[Bottom Torque]

IMO, whoever describes the cars exterior looks must think again that the customers will have no time to admire the cars' looks(atleast the majority of customers in this segment are not of that 'car lovers' category). On the other hand, fuel economy, service bills, resale value and spare parts cost will be the top priority for them.

If people are bothered about looks it would be hard for them to buy Swift Dzire. But rather, its because of Maruti, popularity of Swift (naming is very important to attract people) and the brilliant diesel engine put together makes the Swift Dzire the top selling sedan.

When my brother stayed in US for two years, I remember him saying repeatedly that despite GM, Ford (with better looks and proportions) and bigger players like BMW, Benz, people (who he knew over there, a lot of them) preferred owning and relying on the two Japanese majors, Toyota and Honda. Infact, the second hand market too has good respect for the Japanese cars. If Toyota and Honda could attract the power driven, size driven, prestige driven and recently fuel economy driven American buyers, then they must be clever enough to offer products that would simply eat the current big boys (Maruti, Honda and Toyota) in India. Toyota will bowl over the competition single-handedly with Etios!

[muni]

The biggest let down on the Etios sedan is the rear Tail lamp design. It looks too big and spoils the rear proportions. The other problem is with the dashboard design with the Odo/Rpm guage shifted to the center. They already have cars like Vios which have similar treatment to the centre console which can be digested with some pills. I feel the placement of the 2 AC vents on top of each other piles on to the odd design. Classic case of Practicality eating aesthetic appeal.

It's difficult to believe that this design came from a clean slate when the project was initiated in 2006 according to the chief design engineer of Toyota as per the ACI review.

The Yaris Hatch and Yaris Sedan looks much better compared to this Etios Hatch/Sedan Combination.

We are to blame for the manufacturers dishing out odd designs and getting away. Palio, Indica, Swift and the New Indica spawned boot versions which we welcomed with open arms. Manza was the acceptable one though.

It still looks better than Dezire IMO.

Anyway, I am disappointed to say the least as I had this on my radar. Need to wait and watch how things unfold.

[dhrishikesh]

Here is the news regarding Toyota Etios Hatchback Version:
According to Autocar India news, Toyota will be launching hatchback version of its much awaited passenger car in India, Etios in March 2011.
Toyota have showcased Etios early this year in Auto Expo 2010, New Delhi in January.
Here is the link
Toyota Etios hatchback likely in March 2011 | Indian Autos blog

[pgsagar]

How hard is it for Toyota to launch a good looking car? And, how hard is it for people to admit it is an UGLY car? I would, for once, like to see people call a spade a spade, i.e. call it UGLY rather than call it "looks are subjective" and some stuff like that. People in this segment do not need a good looking car? Gimme a break! We all like and want good looking people and good looking things, irrespective of their price. Very soon we may see lot of these ugly things on our roads ( because of Toyota badge). What an eyesore that would be.

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

People in this segment do not need a good looking car? Gimme a break!

Nobody is claiming the above statement. What we are saying is none of the cars in the segment are lookers - Manza, Dzire or Logan. By this it doesnt mean that we dont deserve a good looking car in the segment. But in looks department atleast its a downer for me. End of the day practicality+badge+ good pricing will sell and Toyota is targetting that.

[erohit]

IMHO, It does look like an old design.But looks will be accepted over the period of time. Remember the first santro, people were bashing it like anything for a frog like shape and still it was selling like a hot cake. Most of the cars in India are not very appealing to eyes but we get used to it and then we start liking them. Personally when I first saw Figo I was shocked to see outdated European fiesta marked as new Figo in India. The design was probably 10 years old but now I have started liking it.

In nutshell, I think looks will not be deal breaker for anyone in this segment, where we compare it with Manza, DZire, Logan, Accent etc. My only worry is production constraint and huge wait listing like fortuner just because of pricing and toyota badge. I am expecting the basic version (which just have AC and nothing else) to be priced at 4.5L Ex show room and rest all shold fall in between 5-7L

[ani_meher]

I am a potential customer of this car I don't care about the looks, and it is not that bad either. If the quality of materials used is good (and trust me, even novices are quick to notice bad quality plastics!), and mileage is good, there is no reason this car won't sell. I certainly like the looks than i10 for sure.

[methecupid]

pun intended, it can be a best seller especially taking Meru, Easy & Mega cabs into the equation

[fz_rider]

This months Autocar's article on Etios is a revelation ! Under the tame and boring looks , there's a serious competitor waiting !
Things that strike me :
No. of variants , from bare bone( and it's as bare bone as an Alto std ) to loaded VX variant.
Serious level of cost cutting , which doesn't show up or hamper the quality of car.
Incredibly spacious / huge boot

BTW , the sedan looks decent in the beige shade , and may look good in grey as well . Chunky steering wheel ! Cooled glove box even in the base variant , and I was like . Optional ABS / and Airbags on second variant onwards needs a

[Vid6639]

I'm in love with that steering wheel. In the most plane jane looking exterior they have put a sporty steering wheel with the flat bottom.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

How hard is it for Toyota to launch a good looking car? And, how hard is it for people to admit it is an UGLY car? I would, for once, like to see people call a spade a spade, i.e. call it UGLY rather than call it "looks are subjective" and some stuff like that. We all like and want good looking people and good looking things, irrespective of their price. Very soon we may see lot of these ugly things on our roads ( because of Toyota badge). What an eyesore that would be.

Other than the looks, do you find something that is sore in the car? I mean, they have given ABS+ Airbags as optional accessories across the vairants bar the lowest variant(According to reports in earlier pages).

They are trying to give affordable luxury, quality and safety to our people. No manufacturer has every cared for the safety of the people driving their vehicles in our country. It is only now that Nissan has given Air-bag as standard for the driver in the Micra.

Do not think I am offending you, but it seems like you are only looking at looks of the car and failing to go past it.

Also Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I first hated the Figo but after reading through a couple of reviews and looking at lots of pictures, the design started growing on me.

So just request you to see past the looks which is anyway a buyer's personal choice and be glad that this could be the start of a trend where manufacturers give safety accessories as optional throughout the variants rather than making it standard on the top variants

[//M]

The ACI review says the Etios has "a spring in its step". This means its not a bad performer and the light weight results in an incredible fuel-efficiency too. Plus the 13-litre glovebox, huge boot, spacious seats, that terrific steering wheel, Toyota badge and reliability makes me tilt in favor for this car. As far as looks are concerned, the Linea wins hands down but then it belongs to a different segment. For a budget of 6-7 lakhs, the well-equipped Etios seems to be a very practical choice.

[1-Testosterone]

I just had a look at it in the recent AutoBild issue and it looks outright ugly.

[motorworks]

Pricing is the key and that is going to determine if the etios is going to be a huge success or a moderate one. I had spoken to one of the toyota dealers and he hinted that the petrol would be launched at an approx price of 7 lakhs and the diesel much later, may be six months down the line and obviously it will have atleast 80k premium over the petrol versions. In my opinion, this may not be good enough since the car will be then competing against the new fiesta, verna and the vento. And the target customers for this segemen would want to be seen in a good looking car. If toyota prices the etios sedan just about 20k above the dzire / manza variants, then they have a winner!
Many of you have spoken about the qualis and how it was a success inspite of its boxy looks. The qualis did well about 6 yrs ago and did not have any serious competition apart from the sumo and you did not have a wide range of sedans back then. So it did well and yes it was a good product in terms of utility and reliability. The same cannot be applied to the Etios sedan since the marlet is very different now and cars like the ANHC, ford fiesta 2011, vento are dramatically good looking.
And the diesel engine has to have some punch too and cannot be just a mile cruncher. The success of the DDIS / MULTIJET cars are not just due to the efficiency but also due to the fact that they perform very closely in relation to petrol engines.

[aaren]

Zigwheels have done a first drive and their review is here:Toyota-Etios-Road-Test,Buy New Cars, Used Cars, Auto News and Reviews India - Zigwheels.com

Going by some of the write ups regarding the price, it appears that Toyota is going to hit the sweetspot and am certainly a person who is looking at buying this Sedan. Going by what the above review says, to quote the last few paragraphs (Mods, if this is not correct, please delete the quoted excerpts), "In fact, having driven from Bidadi to Pune, our road test chief Dilip Desai said that he stepped out fresh as a daisy clearly highlighting the fatigue-free nature of the driving position and the easy power delivery. Suspension components front to rear are made up of MacPherson struts on the front end with a torsion beam axle doing duty at the rear. The ride quality is of a very comfortable order but this doesn't come at the cost of insipid handling. Keeping in mind this is an all round family car, the Etios comes across with straight forward and safe dynamics. The wide track and the long wheelbase help with good vehicle stability. The electrically-assisted power steering is light and slightly devoid of feel at lower reaches of its operating spectrum but it is precise and spot-on, not overtly quick or unduly slow in response.

The top end Etios sedan comes with 185/60 R15 size Bridgestone Turanza rubber shod on alloy rims while other variants make do with 175/65R14 tyres. Overall drive dynamics and vehicle behaviour are neutral which are big feel good factors for this category of car and what is impressive is that given the light build of the vehicle, this doesn't come at the cost of stability or structural integrity. Braking is another strong trait of the Etios, the ventilated front discs and rear drums combo delivering effortless retardation every time without unsettling the car in the least. The Etios further comes with ABS and EBD which is a good sign as this will deliver added impetus across this segment of car to up the ante on the safety aspect.

SUMMING IT UP: Stonking value delivered!

Designing and making a car to a price which will target it straight at the Swift D'Zire's jugular is one thing, making it with legendary Toyota build and quality is another but the Etios should satisfy on both points. Two small details illustrate how the Tata Nano's clever solutions to enhancing structural rigidity and reducing costs with fewer components bears reference here. The roof panel of the Etios feature the structural ribs stamped in at the sheet metal pressing stage. The use a single large wiper with a broad sweep for the front windscreen is another. Both do their job as intended. Detail touches which are not exactly rocket-science but clever in their implementation. The Etios is well equipped and the top end version gets airbags for driver and front seat passenger, ABS with EBD, an engine immobilizer, door ajar warning and a built-in 2-DIN radio cum CD-player."

I guess, Toyota is going to set a cat among the pigeons and as GTO states, "God Bless Competition" !!!