[highway_star]

Originally Posted by Samba

Mine is a first gen 2011 Etios and my car have it too. In 2015 there was a recall from Toyota to change the pre- tensioners as some were found to be faulty.

That's good to know, since I thought that my Etios does not have a pre-tensioner.

Until at least August 2015, the brochure which was available did not mention pre-tensioners, while from around December 2015, the brochure includes this. My Etios VX was manufactured in October 2015, so I had been kicking myself thinking that if I had only waited for two months I would have got this feature. I had asked the dealer to verify whether my car has pre-tensioner but they seemed to be clueless about it and finally responded saying that it is not present.

Do you know how we can check for the presence of pre-tensioner?

[Samba]

An unscheduled visit to the service center at 71,500 km mark

After the 71,000km service, day before yesterday drove the car for about 160km on the highway. Every thing seemed fine except one. At speeds around 140km/hr if the brake was applied the whole car was vibrating. This was not the case with my old brake pads. May be they got adjusted with the wear and tear of the brake disk rotors.
Took the car to Saini Toyota and went for a test drive with the mechanic. I drove the car and he was seating beside me. At the first instance he zeroed on the disk brake rotors. Even i had the same thought at the back of my mind as last time i changed the rotors were at 34,000km mark due to the same reason.

I had 3 options-
1) Keep the rotors as it is as car rarely see high speeds.
2) Get it skimmed by a lathe machine.
3) Change it.

I had a talk with Bhpian 1100D over the phone and with my Toyota service adviser. Both of them suggested to change it and on top of it my service adviser who is very friendly with me told- 'Your car mechanical's are maintained immaculately, so why keep this small defect?' and i was on cloud 9 and my next statement was 'change it'!

Damage to pocket was Rs 3,780 for both the rotors.

After the change, took another test drive on the highway and the problem was solved.

Originally Posted by highway_star

Do you know how we can check for the presence of pre-tensioner?

Please let me know if you got any further updates on this.

Regarding checking of the pre-tensioners its really a difficult job. You have to open up the seat belt console and then check. I was checking on some video's in youtube on how to check them. This is one of them -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehjDnOBjD3E

[Muski]

Originally Posted by Samba

I was in the same boat. Both are very good tyres. Yokohama Earth1 has a more rugged side wall than the Xm2, where as on the other had Xm2 will be more quieter than Earth1.
I will suggest you to upgrade from 175/65/R14 to 185/65/R14 with either of the two brands.

Its a very good idea to implement. I have not purchased one yet. Heard from my friends SJ4000 do a very decent job.

Thanks for all the help Samba ji, I managed to do both. Purchased Michelin XM2s 185/65/R14 from Amazon (cost me around 18100) and got them installed via local friendly mechanic. The biggest difference is that now I can hear the engine revs for the first time. They are very silent tyres, also as you had informed me ride quality is much improved, car handles better and even pickup is marginally improved.

I also ordered A119 Dashcam with GPS unit via Gearbest international shipping (cose me around Rs 5500) and received it recently. Installation was simple and I have a sample video in the link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Bb...ature=youtu.be

The Dashcam records at 1440P and takes approx 500Mb for a 3 min video. Quality is pretty good. Will upload a night time video soon.

[dileep]

I'm adding here my 2 bit to Samba's exhaustive and excellent review.

I bought the new Etios in September 2016 and its been a wonderful 6 months of driving...

The new Etios Platinum petrol

I began searching for a car when I had to sell off my Qualis (2001-2016), which I drove for 15 trouble free years. The Qualis was my first new car after a series of second hand Maruti 800’s and a Zen (MH410) that were all wonderful to own and drive in their respective contexts.

At first I looked at cars with a similar height, GC, view – Bolreo, Scorpio, TUV. But looking at the way judgments were coming from the honourable Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal against diesel cars and cars above 2000cc, I soon shifted to looking for a petrol car.

The Brezza was launched at about this time. Even though it’s a diesel, I did a test drive. I loved the high seating, the visibility in the front, high GC but didn’t like the engine – it needed to be driven at a high rev all the time, needed constant shifting and seemed under powered. Rear visibility was a problem and the inside space looked claustrophobic. A bit pricey too, for the car being offered. I also looked at the newly launched Creta but it was beyond my budget of 7-8 lakhs on road.

The Etios had been on my mind but it’s low GC and capability to do some rough roads kept it in abeyance. I then researched on Team-BHP and found Samba’s thread on long-term ownership of an Etios very helpful. I test-drove the car in May 2016.

In September 2016, when the new Platinum Etios was launched I paraded a few showrooms trying to get the best deal. Galaxy Toyota (also from where I had bought the Qualis in 2001) gave the best deal, efficient handling of documents, prompt Sales support. I bought the V version which costed 8 lakhs including insurance (Toyota IffcoTokio), Road tax, 3M underbody coating and 3 year service package (Smiles for 3000/-)


What I like
1. The engine is superb, its linear power delivery is beautiful
2. The space –plenty of room for everyone and everything
3. Steering is nice and light
4. Gears are smooth
5. Clutch is short and I’m getting used to it after the Qualis’s hydraulic clutch
6. AC is powerful
7. Seats have good support and are comfortable
8. Body roll is OK
9. Brakes are confident
10. Easy to drive in the mountains, on highways and the city
11. Fuel efficiency 16 to 21 km per litre (petrol engine)
12. Toyota service is impeccable

There’s nothing much that I don’t like about the new Etios.
Few minor points –
1. The front grille redesign has made it complex – too many cuts and curves making it difficult to keep clean.
2. Because the rubber padding at the doors are fixed on the body, dust creeps into the area between doors and body.
3. Road noise is on the higher side (specially when the car in not fully loaded – noise levels come down when loaded)
4. Power window switches on door pad are not backlit – difficult to see at night

I've done 6000 km till now. Will give a service update once I cross 10000 km.

[SPARKled]

Congrats on your new etios. I have the earlier version of the same car. What is amazing to read is fuel efficiency you are getting. I assume it's 16 in the city as that's the lower figure you have quoted. I don't get anything above 11 in Mumbai. How do you manage these amazing figures?

[dileep]

This FE is because till now the car has been driven without AC or minimal AC since its been good weather here in Delhi. I'm sure it'll drop once I'm in traffic snarls and with full AC. Having said that, I am very gentle on the A pedal and shift early - learnt this from a Toyota service chap when driving my Qualis. The linear torque of the Etios allows you to be in 3rd gear at very low speeds without the car stalling or jerking. I'm typically in the 5th gear by the time I hit 35 kmph.

[sumeethaldankar]

Congrarts Dileep on the Etios. A question to all Etios owners, does the car feel underpowered with a full load of passengers + baggage while climbing ghats etc? I am talking about petrol cars only.

[dileep]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Congrarts Dileep on the Etios. A question to all Etios owners, does the car feel underpowered with a full load of passengers + baggage while climbing ghats etc? I am talking about petrol cars only.

I drive up into the Himalayas in Uttarakhand every month. Mostly the Etios is not fully loaded as you mention. But sometimes it is sufficiently loaded - 4 passengers and few bags in the boot. There is a minor dip in power, but not enough to make you shift gears. I guess any vehicle will feel this way when loaded fully.

The Etios climbs effortlessly, even on 4th gear and takes poor roads well.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by dileep

I'm adding here my 2 bit to Samba's exhaustive and excellent review.

Nice short review - thanks for sharing!

The Etios feels old & outdated today, but the 1.5L variant is still the most fun-to-drive car in that segment. The handling is the most neutral in the segment, and that 1.5L has excellent torque. I fondly remember my first drive in the car on my favourite Mumbai - Nashik highway:

[Samba]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

A question to all Etios owners, does the car feel underpowered with a full load of passengers + baggage while climbing ghats etc? I am talking about petrol cars only.

With full load Etios has its own pros and cons.

There is absolutely no problem with the engine pulling power. I have driven to Ladakh with a fully loaded boot and 3 person on board with luggage kept inside the cabin too. At higher altitude the diesel cars suffered power loss where as Etios was absolutely fine.
Now with full load the power to weight ratio of the car definitely decreases but that's nothing alarming. The difference can be felt a bit but it hardly requires an extra downshift for that.

The real problem i face with full load is the rear of the car sags down. So on bad hill roads the rear over hang gets scrapped. Am attaching the pics for reference.

With 220 kg load in the boot and one person weighing around 80kg is seating on the front passenger seat. So with approximately 300kg weight, just see how the rear bumper is so close to that small road hump. It will definitely scrap the bigger ones.



Car with no load.

Originally Posted by dileep

I bought the new Etios in September 2016 and its been a wonderful 6 months of driving...
The new Etios Platinum petrol

Congrats, your car looks beautiful. Its one fill it shut it forget it kind of car. Wish you thousands of happy miles.

Originally Posted by SPARKled

What is amazing to read is fuel efficiency you are getting. I assume it's 16 in the city as that's the lower figure you have quoted. I don't get anything above 11 in Mumbai. How do you manage these amazing figures?

The highest i have achieved was 20km/L without AC and lowest was as low as 8km/L! It all depends on how you drive.
The main trick to achieve high fuel efficiency from Etios is, use the torque, shift early & be light footed!
Etios is a guzzler above 110km/hr on the highway. Driving at 90-100km/hr can give you an average of 17+km/L with Ac but once you cross 110/120 km/hr mark, average fuel efficiency will drop down to around 13km/L.
I generally get around 12-14km/L in city and 13-17km/L on highway depending on the driving style. I use the Ac 95% of the time in summer.

Originally Posted by GTO

Nice short review - thanks for sharing!

but the 1.5L variant is still the most fun-to-drive car in that segment. The handling is the most neutral in the segment, and that 1.5L has excellent torque. I fondly remember my first drive in the car on my favourite Mumbai - Nashik highway:

I booked my Etios reading the Team BHP review.
At the beginning, handling was neutral but later on i changed to the stiffer shock absorbers from Toyota and upgraded my car tyres from 175/65/R14 to Yokohama Earth1, 185/65/R14 and now i must say there is a drastic improvement in handling from what i bought in 2011.

Regarding the 1.5L petrol engine i always , when am driving on open highways!

[sumeethaldankar]

@Samba thank you for the detailed reponse to my query. I guess almost all Indian sedans sag when fully loaded. Trouble comes when you have to overtake on a tricky ghat section with ac etc. Good to know the Etios does not lose steam even with passengers on a incline.

@Dilip one query for you since you have the new Etios. Have you by any chance noted the location of the incar fuse box. In Samba's Etios the fuse box (internal) is located behind the speedometer. Since the new Etios speedo was redesigned has the fuse panel moved somewhere else? I am asking this because in my car the inner fuse blows once a while since I use a 12 v air pump to top up tires. Imaging if you need to do so in a emergency and it blows the fuse then it will be impractical to open the speedo to replace a fuse while one is stranded on a road trying to fill air in tires.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I am asking this because in my car the inner fuse blows once a while since I use a 12 v air pump to top up tires.

Are you using the cigarette lighter socket? The air compressor is overloading the circuit. A blown fuse is a warning. These air compressor units are pretty inexpensive, I'd suggest repairing or replacing it. Please don't take risks with the wiring.

In my Toyota the CL circuit is protected by a 15 A fuse which has never blown even after using an air compressor several times to top off the air. But I have not used the compressor ever since I shifted to filling nitrogen in the tyres.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by Samba

Now with full load the power to weight ratio of the car definitely decreases but that's nothing alarming. The difference can be felt a bit but it hardly requires an extra downshift for that.

The math says

Power to weight ratio with just one driver weighing 70 kgs - 92.78 PS/ton
Power to weight ratio with 5 passengers weighing 70 kgs each and 50 kg luggage. - 69.23 PS/ton

So, that is a 25% drop in power to weight ratio as is the case with any other car. So, as Samba mentioned, the power to weight ratio definitely comes down when you load the car more. But, the driving experience will still be much better than say a similarly loaded Maruti Dzire Petrol thanks mainly to that healthy 132 Nm of torque that too, available at a lower rpm than that of other competing engines.

Originally Posted by Samba

The real problem i face with full load is the rear of the car sags down. So on bad hill roads the rear over hang gets scrapped. Am attaching the pics for reference.
road hump. It will definitely scrap the bigger ones.

Yes, this is one worry. But, it has changed for the better once I changed to the new design suspension on my rear. It's still a worry, but definitely feels more confident in taking the speak breakers when the car is loaded. And the comfort part is still almost as good as the old suspension design as well.

Originally Posted by Samba

At the beginning, handling was neutral but later on i changed to the stiffer shock absorbers from Toyota and upgraded my car tyres from 175/65/R14 to Yokohama Earth1, 185/65/R14 and now i must say there is a drastic improvement in handling from what i bought in 2011.

+1. Especially with the new stiffer front suspensions, the handling is even better now.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

@Dilip one query for you since you have the new Etios. Have you by any chance noted the location of the incar fuse box. In Samba's Etios the fuse box (internal) is located behind the speedometer. Since the new Etios speedo was redesigned has the fuse panel moved somewhere else? I am asking this because in my car the inner fuse blows once a while since I use a 12 v air pump to top up tires. Imaging if you need to do so in a emergency and it blows the fuse then it will be impractical to open the speedo to replace a fuse while one is stranded on a road trying to fill air in tires.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Are you using the cigarette lighter socket? The air compressor is overloading the circuit. A blown fuse is a warning. These air compressor units are pretty inexpensive, I'd suggest repairing or replacing it. Please don't take risks with the wiring.

As R2D2 mentioned, fuse getting blown points to some other issue with your inflator. Which inflator do you use? I use the Michelin micro tyre inflator and never faced any issues with the fuse.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by amalji

As R2D2 mentioned, fuse getting blown points to some other issue with your inflator. Which inflator do you use? I use the Michelin micro tyre inflator and never faced any issues with the fuse.

I have a Emporis and a Reqtech as backup pump. Emporis is the fuse killer while the Resqtech is very noisy it does not fill air properly after 28 PSI or so and topping up takes a while so I don't use the Resqtech. The Emporis is able to top up fast even after 28 PSI upto 30 PSI in 1-2 mins but if operated for more than 30 secs I end up with a blown fuse. So I switch on and off the pump and use it to top up.

I have 2 pumps as the Emporis filler pipe is not reliable and has broken twice and I had to re-order so it's good only for top ups and has to be used gently. I have been using the same since 2014 and it has held up save for the fuse issue which happens once every 2-3 months. I will try using the Resqtech at the expense of waking up my neighbors next time and see. If the Michelin vey noisy too, I might consider same in the future.

[dileep]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

@Dilip one query for you since you have the new Etios. Have you by any chance noted the location of the incar fuse box.

The in-car fuses are still located behind the instrument cluster!!