Toyota Liva : Test Drive & Review

[mayank10]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

This car is most suited for a person who has the following criteria;
1. Not a driving enthusiast, looks at a car for just going from point A to B. And can have only one car on a tight budget.

==========
And such customers form a good 80% of our market.

I agree with you, and when i took the test drove Etios Liva i felt the same. It seems to be a very practical car with low on features but high on sense. I am not an enthusiast and it seemed to be a very reliable and practical car. I loved the looks and color, though interiors are not as good as I had expected. Meanwhile, this would be my first Car as i have been a bike guy till now.

The response in the market seems to be pretty good and after reading the amazing review written by the Mod and doing a test drive, i booked the car 10 days back. For me Etios Liva G seemed to be a good option and i am planning to spruce it up a bit. It seems that blue color is in good demand and i have been told by the Toyota dealer in Trivandrum that it would take around 45 days, which i consider as OK. Waiting for my Q class hatch eagerly.

[SunilM]

Originally Posted by mayank10

I agree with you, and when i took the test drove Etios Liva i felt the same. It seems to be a very practical car with low on features but high on sense. I am not an enthusiast and it seemed to be a very reliable and practical car. I loved the looks and color, though interiors are not as good as I had expected. Meanwhile, this would be my first Car as i have been a bike guy till now.

The response in the market seems to be pretty good and after reading the amazing review written by the Mod and doing a test drive, i booked the car 10 days back. For me Etios Liva G seemed to be a good option and i am planning to spruce it up a bit. It seems that blue color is in good demand and i have been told by the Toyota dealer in Trivandrum that it would take around 45 days, which i consider as OK. Waiting for my Q class hatch eagerly.

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new car

From what I have heard, Liva is doing really well in the market. Should easily do around 8,000 cars for the first full month. It remains to be seen at which car's expense!

[fast&furious]

Originally Posted by Mayank10

The response in the market seems to be pretty good and after reading the amazing review written by the Mod and doing a test drive, i booked the car 10 days back. For me Etios Liva G seemed to be a good option and i am planning to spruce it up a bit. It seems that blue color is in good demand and i have been told by the Toyota dealer in Trivandrum that it would take around 45 days, which i consider as OK. Waiting for my Q class hatch eagerly.

Many congrats Mayank!Glad to see another Toyota customer from Trivandrum.And Liva is a very good option as a first car mainly because of its reliability.I'm sure you will enjoy your first car.I assume that Nippon Toyota is the dealer as I don't know of any other dealer in TVM.

[MobileThunder]

This guy will never see himself using features like cooled glove box, tilt steering, tachometer, 2Din music system, fabric insert door trim, rear defogger, rear wiper, dual airbags, ABS, EBD, and 15 inches tyres, all these are useless money extracting features that a manufacturer uses.

I agree with you that the Indian market does not seem to care too much about safety (even the initial Liva review did not have much on safety).
Agreed that you might not use the airbags regularly, but you might use it just once in an accident, and it could mean the difference between being dead or alive. The ABS is a "must-have" in panic braking situations and slippery conditions, and you would definitely encounter such situations on Indian roads. I liked the approach of Toyota here, giving the ABS+Airbags as an option on a mid-end variant.
However, my initial impression during the test drive was that Toyota has lost the game with this one. Primary sore points being the pricing, cheap plastics, rear parcel tray. Loved the drivability in Bangalore traffic though, did not need to change gears often. Another interesting point was the cooled glove tray (unique in its segment). It would do well with some discounts after the initial euphoria settles down.

[zulfi hansi]

I took the TD today ultimately and was not very overwhelmed, but then its me.
BTW the latest update from 'my Guy at Toyota' is that the diesel Liva for sure (and may be also the Etios) will come in Sep, just in time for Diwali, lets see how reliable is this news now.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by zulfi

This car is most suited for a person who has the following criteria;
1. Not a driving enthusiast, looks at a car for just going from point A to B. And can have only one car on a tight budget.

The reason why I am suggesting this Car to someone looking forward to buy a petrol hatch-back.

Most prolly, one of my acquaintances would be booking a white VX within a week and as usual I shall be driving it for over 350kms and share my impression

[ViMo]

Half an hour back spotted a blue Liva with its rear right bottom badge taped in Jayanagar, Bangalore. No other visible changes. New variant?

[naut]

Originally Posted by SunilM

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new car

From what I have heard, Liva is doing really well in the market. Should easily do around 8,000 cars for the first full month. It remains to be seen at which car's expense!

Today's TOI Bangalore edition had an article on Toyota increasing its manufacturing capacity to 3 L vehicles a year. Amongst other things It mentioned that Liva had 4000 bookings so far. Isn't it less? I don't think customers are seeing a value proposition in the LIVA..

Nevertheless its too early to comment! Yesterday watched a full feature song (few minutes of playback time) on T LIVA by A.R Rahaman on ZOOM. Its the same launch video someone had posted on this thread earlier. I was not sure if it was being played back as an Ad or a proper song. If it was indeed a song, smart I would say, free marketing!

Looks like Toyota is trying to sell this real hard.

[zulfi hansi]

Guys you are already getting basic accessories free with Liva, no questions asked. Mud flaps, rubber mats etc. Toyota is not taking chances with the launch of new swift, really pushing every Liva out of the showroom as it comes from the plant, sell as many as you can and fast, before the competition catches up. Dealer in Bangalore when I had gone for TD, offered me immediate delivery of 2 colors that were available there (silver & Sea blue).

[mayank10]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

Guys you are already getting basic accessories free with Liva, no questions asked. Mud flaps, rubber mats etc. Toyota is not taking chances with the launch of new swift, really pushing every Liva out of the showroom as it comes from the plant, sell as many as you can and fast, before the competition catches up. Dealer in Bangalore when I had gone for TD, offered me immediate delivery of 2 colors that were available there (silver & Sea blue).

Thanks Zulfi for this information. While i booked the Liva i was being told by the dealer that no accessories are free with the car and one would have to pay even for basic stuff like mud flaps, mats etc.

It seems that i would have to speak to the dealer again to get some of the stuff free. I believe since there are multiple dealers in Bangalore, there is competition and this is why they are doing this. On the other hand, there is just one Toyota dealer in Trivandrum.

But, anyway, i would press for the accessories. Could anyone tell me the best way of doing this

Would get the car by around 15th Aug

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by mayank10

Thanks Zulfi for this information. While i booked the Liva i was being told by the dealer that no accessories are free with the car and one would have to pay even for basic stuff like mud flaps, mats etc.

It seems that i would have to speak to the dealer again to get some of the stuff free. I believe since there are multiple dealers in Bangalore, there is competition and this is why they are doing this. On the other hand, there is just one Toyota dealer in Trivandrum.

But, anyway, i would press for the accessories. Could anyone tell me the best way of doing this

Would get the car by around 15th Aug

Try the nice way by asking him. If he does not agree tell him (if cancelation is ok and if you get at refund), i will cancell the booking. OR
Delay taking delivery before at least 20Aug cos new swift will be launched on 17 aug.
And then tell him you will buy the swift.

[dkaile]

Tweeted by Hormazd -
Ok its confirmed Toyota Etios diesel coming in Sept. 1.4 diesel engine

[chetan]

What about the Liva diesel ? Any news on that ?

Did a TD today, found to be a good city driver and they are not offering basics like floor mats, mud flaps etc. Everything is payable. The exec also told me that 3% discount will be give on purchasing accessories worth 30k.

[fast&furious]

Originally Posted by mayank10

Thanks Zulfi for this information. While i booked the Liva i was being told by the dealer that no accessories are free with the car and one would have to pay even for basic stuff like mud flaps, mats etc.

It seems that i would have to speak to the dealer again to get some of the stuff free. I believe since there are multiple dealers in Bangalore, there is competition and this is why they are doing this. On the other hand, there is just one Toyota dealer in Trivandrum.

But, anyway, i would press for the accessories. Could anyone tell me the best way of doing this

Would get the car by around 15th Aug

Mayank that would be very difficult.I asked them several times for some free accessories or discounts.But they refused to give any.The customer executive told me it's due to the lack of competition here.After a few more tries I gave up.

[AstonMartin]

Today saw a convoy of three Liva's in the Jayanagar area with the variant name covered with tape. I have a feeling this might be the diesel variant being tested.