[RadiantKarma]

Saw this thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-who-wins.html.

The link given in the thread also led me to the following comparo in Overdrive

Fresh heir

The newcomer Etios bumps bonnets with Maruti’s flagship sedan, the SX4

The Toyota Etios has brought about a revolution in the market. Not only is it one of the cheapest sedans you can buy in the country right now, it also offers best interior space and a brilliant petrol engine which is frugal yet powerful. We pitched it against Maruti Suzuki’s flagship sedan, the SX4. The SX4’s 1.6-litre engine puts out 105PS of power and 145Nm of torque while the Etios’ 1.5-litre mill produces 90PS of power and 132Nm of torque which might make it appear slower on paper but don’t jump to conclusions just yet. Back to back on the track, the Etios is a whole six seconds quicker than the SX4. Surprising as it may seem, the competition once again boils down to handling. The SX4 has way too much body roll compared to the Etios and readily loses composure the moment it’s pushed out of its comfort zone. The Etios on the other hand handles pretty well and remains planted even around tight corners. I also overheard Karun grumble about the rubber on the SX4. He said that the Etios certainly has superior tyres which offer good grip and allows the car to be pushed harder around corners. What Karun said The SX4 is a good all round performer with good engine responsiveness and ideal gear ratios for the circuit. The engine and chassis response are pretty impressive but it has a bit more body roll and sometimes when you change directions it moves too much from one side to the other but apart from that it is a pretty good all round performer. The Toyota Etios surprised me actually. It handles really well and I was very impressed with the chassis response and it changes direction extremely well. In terms of power it wasn’t too bad for a car in this segment. All round, it’s a surprisingly good car.

Source: Overdrive

Any comments, petrolheads?!

[Vid6639]

Steering feel is not there but looking at this, the Etios is like the old Baleno. Lightweight and sharp handling. With some decent mods, the Etios could be a good car to throw on the tracks.

[parsh]

Etios has the advantage of bit longer wheelbase and lower GC which would give it closer to road driving as used to be in First Generation of Honda City which was also a meagre 90BHP. Plus the power/weight ratio would also be effecting this. It does look commendable for Etios. Even on normal highway cruising Etios seems to have very little body roll.

[mayankk]

is karun on an MS bashing spree?
first the swift(that was him ,eh?), now the SX4?

dynamically, isnt the etios a more recent platform, than the SX4?
could be the reason.

Kudos, though, for proving again that in the twisty bits, power necessarily is not might.

[hajaar]

i would like to see civic vs cruze vs laura

[noopster]

Back to back on the track, the Etios is a whole six seconds quicker than the SX4.

Errr...how long is this track exactly?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by noopster

Errr...how long is this track exactly?

I think a normal road car lap is close to 2mins on this track. The length I remember being around 3.75Kms.

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by noopster

Errr...how long is this track exactly?

Valid point. The report is silent on this, and one is forced to go by the qualitative statement of 'whole six seconds'.

Also, would like to see a similar showdown of the winner Etios with DZire, Sunny and Fiesta Classic. Though the result of the last one should be a no-brainer!

[mayankk]

1.6 L, 130ps race polo(from teh polo cup?) does it in 2,03.
stock swift and figo in 2,32, and 2,31.
average it out, maybe?

cedia 2,26, fiesta 2,27, linea 2,21, fabia 2,20, polo 2,26

[anachronix]

I am assuming its on the MMSC track near Chennai!

If thats the case, the stock cars could 2.21. I guess it was Nikhilb2008 in a NHC Vtec shod with AD07 who did a 2.21

[rksdotcom]

The thing of the matter is that test conditions are on the discretion of Overdrive here; I am not being sceptic or negative here but does this condition holds true in normal conditions? Say for an average user on a regular road, his driving style and comfort with the particular machine will greatly impact and influence the results. So, this controlled test results actually do not hold in practical situations, whether the test is biased or not.

I don't want to implicate that Overdrives tests are biased or influenced in any way; but what as a layman and user/reader I have this feeling that today no media is 100% independent. In many cases have found columnists going gaga over sub-standard products, may be because of ad-revenue attached to such influence. Given that, though would read those reviews and opinions of the commercial media housed, but for my personal judgement and choice I would rather prefer what Team-BHP members got to say about a product. This forum is all about real people with real hands on, so I would put my money and faith both on what is said here in this forum.

Cheers!

[sriramv.iyer]

The question for Etios is how many plastic parts were in their original place after the sprint

[GTO]

Always insisted that the Etios is one heck of a drive! For 5.xx lakhs, it is surprisingly fun to drive. Torquey engine, light kerb weight, balanced handling and well controlled body roll. Forget the SX4, I'm putting my money on the Etios to even beat a Corolla Altis on the track. Shows that you don't need to spend too much money to have a whole lot of fun.

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

The question for Etios is how many plastic parts were in their original place after the sprint

[rohittunga]

Here is a clip from Overdrive's track day test of Linea T-Jet:

" Tyres offer excellent grip and body roll is also minimal. However like all Fiats, the Linea’s steering doesn’t provide enough feedback and the feel is a bit lifeless."

How on earth can they say that ? The Linea has one of the best steering and provides the most feedback. I just can't understand their logic.

[cranky]

^^It doesn't sit on my lap and shake a finger at me if I'm being naughty.

I guess that qualifies as no steering feel.

You have to see who's advertising in those mags. Sometimes reviews in all equipment mags are driven by concerns more pertinent to business than to accuracy and true journalism. Or it may be that some reviewers are incompetent. I'm also an audio enthusiast, and I have a fairly contemptuous view of most audio reviews (bar some) in magazines.