Team-BHP - The White Knight - My Toyota Etios Liva Diesel. EDIT: 70,000 kms update

The price that I paid for Liva GD in Kolkata is Rs 6,38,561/-
Ex-showroom price: Rs 5,87, 871/-
Rest are road tax (for five years), Insurance and a Rs 3,500/- "service charge" which Topsel Toyota (the only Toyota dealer in town) charged me for I-don't-know-what-reason.
I think I have posted the breakup in my ownership thread, you can compare and find out exactly what is more in Chennai. Road Tax is lower in Kolkata (with the five-year tax paying option), but that would amount to about Rs 28,000/- only.
Even with a one-time Road Tax option (now available from September), the vehicle comes cheaper in Kolkata, true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by subratasenn (Post 2905918)

Usually, Delhi prices are the cheapest among all cities!
In Chennai, if you see the prices , they'll say it is just about 5.9L . But the final price after Tax, regn, insurance and all other stuff comes to 7l.
When i Test drove the Liva in March, the salesperson at Lanson Toyota gave me the prices. The GD was around 6.4L and the GD-SP was priced close to 6.8L.

In june, the prices were revised ,as a result GD came close to 7l OTR!
I really can't believe that you got your Liva for 6.4L flat!
Does that mean Road Tax and Regn costs are more in Chennai than in Kolkata? This is confusing! :Frustrati

The white Knight turns 3 months old this 18th! :D

Odo reads 2374.
No problems so far, rides like a gem but makes the noise of a tractor like the Innova!
Noticed something, black smoke spurts out on hard acceleration! Only a little amount of smoke not as bad as the TATA diesels ( no offence to Tata owners).
North east monsoon will start in a couple of days , lets see how the little toyota takes up the monsoon challenge! And a big challenge for me too, hard to maintain a white car during monsoons! :/

@Saadat Don't you worry, it will run like a gem in the monsoons too. Faced really hard monsoon in Kolkata this year, even driven through water-logged stretches with no issues at all. I think white is easier to maintain in monsoons than dark colors. And the car gets washed everyday, free of cost. :D
I have also noticed black smoke, but that happens only when the car is cold, otherwise no. Regarding the noise, don't you think it has reduced considerably compared to what it was when it was new? Mine has noticeably, after 2500 kms in 1.5 months.
What is your FE now? Last two times I got 16.9 and 17 -- that too in city traffic with about 60% time AC on. Quite happy with theses figures, I must say.

Good review.
The Liva is a fantastic car to drive. The things that I love most about this car are

Peppy engine with the unique flat peak torque ( 1800 to 2400 rpms )
The brakes - I have never driven a vehicle in this price range which offers better road manners on hard braking scenarios. The brake bite is also best in class. Swift, Ritz, Micra are a long distance away in this area. This gives you the confidence to drive at higher speeds than you would normally.
Speed masking - No one inside the car will complain even if the car is cruising at > 120 kmph. The suspensions does a fantastic job.
Space, space and space. :)
Driver seat ergonomics. Can comfortably relax your legs unlike in the case of Swift. The steering angle and the size of the steering is awesome. Very easy to drive around.
Last, but not the least, excellent after sales care and the low maintenance cost as in the case of any other Toyota vehicle.

Damn right Amalji! :)
But i find the first gear a tad too useless. Comparing it with the Figo diesel's performance, the Liva's performance is no where near. But, when it comes to mileage and maintanance.. we Etios owners have the last laugh.
By the way, do you have any issues with the suspension recoil when the car hits a pothole at speeds greater than 30? I always slow down when i see a pothole, if i hit it at 30 or so, then there'll be a loud thud like as if the car's underbody was hit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saadat1992 (Post 2952597)

1) the gear ratios are designed keeping in mind the various requirements of the car. I would prefer a shorter 1st gear any day like in the case of Liva because that helps you lug from stand still effortlessly even on high inclines. Ofcourse the compromise is on the amount of speed it can go upto. But, for that we have 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. I have used tall 1st gear vehicles like in the case of Esteem. But, feel the disadvantage when we have to start from 0 on an incline.

2) Liva Diesel's performance is much superior to that of Figo Diesel ( I would say, atleast 15% superior than Figo Diesel ) because I drive both these vehicles extensively. If you do not feel so, it could be because of wrong gearing or the way you apply the accelerator. It could also be due to the speed masking by the Liva suspensions. Try shifting the gear at ( 2nd at 10 kmph, 3rd at 40, 4th at 60 and 5th at 80. After following this gear shifting pattern, push the accelerator pedal hard from 20 kmph on. The vehicle will surge ahead and it is much superior than the Figo.
Once, I drive the Liva for some time, and I switch to Figo, I feel a definite lack of power. And it's not just in practice. The specs says so as well. The torque to weight ratio of Liva is 20% superior than the Figo. The shape of the torque curve is better as well in the case of Liva.

3) I also saw that you compared Liva with the likes of Innova. While innova has amazing lugging ability throughout its torque range, Liva is the peppier of the two on practical rpms. Passing acceleration is superior on the Liva for practical rpm range when compared to the Innova and hence overtaking will be a breeze, if you use the gears properly.

Regarding suspension recoil, yes it's a known bug. I've mentioned it in my ownership thread ( Check the section - Known bugs with the Toyota Etios )

Wow! I am amazed by your knowledge on the Etios! You know inside out of the Etios and the liva! You should probably start a blog! :D
By the way, you were right. I accelerated hard this morning and i found the speedo needle climbing to 40 in the first gear! But it felt like only 10 or 20kmph. The suspension set up gives you that speed masking! Kudos to Toyota! Even at 80-90 you get a feel like you are doing about 40-50kmph in contrast to my Santro which starts to toss the occupants around when you cross 60-70kmph.
And, do you find the 3M underbody coating useful? Does it provide good sound insulation?

Quote:

Originally Posted by saadat1992

You should probably start a blog! :D

When it comes to automobiles, posting on team-bhp gives more satisfaction than posting anywhere else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saadat1992

By the way, you were right. I accelerated hard this morning and i found the speedo needle climbing to 40 in the first gear! But it felt like only 10 or 20kmph. The suspension set up gives you that speed masking! Kudos to Toyota! Even at 80-90 you get a feel like you are doing about 40-50kmph in contrast to my Santro which starts to toss the occupants around when you cross 60-70kmph.

:-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by saadat1992

And, do you find the 3M underbody coating useful? Does it provide good sound insulation?

It's useful to some extent. But not a perfect solution still. When you do it, make sure that you do it on the wheel Wells as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amalji (Post 2955773)

When it comes to automobiles, posting on team-bhp gives more satisfaction than posting anywhere else.

:-)

It's useful to some extent. But not a perfect solution still. When you do it, make sure that you do it on the wheel Wells as well.

The underbody coating does not help much even with the 5 year coating. The Etios/Liva comes with Ferrous treatment before painting it at the plant. This treatment does not do good to the sticking properties. So dont be surprised to see the underbody coating chip offs like it was in the case of my Liva.

By the way you could try the dynamat or if you get hold of the 3M dampening mats, please use it liberally on the floor, wheelwells and the boot too. This should keep the noise away. The plastic cladding should have been given by Toyota for the wheelwells to keep the small stones hitting it and making noises which intrude into the cabin.