How did the Toyota Corolla Altis prevail this year in such a hotly-contested segment?

2021 saw two mammoth-like competitors returning. The Altis' arch-rival, the Honda Civic, landed with a fantastic drive and a punchy 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, while Hyundai's ever-rising star, the Avante, stunned us with its incredible looks and generous equipment. The fact that the Altis ultimately triumphed, then, says a lot about how much we revere its ability to best embody the qualities of a sedan.

In its second year competing in this category, Toyota's flagship model (in the Singaporean context we mean) still holds up well on all accounts. For one, it delivers exactly what a car in this class should - good boot and passenger space. The trunk opens up to 470-litres, while rear passengers get to enjoy a wide bench of seats, complete with a relatively flat floor and dedicated aircon vents.

But the centrepiece of the Altis in its current generation that continues to hold up strongly is the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform. Ride quality - both in terms of driving as well as suspension and damping - is genuinely impressive, paired to a competent 1.6-litre naturally aspirated powerplant that delivers a calibrated balance of oomph and efficiency. With the TNGA, the Altis also offers drivers a range of safety and assistance systems, including Dynamic Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning with Steering Assistant.

When we look at the sedan segment, a winning car must do a variety of things well enough - be inoffensively good-looking yet also spacious and comfortable, dynamic enough to drive, yet also dependable and affordable. In this rounded regard, the Altis is the clear winner.