Toyota Liva : Test Drive & Review

[good.car-ma]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Note to mods - It would have made the review even better with the inclusion of the Nissan Micra, Tata Indica Vista and the Fiat Punto.

GTO, any specific reason you've chosen not to include this comparison? If I was buying a hatch, I'd surely consider from Figo all the way to Punto. Seems like Micra and Vista are quite direct competitors as well.

[motor spirit]

Originally Posted by good.car-ma

GTO, any specific reason you've chosen not to include this comparison? If I was buying a hatch, I'd surely consider from Figo all the way to Punto. Seems like Micra and Vista are quite direct competitors as well.

the first thing when i read the comparison i felt the same too. why biased on only a set of hatch backs, when we have other hatches like punto ,micra , Vista which are equally competative . They are also standing head -on to LIVA !

[mandheers]

Originally Posted by adentist

Totally agree. What were they thinking when they picked red as the accent color. Hopefully other colors will be available or red is only for premium models

Least they could've done is spared the poor gear knob.

Originally Posted by GTO

On the Toyota Test Track:

40 minutes on the track (each) was included into our driving session. 20 minutes on the fast section, and about 20 on the rough road / speed breaker area. The beauty of driving in a controlled environment is that you don't have to worry about other vehicles or pedestrians. The track setup allows for various kinds of driving conditions to be simulated.

The test track looks yummy in pics, maybe I missed it in the details but where is that track again?

[MCR]

Originally Posted by good.car-ma

GTO, any specific reason you've chosen not to include this comparison? If I was buying a hatch, I'd surely consider from Figo all the way to Punto. Seems like Micra and Vista are quite direct competitors as well.

Originally Posted by motor spirit

the first thing when i read the comparison i felt the same too. why biased on only a set of hatch backs, when we have other hatches like punto ,micra , Vista which are equally competative . They are also standing head -on to LIVA !

May 2011 - sales performance

Chevrolet

Spark : 3017
Beat : 2136
Aveo UVA : 134

Fiat

Punto : 1298

Honda

Jazz : 170

Nissan

Micra : 1566

Skoda

Fabia : 1556

Tata

Indica : 5497

Yes. Even i felt the same thing. May be the sales volume of these cars are not that high and hence leftout. GTO please correct me if i am wrong.

[honeybee]

Today's ET rates only the Figo as being priced at / below the Liva. This means the Liva pricing will trigger a war in the premium hatchback segment. Chances are it will spill over to the entry level hatches. So we should be on the lookout for some bargains in all these segments, and plus the used car segment.

[wildon]

Originally Posted by honeybee

This means the Liva pricing will trigger a war in the premium hatchback segment.

My gut feeling is that, if Jazz helped the sales of i20, Liva will further boost the sales of Figo - specially in diesel.

[SPARKled]

I guess the Toyota badge itself will break the price barriers. Pity that they could not get a better engine for the Liva coz then it would have been a no brainer over others.
Still being a Toyota is good enough IHMO for the Liva to succeed. I will be glued to the sales figures month after month to see if the best sellers from Maruti and Hyundai have a tough time.

[vivekanand005]

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[Daewood]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Today's ET rates only the Figo as being priced at / below the Liva. This means the Liva pricing will trigger a war in the premium hatchback segment.

If Liva and Figo are premium hatches what do we call Polo, Jazz and i20..
Super premium???

Maybe the guys at ET thought, the chunky chrome strip in the hatch of Liva automatically makes it a premium product.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The foglamps look small when compared to the front lights, and specially in comparison with other hatches' fogs. How good is the illumination from them?

Didn't drive the Liva after sunrise, but the ones in the Etios were par for the course. I don't expect the Liva to be any different.

Does the Liva come with a single reversing light too, like the Etios?

I believe it has two, but will reconfirm.

How does the car behave during cornering, especially at moderate/high speeds?

Very nice & chuckable at <120 kph. The suspension is superbly sorted by hatchback standards.

Originally Posted by Skyline GT-R

How does the 890 Kg body fare in sheet metal strength?

I can comment in terms of feel and yes, the metal does feel very light.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Personally, I really liked the way Toyota has done up the exteriors of Liva – A classic hatchback styling, and much better looking than the Etios sedan.

Same here. I liked the Liva at the Auto Expo and do so today. Actually, I like the Liva's clean lines a whole lot more than some futuristic cars like the Beat (for instance).

Originally Posted by narendra.vw

Giving details about assembly line was real educating .

I hope you've visited this thread : Link (PICS : Ford's Chennai Factory. Detailed report on the making of Figos, Fiestas...)

Originally Posted by rrs5

A quick question - I've seen that in all the hatch comparison tables, the Grande Punto is missing. Why is that ? Is it because Punto does not sell as much as the others.

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

@GTO, One observation / question, why we have left out the TATA Indica Vista & the FIAT Grande Punto from the comparison when we have taken i20 also in consideration ?

Originally Posted by good.car-ma

GTO, any specific reason you've chosen not to include this comparison? If I was buying a hatch, I'd surely consider from Figo all the way to Punto. Seems like Micra and Vista are quite direct competitors as well.

With the wide price range of the Liva, it has about 10 - 15 competitors. Impossible to include all of them in the excel sheet in the review. Plus, you have to understand that the review is already superlong and adding 10 more cars to the competitor information is not feasible. If you've referred to our older reviews, the max comparisons are 5 as well. Here, we've chosen on the basis of market popularity (thus, the most relevant & applicable to the market).

Originally Posted by blackasta

Question - whats the square outline thing on the spoiler?

There are three of them; the bolts that fix the spoiler onto the body reside under the removable caps.

Originally Posted by PPS

How is the space/comfort/ride of the Liva compared to the Vista ?

Vista is definitely better in terms of space. Urban ride quality is superior with the Vista, though the Liva's flat ride is preferred on highways.

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Toyota is very good with hiding / masking panel gaps.

Can you elaborate please?

Originally Posted by Gooney

Toyota could have easily sold the Aygo at the same price range for the Liva.

The Aygo would have a cramped backseat, if the wheelbase is anything to go by??

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Toyota is following very similar strategy when it came to India first.

You mean the Qualis? Well, I disagree. The Qualis only had old, outdated, overheating and unsorted Mahindras & Tatas for competition. However, the Liva is up against some rather accomplished competitors.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Why, even my old Santro can do better with a full load!

You can say that again. The Santro has one of the most torquey engines around.

Originally Posted by Aragorn

Good to see the i10 being included in the same bracket as the Liva. For a long time, it was not considered in this comparison range despite having an excellent engine and interiors.

The i10 is definitely a direct competitor to the Liva, Swift and gang. It has the interior quality & performance. I think the i10 Kappa2 is one of the best petrol hatchbacks on sale in India today.

Originally Posted by driving_smartly

As you got to test drive it on Toyota test drive tracks was there any patch or test track with water on it or slightly muddy conditions available for testing ? (Just asking this out of curiosity)

Nope.

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

One has come to expect outstanding reviews on team-bhp. It's no mean feat that even the rising expectations are also being routinely exceeded.

Thanks. Suffice to say it's you guys who keep us on our toes.

Could this be to attain shorter turning radius? Etios has a radius of 4.9 m. Liva achieves 4.75 m, which is very close to Swift's 4.7m. As long as ride quality and handling are not sacrificed, this seems to be a desirable change.

That, and kerb weight.

GTO, could you share how well does the engine hold its breath on top end?

The motor doesn't feel happy at the top-end. As I mentioned in my review, the 1.2 is best between 2K - 4K rpm.

Originally Posted by mandheers

The test track looks yummy in pics, maybe I missed it in the details but where is that track again?

Next to their factory in Bidadi district, Bangalore.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Daewood

If Liva and Figo are premium hatches what do we call Polo, Jazz and i20..
Super premium???

Maybe the guys at ET thought, the chunky chrome strip in the hatch of Liva automatically makes it a premium product.

Price and features on offer, I would say, more than shiny strips of metal. Polo, Jazz and i20 all are premium hatches, but priced above the Liva.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by GTO

Didn't drive the Liva after sunrise, but the ones in the Etios were par for the course. I don't expect the Liva to be any different.

I believe it has two, but will reconfirm.

Very nice & chuckable at <120 kph. The suspension is superbly sorted by hatchback standards.

Thanks, GTO.

Had a feeling from the nicely engineered GC from the pics (especially the rear wheels) meant that Toyota has given the Liva a pretty nice suspension, and you confirmed it. This, combined with the comparative light weight, nice and supportive driver's seat, and interior space will mean that the Liva is almost par with the competition in terms of riding comfort. And that translates to good experiences on long highway drives as well. At least the passengers won't be complaining!

Another point scored by the Liva regarding riding comfort. And another highlight for the budget-conscious Toyota lover.

[microaubin]

Superb review GTO and a virtual tour around the Toyota factory.

IMHO pricing the top variant at Rs.5.99 lakhs is a bit shocking as both the Hyundai i20 and VW Polo looks way better in terms of quality both inside and outside.

Wonder how Honda is going to price the Brio?

The back view strangely reminds me of the Alto or is it just me?

[xingamazon]

Very good review GTO, I believe everyone who have posted thier views would have covered most of the parts about appreciation till now.
Frankly I do not doubt the car would be a great resounding success for Toyota in India. That was a given right from day one.
But what I frankly doubt is how much of the Toyota's so called reliability would have been shifted to Etios / Liva.
Imagine this, Toyota is one which provides reliability at a premium globally.
But when they think of cost cutting themself no one know how the end product will look like.
It will take a good two -three years to understand if the same reliability is not part of Liva (which I doubt will be on seeing the dangling cables). Same case with Honda Brio.

[Infantarian]

Excellent review.
1. Overpriced.
2. Powerwise: So so
3. Looks wise: Don't like the car from any angle.

And after seeing ETIOS with those tiny tyres, and vague design, dont think LIVA would be any better.