is one of the fastest cars I have ever driven. If you hate speed, this is not the car for you.
The driver and co-driver have spacious legroom but the passenger will not be as comfortable. This makes travelling over long distances tiring, especially for tall passengers.
The other downside is that the trunk is small. If you travel upcountry and you want to carry luggage, especially foodstuff, its load is limited.
It is more comfortable for urban drives than upcountry roads. If you must drive upcountry, makes sure the roads are smooth with no potholes.
Additional features
It comes with a basic dashboard with provisions of controlling the air conditioner and the music system. This does not take away the driver’s concentration as much as modern day technologically advanced dashboards do.
Demio specifications
Maximum power 160-210ps
Drive Type FR
Engine capacity 1,988 - 1,998cc
Number of Seats 5
