[APV]

Congratulation on booking Etios pet_apf. I too own Etios, diesel model though, based on Amalji's reviews. Mine is at around 46000 KMS on the ODO and I am really happy with the car.

Do share some pictures once you get your new steed

[pet_apf]

Originally Posted by amalji

In fact, Samba gave me a lot of honest information about the Etios ( even before he joined t-bhp ), when I was confused about my purchase decision with the kind of rumours spread in the internet about the car.

Originally Posted by APV

Congratulation on booking Etios pet_apf. I too own Etios, diesel model though, based on Amalji's reviews.

Thank You APV. I guess that the reason why Team-BHP is such a great place is because of people like Amalji and Samba. People who know their cars and are more than happy to help others seeking guidance.

I can't wait to get my hands on my car and drive it around. Plan to do a reasonably long drive down south at the end of December as well. Might be a good time to get some pictures too.

[LordSharan]

I still can't digest the centrally placed dashboard. It looks so out of place (Pun intended). The dashboard itself is pretty awful with its stupid dials. Not expected in a sedan. Wonder who designed it and what was his/her rationale behind this design.

[kotirajendra]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

I still can't digest the centrally placed dashboard. It looks so out of place (Pun intended). The dashboard itself is pretty awful with its stupid dials. Not expected in a sedan. Wonder who designed it and what was his/her rationale behind this design.

There we go again. Not meaning to be rude, but I think the dashboard discussion should be banned from these threads and a separate thread created only for etios dashboard rants.
No offence to you LordSharan.

[LordSharan]

Originally Posted by kotirajendra

There we go again. Not meaning to be rude, but I think the dashboard discussion should be banned from these threads and a separate thread created only for etios dashboard rants.
No offence to you LordSharan.

Point taken. My intent was primarily to question the rationale behind the design. Could there be any specific reason behind this?

[pet_apf]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

Point taken. My intent was primarily to question the rationale behind the design. Could there be any specific reason behind this?

I believe the reason is to have the same dashboard assembly for mass market cars that manufacturers sell in different countries, some with left side driving and others with right side driving. Etios I believe, is also sold in Brazil, where they drive on the right side of the road.

[VinsWagen]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

Point taken. My intent was primarily to question the rationale behind the design. Could there be any specific reason behind this?

I don't think this is something unique - the central speedo console is found in a few other cars too. My old Chevy Spark for example.

The rationale behind Toyota continuing with this setup despite the largely negative feedback could be to save some cost. E.g., Brazil's Left Side Steering and India's Right Side Steering versions can have the same wirings, air ducting, location of various crash structures, and possibly same plastics too. Who knows, maybe Toyota is earning an ocean out of these tiny drops.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by kotirajendra

There we go again. Not meaning to be rude, but I think the dashboard discussion should be banned from these threads and a separate thread created only for etios dashboard rants...

For the lousy updates that Toyota is decorating the Etios twins with, I say the car itself doesn't deserve to be discussed in a new thread! Could you point anything worthy of the facelift to be discussed about?

Originally Posted by LordSharan

Point taken. My intent was primarily to question the rationale behind the design. Could there be any specific reason behind this?

COST CUTTING!! The Toyota bigwig's understanding of India is that it's a third world country who can't afford quality products. Hence they wanted to build a "BUDGET" car for the Indian customers and hence the birth of the Etios twins. Single wiper, centre console placed in the middle, rubber engine mounts & integrated headrests for front seats etc (both in the first batch) are all means of cutting down the cost.

Originally Posted by pet_apf

I believe the reason is to have the same dashboard assembly for mass market cars that manufacturers sell in different countries, some with left side driving and others with right side driving. Etios I believe, is also sold in Brazil, where they drive on the right side of the road.

You are trying to sugar coat it. Put it simply, it's a cost cutting measure. There are a whole lot of products which are being sold in both LHD & RHD markets, the centre console and related bits are always re-engineered / re-designed to suit the driver orientation.

[pet_apf]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

You are trying to sugar coat it. Put it simply, it's a cost cutting measure.

I completely agree with you. For sure, it is a cost cutting measure. It is my opinion (and mine only and I seek no subscribers. Not that there will be many ), that there is nothing wrong if an OEM seeks to cut costs on aesthetics and pass on some of that value back to customers in the form of a great engine, safe car, very high reliability and low maintenance. To me the center dashboard is only an aesthetic. The Etios drives like a dream, is value for money and gives me everything that I seek in the car.

Of course I wouldn't buy a car if the dashboard was on the ceiling. That would be unsafe.

This one's just fine.

[chncar]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

For the lousy updates that Toyota is decorating the Etios twins with, I say the car itself doesn't deserve to be discussed in a new thread! Could you point anything worthy of the facelift to be discussed about?

This is one of the better facelifts out there. The cars have very useful improvements including ISOFIX seats, strengthened body giving it 4 stars on Global NCAP, tubular seat frames for better safety, and ABS+Airbags throughout the range. In addition there are better creature comforts due to hydraulic engine mounts, better sound insulation, power folding ORVM and softer clutch.

The interior improvements from the Brazil model were left out, but nevertheless this is a much more substantial and meaningful facelift than most other cars/brands.

[LordSharan]

Cost cutting, but how? I was thinking pretty much on the same route. But it then stuck me. The dash would have be redesigned for glove compartments, steering recess and other bits in case of LHD/RHD markets. A central dash doesn't limit the amount of re-engineering involved- just introduces a very small delta here. Is this small delta reason enough? Toyota people are known for their operational efficiencies in manufacturing.

This somehow knocks on my mind, which underwent a few interesting Ops papers in its master's program.

Members- I truly regret hijacking the thread for this discussion. I hope this can be adjusted.

[VinsWagen]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

Cost cutting, but how? I was thinking pretty much on the same route. But it then stuck me. The dash would have be redesigned for glove compartments, steering recess and other bits in case of LHD/RHD markets. A central dash doesn't limit the amount of re-engineering involved- just introduces a very small delta here. Is this small delta reason enough? Toyota people are known for their operational efficiencies in manufacturing.

This somehow knocks on my mind, which underwent a few interesting Ops papers in its master's program.

Members- I truly regret hijacking the thread for this discussion. I hope this can be adjusted.

It's not that the external visible plastic frames that would matter much. The internal air ducting, the wiring, and the likes could have not so trivial gains. I would guess, even things like the passenger airbag setup could be slightly easier.

Central Speedo thing may not be a bad thing per se, but then the whole thing is kind of difficult to read for an Etios. The design is boring as well. It looks like the age old tuner bands in Radio boxes.

For all the cost cutting that Etios does, it is at least passed on to the customer, unlike its competitors and that too with very few compromises on Safety. It's not meant to be a darling of the aesthetically inclined. Etios is probably the fairest game that Toyota have ever played in terms of pricing. It is an unique product with different and, I would say, the right priorities compared to its competitors. It is good that many do not prefer its looks and its not a best seller - else, the prices would have gone far north, true to its siblings from the family.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

Cost cutting, but how? I was thinking pretty much on the same route. But it then stuck me. The dash would have be redesigned for glove compartments, steering recess and other bits in case of LHD/RHD markets. A central dash doesn't limit the amount of re-engineering involved- just introduces a very small delta here. Is this small delta reason enough? Toyota people are known for their operational efficiencies in manufacturing.

This somehow knocks on my mind, which underwent a few interesting Ops papers in its master's program.

Members- I truly regret hijacking the thread for this discussion. I hope this can be adjusted.

Identify the car below.



It's the interiors of Toyota Prius 2017.
Ironically, Prius is the costliest sedan sold by Toyota in India.
Its speedo is placed in the center
It's a truly global car and not made for emerging markets/India

Hey, wait a second. But, why does it have that speedo placed on the center. I thought center speedo is thought to bring down the price.

Basically, having speedo at the center is just a design consideration like the way countries decide between LHD and RHD. Now, does it help the manufacturer ? Yes, it certainly helps reduce the design complexity and cost.
Now, from the consumer side, before, I started using the Etios, even I couldn't digest the center console. If you see my ownership thread's first post written 5 years back, I had mentioned this as a negative. But, within a few months of usage, I understood that having the speedo at the center is in fact better than having it at the driver side. This is for 2 reasons.

• The steering tilt can be used for what it is originally intended to be. ie, to set your steering position to the most comfortable position. In a conventional speedo design, I have seen people adjusting the steering tilt to prevent blocking the view of the speedo without giving priority to ergonomics.
• The 2nd and more important point is that the speedo will be visible in your background vision since it's at a higher position at a farther distance. You cannot do the same on the driver side because that would have blocked the view of the road.

Now, more than the position, what mattered more with regards to the looks was the kind of design, features and technology used for the speedo.

The 1st gen Etios' speedo was a blunt white thing which was like a chart paper drawing with a bulb illuminating it from somewhere. Then they changed the colour to blue and black, again continuing to give a cheap look and technology.



The platinum Etios finally gave a proper optitron combimeter speedo - the same technology illumination used by comparable cars. This looked a tad below par as far as design is considered.



But, the ideal thing should have been the digital speedo released in Brazil, which I expect to come with the release of Etios Platinum automatic.



The positive side of the whole speedo design fiasco is that even though the sales is decent at 2500 odd per month, it has never come to the levels that a Toyota sedan at this price range should have done ( 10k plus per month ). This ensured that the price never went sky rocketing like the other Toyotas. But, still, the consumers could enjoy Toyota's USPs like

• Bullet proof reliability
• Comfort
• Cheapest of any 4 wheelers sold in India to maintain
• Ergonomics
• Utility and Space
• Global safety standards

[psankar]

Originally Posted by amalji

But, the ideal thing should have been the digital speedo released in Brazil, which I expect to come with the release of Etios Platinum automatic.

Any news that there are plans for this ? I remember you saying an year back that you are waiting to see an etios platinum automatic. I love your ownership reports btw. If I buy an etios, it will be because of the ownership reports of you and samba

[kotirajendra]

I realized the effectiveness of centre console after a back to back TD with Zest. I am 5 feet 5 and when I adjusted the steering per my height, the entire console was blocked by the wheel.
IMO, this is the only design that can allow fully functional adjustment of the steering wheel for people of any height.