[tsk1979]

I would say its a missed opportunity.
Toyota needs to do the following editions
1. A Rakshaha face on the rear hatch with text - Buri nazar wale tera mooh kala
2. A punjabi jutti(traditional punjabi footwear) hanging under the rear center
3. Flashing led lights which pulsate to the beat of music under the headlamps
4. Garish neon interior lighting
5. Green, red, orange and blue LED strips under the car pulsating
6. Tiny red and green LEDs on the wheels blinking away to glory

Then they can call it the Bappi Lehri edition. Dinchak!

[Gannu_1]

About time Toyota goes back to the drawing board and seriously think of offering something better that doesn’t really feel cheap and Made-for-India. Unsure if Toyota takes the hatchback and entry-level sedan segment seriously; their major revenue come from the sale of the Innova anyway.

Just some random thoughts - the dashboard needs to be completely redesigned from scratch and the unconventional central console needs to be shifted towards the driver side. The vertical AC vents have to be reoriented to the horizontal ones. The speedo and tacho on the instrument cluster has to be redesigned - the good ol’ round dials work well unlike these gaudy unconventional layouts. Integrate the analog gauges for the coolant temperature and fuel level. They have the new Corolla coming up with a fantastic cluster with a central MID and white backlighting:



They could do something on similar lines here.

The 2-DIN HU fits fine but if they can neatly integrate it with the dash and provide a 3.5” display readout, that would be the cherry on the cake! Replace the flap-type handles with the chunky pull-type ones and add the keyless sensor to the driver side and co-driver side handles if it isn’t too much to ask! And get rid of the unwanted chrome bits from the car. The only component that can be retained from the present Liva is the flat-bottom steering wheel with the thumb contours. I haven’t seen other manufacturers offer this on the standard variants, leave alone the performance/sports variant (Punto 90 hp, Polo GT etc).

Speaking of the interiors, hide the Tata logo on the steering wheel and a layman would confuse these interiors for that of a German car, don’t you think?



If Tata could do this, this is going to be a walk in the park for Toyota.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

If Tata could do this, this is going to be a walk in the park for Toyota.

Hmm.. As easy as a walk in the park for Toyota? I would say, its much more easier than your imagination.

Their main problem is they want to sell stuff without making any major changes, in which no one is interested in. Its not a capability issue. Its an Attitude issue.

[Samba]

Only cosmetic changes make no sense to name a normal car as a 'cross'. Same applies for the Polo/Punto too. For me a cross needs a AWD and a better ground clearance than there normal counterparts. Why would one even consider these cross when we have Ecosports around these price bracket!

The full black interiors look better than the normal Etios twins.
Quality wise i have no complaints on the Etios. Its looks cheap but quality wise its okay. They are well put together. On Indian roads it has given a rattle free experience even after 3 years where as few Maruti's are much more prone to rattle even though they dont look cheap. Its my personal experience from owing a Etios and a K10. But the feel good factor which we find inside a Dzire/swift is completely lacking inside the Etios twins. Toyota has gone horribly wrong with there marketing department. They misjudged the Indian mentality. I can pre assume that the cross wont be any hit in the market. It wil be another dud. Rather than launching the cross they should have revamped the exterior and the interior of the car or at-least they can offer this interior as an option for the normal Etios siblings.


Who is the target customer for the cross?

Etios Liva do not look sporty nor does it behave like that. Only the 1.5 Liter engine makes some sense. But then we have the TRD sportivo with that engine. Now elderly people wont go for the cross. It will be against there taste. Young car enthusiasts have nothing to do with those extra plastic cladding's. Tourers and adventurers wont get any extra benefit from this car. Cab/fleet owners wont pay the extra to buy the cross. Rather they will pick the Etios. Only few young guys who want to do some show off may go with the cross. But will that number be enough? Definitely not. Practically it makes no sense. I don't know what the marketing department of Toyota thought before launching the Etios cross.

Wake up Toyota i can say over all the Etios is a very good car, you need few practical changes to get more sales. These impractical implications will be of no use.

Two of my observation's-

From this angle this car has some similarity with the decade old Palio Adventure. May be due to the color , bull bar and the plastic cladding's on the wheel arch.



The cross gets a bigger MID display and the position is also changed from the regular Etios twins.

[gsurya]

In my opinion, if the Etios Cross is priced at <50k above a regular Etios Liva there would be buyers. Can expect to sell 5k/month.

I might be tempted to buy the 1.5 Petrol Cross to replace my 15 yr old Fiat Petrol Uno, as a performance hatch because:

Pros

• Peppy Petrol engine (proven on TRD Sportivo)
• Solid Toyota quality assurance & reliability
• Decent spares pricing & service costs
• Stands out on the street
• Hatch size ideal for 80:20 City:Highway use
• Powerful enough to take on ghats & surges on the highway
• Good NVH
• Roof rails that can take 50 kg, great for occasional luggage rack use
• Well equipped except for Climate Control AC

Cons

• Interiors so-so compared to Polo, Grand i10, Swift
• Lighter steel grade than competition
• Not a real compact SUV or even a Cross
• Likely average of 12-13 kmpl with AC (TRD Sportivo)

Waiting for more test drive reports & my own TD to decide.

[srishiva]

It does look like a cross between Etios and the erstwhile Pontiac Aztek. What an apt name !
Why do they waste their effort on such ludicrous examples?

[Wanderers]

Thanks Parrys for bringing up the Etios Cross.

As a Die Hard Toyota Fan & Customer, would have loved to see this car firing great guns. But I know in my heart that battle is lost before it has began.

Well Toyota is never known for it's small & medium Cars. The Range starts from Corolla.
But having attempted something for India and exclusively for India, Toyota should have learnt & brought what we Indian look for in a B or C Segment cars or Cross-over. It's not rocket science.

[VinodDevil81]

I am sure I have seen much better after-market mods on swifts and i20s which look way better than this.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

the dashboard needs to be completely redesigned from scratch and the unconventional central console needs to be shifted towards the driver side.

Totally Agree.This is something we cannot understand. From the time since Etios was launched a few years back, it has been pointed out by all auto-journalists and reviewers that the central console design is a big flaw. But who is listening? They have never bothered to change this design in any of the facelifts.

At least this time,instead of making new moulds for all that ugly black plastic cladding, they could have just re-designed the old dashboard mould to re-locate the meter-console to the driver's side.

[arup.misra]

Another disaster in the making. Comon Toyota what are you guys thinking. You can't just launch an ugly duckling and expect people to queue up outside dealership a la Qualis.

Grow up Toyota...the Indian consumer most certainly has

[SkyWalker]

Thanks for the review Parrys. Man, what an ugly car - what was Toyota thinking. That el cheapo black plastic cladding is an eyesore.

The 1.5 TRD Sportivo is much more decent looking and a hoot to drive. Iteriors are still cheap - but hey who cares when you have such a sweet engine.

[isiv]

Quoting a comment from another auto site at
http://www.motorbeam.com/cars/toyota...grgXf6GeFzd.99


motu May 5, 2014, 4:44 pm
I’m yawning so hard, my jaw is about to crack. Another one of those hatch based crosses. How do you dish out a cross quickly? Here’s what probably happens:
Management yells: One xxx-cross (xxxx can be any existing hatch)
Engineering: One xxx-cross coming up!!
(Top secret recipe – Leave the bumpers unpainted black plastic, add some more unpainted black plastic, affix ‘cross’ to the existing model name and viola! Hot and steaming xxxx-cross will be ready in about 10 min!!)
Engineering: One xxx-cross ready!
Management to Marketing: Serve with a “We think the Indian buyer is a dud who’ll buy anything that’s even an insult to an SUV” attitude
(Management waiting for the bars on the sales chart go off the graph)

[nik_kapur]

Thats really poor Toyota.. Really poor !
As the worlds no.1 car maker, you need to offer us global Indians some of your new cars.
The plastic on the cross looks like it was put by the local accessory store in my neighborhood.

[Car-riedAway]

Saw the Cross yesterday in Dwarka while stuck in a traffic jam. Here's the picture I hurriedly took



Only cosmetic upgrades apparently, no where stands apart.

[Anand3553]

It is a coincidence that I saw the Polo Cross for the first time in flesh yesterday and I was bewildered to say the least. That car can be used as a manual on ‘How to mess up a good looking car’. I am not even out of the shock and now I see this. What are these guys thinking? VW and Toyota are no nonsense car makers, but still how do they manage to do such ridiculous improvisations?

[W.A.G.7]

This one may be good, but for some reason the whole idea of 'cross' hatchback looks tacky and the black plastic cladding looks tackier than ever; like an aftermarket job. Not good, I don't like the looks at all. Apart from that if you want peace of ownership and mind, then this would do great. No thank you Toyota, but this thing is going to die a quick death soon. Otherwise a great review.