[Equus]

Anyone else betting there will be a J+ model with power steering?!

[bullboy]

Excellent Review GTO!!.
The fog lamps looks like an aftermarket attachment ,similar to one i had in my KiHo years back .Did i notice that i have ordinary bulbs than halogens ? Is this the same in Etios as well.

[arup.misra]

Great review GTO as always. The factory tour was the icing on the cake.

Can't say the same about the car though. Barring the Toyota badge (and the reliability that comes with it) don't think the car will translate into higher sales for Toyota. Exteriors and interiors are quite the opposite poles.

Couple of my observations

1) The boot appeared smaller than others in the same segment
2) Didn't quite see the rear parcel tray (or maybe I need glasses)

Wonder how would they position their diesel variant when they get one?

[karu_mys]

Great Review GTO.

The high end priced at 5.99 is too much you get better cars at the top bracket with more features. The unconcealed wire on metal looks terrible and it looks like cost cutting was done everywhere, doesn't look good.

The interesting part will be how Liva will eat up the on the lower priced version on Maruti and Hyundai be the one to watch for. The diesel one will one to look forward.

The best part of review was that of the Factory with 5S all around and it looked very neat.

[GTO]

Thanks for the 5 star thread rating, guys.

Yup, the Liva certainly didn't impress me in the way that the Etios did. 1 day with the Etios and it was obvious that it's the best entry sedan....stunning engine, great space and balanced ride & handling. The Dzire & Manza petrols don't come close to the Etios.

However, unlike the Etios which has only 2 primary competitors, the Liva's alternatives are innumerable!! The 1.2L petrol's torque & driveability are a letdown. Cabin quality is even beaten by the Swift, leave along cars like the i10. The i10 Kappa2 remains my favourite petrol hatchback in the market today.

Originally Posted by sahakar

There isn't any USP at all other than optional ABS / Airbags in the mid variant.

Originally Posted by DonnieDarko

functionally it might be a good car but it just does not strike any string in the heart.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Everything is dull and ordinary about this car.

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

A decent car, made for the the average consumer looking for the T badge reliability.

Well, the four of you have just spelled out the Toyota recipe for success. Is the Altis exciting? Isn't the driving experience very dull? It's still the No.1 C+ sedan in the market.

Toyotas have always been boring. But they do a little bit of everything that the target market wants of them. The Liva's space, fuel efficiency, nice ride and the T badge will win it fans in the market. And if the Liva is anything like other Toyotas, you'll see examples with 300,000 kms on the odo and going strong.

Originally Posted by dar3dev|l

Great review GTO ! I was actually taken by surprize that the review of Liva came in right on the day of its launch ! This in a way also shows how curious Toyota is for marketing its Liva. Usually we would find the review a week after a new products launch, but the case seems different here.

I could have released the review last week, but hey, you gotta wait for the good things in life

Quality takes time.

[vasanthn21]

Any comments on the marketing strategy from Toyota?

Maruti launches Swift and then Swift Dezire... people complain about the hatch turned into a Sedan!

Toyota launches a VFM sedan and then the practical hatch, no one's complaining!

[Gooney]

Toyota's foray into the Indian hatchback segment with the Liva could well end up into a disaster and bring down the brand value of the Japanese giant.

Looking at the pictures of the interiors and the cost cutting measures, I end up feeling that the Liva was pulled up using spare parts / components inventory from the beginning of the new millenium.

A half hearted effort. One wiper blade which gets the job done — thumbs up.

Center-mounted display console with cheap looking decals — thumbs down.

Cut costs, but not at the cost of losing a potent customer base or even a market altogether. Imagine what people, who only heard and dreamt of Toyota quality, will think when they sit / drive the Liva. Years of brand reputation down the drain, no?

Cost effective designs should not be at the cost of quality.

And whats with will all the chrome dude?

[bigwheelz]

Great review GTO. Rated 5 stars.
5.99 is too much to ask for this car IMO.

Was checking the news about Liva on rediff and saw this pic with the car.

This shows something like a LCD in between. I think this is a futuristic design of Liva probably 2020.

[naut]

Nice review there GTO!.

I liked the extrior looks of the car. The quality of the interiors the NVH and a few other cost cutting efforts by Toyota weren't to my liking.

IMHO on the pricing front, Liva is priced at about the same or slightly higher than the competition for comparable models.

So, what justifies the VFM tag for the Liva? Is it the expected reliability of the car?

Would be great if you could throw some light.

[PuntoMania]

This is a great review, seems like the most practical car in the segment ! Its got a little bit of everything in it, above all a Toyota badge which says "reliability" all through but :

Will a buyer spend Rs 5.5 Lakh plus on a car without the "premium feel" like a Swift / i20 / Polo / Punto ? I have reservations on that.

I think this car will eat up more sales of the i10 than the other cars mentioned above. Hyundai should be worried, in my opinion.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by GTO

1) Next in line to catch your eye is the extremely basic looking, center-mounted instrument console. As much as I like the steering, I hate the instrument console treatment & position. What’s wrong with conventional placement anyway?

2) What's more, the air-con controls feel rather basic in their operation too (particularly the slider to choose recirculation / fresh air mode).

3) Though I’m not a fan of the center-mounted meter arrangement, I’ll give it this : The frontal visibility is better than in other hatchbacks, as you don’t have to “look over” the instrument console. I find it shocking that the Liva doesn't get any multi-information-display. Two trip meters is the only data that's available.

4) When I tested the Liva, the weather was split between light rains and the bright sun. When it got hot, the air-conditioner performed well. However, I found the blower position I to be useless (hardly any air thrown out). In fact, on your daily drive to work, you'll most probably be using position III (instead of the usual position II).

5) Air-conditioner controls are 10 years too old in look & feel. When was the last time you used a slider for recirculation / fresh air mode? Even the Figo gets a button:

1) This can be a deal maker or breaker, atleast in this tough small car segment.

2 & 5) The K10 Wagon R has a sliding control for recirculation/fresh air mode.

3) Are you sure for "look over"? Anybody over 5'6" will not have trouble in most of the hatches IMO. I would rather place this as a judgement problem. Practice will solve this issue of looking over the instrument console.

4) Was the blower noisy ? If yes, was it too much that passengers have to raise voice even to talk ?

Originally Posted by GTO

6) The Etios & Liva will be Toyota's first exports from India. Other parts of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India & China) region are obvious markets.

7) Honestly, the Etios has it much easier than the Liva, and I won’t be surprised if the sedan garners equal / greater sales than the hatchback (much like the Vento & Polo). 1 reason : The Etios has only two primary competitors, the Dzire & the Manza (unlike the Liva which has 10). Second, the Etios engine is the best-in-class, while the Liva’s powerplant merely does the job.

8) Their research must have shown Indians as being really thirsty. All in all, you can hold seven 1 liter bottles in the Liva cabin!


9) Thanks to Moderator Stratos for helping with fine-tuning the pictures!

6) In the preesnt quality trim, they wont find success in other markets IMO.

7) Agree with you. Ritz is very good combination of space + handling. Its tall, but somehow is not a bad handler. Moreover, the diesel option are a lot in the market. Add to that the new Swift is coming. Also Brio is coming in.

8) Rather than that, I would say that its old habit of carrying water while travelling. Moreover, due to hot climate this can also be true. Just imagine a person is in A/C mall. He/she has to walk quite a bit on road with a couple of bags till the car. He will feel thirsty mostly.

9) The images are excellent. Trust me, Etios is not that good a looker, but the photographs are still good.

I feel that the car is overpriced. For less money one can have tall boys which are capable and can do most of the things Etios Liva can do. Appreciate the wider rubber though, along with optional abs+airbags.

Frankly, there are better options available. Moreover, this car is not sold in developed markets. What about EuroNCAP rating ? The car is very light for a 1.2 ltr. car.
Similarly, even the new Verna is light. 1.6 petrol Verna is lighter than a diesel Swift hatch! Wonder what would be weight of 1.4 petrol Verna.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Top notch review as always. Rated 5 stars. Unexciting product but i have an eerie feeling that Liva will bring descent number for Toyota.

[sahakar]

Out of India, I have always been a Toyota owner. My Avalon has been a joy to own and drive.

For people like us, who have seen true Toyota quality, its really tough to see what happens in India in the name of cost cutting.

Also, levies are not that high (16% is quite decent by any international standards for small cars) in India that justify crap quality to keep costs down.

I really hope Liva doesn't do well and makes Toyota India rethink on their overall approach of cost cutting.

Cheers

[swiftnfurious]

Thanks for a brilliant report! Another neutral car from Toyota which ticks most of the boxes right! Couldn't they price it slightly lower [3.75L] for the base version? Now I am curious to see the sales report coming in for the next couple of months and check where does the Etios & Liva stands.

Its surprising when the best selling Swift is supposed to be launched with "better" interiors soon, we get a new Toyota with lower quality interiors than the current Swift !!

[Bh.P]

Awesome review. Again proves T-BHP reviews are the best. Makes one wonder what the journos are paid for. Those reviews pale in comparison. I recently bought a mag paying > 100 bucks, and the Verna review was just 2 pages long!

Coming to the car, IMHO looks are below average, so are the interiors. So Toyota reliability is what should drive the sales for this car.