[vinay_tw]

Thanks swiftnfurious, drmohitg and VeluM for your quick response to my last minute query. I was really in a dilemma at the last moment and your candid views helped me take the right decision.

Yes, I got my Toyota Etios Diesel VD (Vermillion Red) delivery on Oct 31. Had my first 30 km drive to office this morning. Will write in detail about my experiences in my own user review in a couple of months' time.

Thanks once again for all your support!

[automachine]

Originally Posted by vinay_tw

Yes, I got my Toyota Etios Diesel VD (Vermillion Red) delivery on Oct 31. Had my first 30 km drive to office this morning.

Congrats on your sensible purchase ! I am a proud Etios V-D owner too (Bluish Silver colour) having got it on Oct 13th and covered 1600kms so far. I have read almost all the pros and cons on web regarding Etios, I think this is a car which is for people who want space, driveability, good handling over maybe other things like luxury and extra powerful engine. Add to this the Toyota quality assurance and this should make it a trouble free experience for owners of this car. Yes there are few cost cutting which are debated and even I do not approve off but as of now I am enjoying the drive !

[amalji]

Originally Posted by VeluM

Against Optra:

• ARAI 17.9kmpl. Not too bad in itself. Not sure if the Etios will actually return 23kmpl in the real world (city) conditions

Etios Diesel initial average mileage on Kochi city ( Aggressive driving style, mostly keeping the vehicle in the turbo range of 1800 to 2400 ) is 15 kmpl. I hope, I might get 17-18 kmpl on the highways of Kerala with the same driving style.

For comparison purpose,
I got 16.5 kmpl on the highways, when I drove a Ford Figo on the highway ( Trivandrum to Kochi ) @ day time.
With my Esteem MPFi ( LPG ), I used to get 9kmpl for the same route with the same style of driving.

PS: All mileage calculations are done with AC on for the full duration of the drive.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Glad to know that you are enjoying your car & thanks for sharing your initial impressions. Have you already started your ownership thread, can you please post the link over here?

Not yet started. I need to experience the car for atleast 1 month before I can start an ownership thread. But, initial impressions are mostly positive.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

I believe you might have driven @ 140 kmph on an open road/ or highway. Just want to know how the car pulls on the highway when fully loaded. No doubt it has good driveability within city with very little turbo lag (owing to the smaller turbo), but I have apprehensions about its highway capabilities. Can you please throw some light on that?

Wishing you many many happy (s)miles, enjoy your car & do keep us updated @ your experience.

Before, I review that, I will explain to you my driving style so that you are not mis-guided.

Normally during my 200 kms drive from Kochi to Trivandrum on Esteem, the no: of vehicles overtaking me is in the range of 1 to 3. It's not because I accelerate hard and fast always. It's because of the timing of relative speed build-up. It's with the same style that I drive the Etios as well.

On Esteem, I do it with less gear changes, thanks to that tall gearing even for lower gears ( 100 kmph on 2nd gear is a possibility on the Esteem ) and the happy revving engine.

On Etios, I do it by shifting quickly and keeping the vehicle in the peak turbo range ( 1800 to 2500 rpms ). If you don't mind shifting gears at the right timings, Etios is a great car to drive even on the highways.

At 100 kmph on 5th, the engine is relaxed at 2200 rpm ( That's as tall a gearing as the tall geared Esteem! ). The advantage at that point is Etios, is still at its peak torque range ( 1800-2400 rpm ). Pushing to 120 kmph from 100kmph is a breeze. Initially, I didn't want to take it further since, I thought, the engine might get noisy. But, I tried it once and was surprised to see that even 140 kmph is not hard work for this car. I guess, the aerodynamic styling of the roof and glasses help here to lessen the effect of drag factor at such high speeds.

The most inspiring of everything was the braking and straight line stability. Even at 140 kmph, I was confident about keeping the vehicle in my control in the event of hard braking.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by amalji

Not yet started. I need to experience the car for atleast 1 month before I can start an ownership thread. But, initial impressions are mostly positive.

No issues, take your own time. One month should be a good enough time to know all the pros & cons of your car. You can then pen down a very comprehensive review. Looking forward to that very eagerly.

Originally Posted by amalji

On Etios, I do it by shifting quickly and keeping the vehicle in the peak turbo range ( 1800 to 2500 rpms ). If you don't mind shifting gears at the right timings, Etios is a great car to drive even on the highways.

At 100 kmph on 5th, the engine is relaxed at 2200 rpm ( That's as tall a gearing as the tall geared Esteem! ). The advantage at that point is Etios, is still at its peak torque range ( 1800-2400 rpm ). Pushing to 120 kmph from 100kmph is a breeze. Initially, I didn't want to take it further since, I thought, the engine might get noisy. But, I tried it once and was surprised to see that even 140 kmph is not hard work for this car. I guess, the aerodynamic styling of the roof and glasses help here to lessen the effect of drag factor at such high speeds.

The most inspiring of everything was the braking and straight line stability. Even at 140 kmph, I was confident about keeping the vehicle in my control in the event of hard braking.

Thanks for sharing that experience. From your above explanation what I can understand is that the Etios D seems to be a workhorse, pleasure to drive in the city & equally competent on open highways. I was a bit skeptic @ its highway capabilities, given that a fixed geometry turbo does the duty instead of a variable geometry, but now I believe my fear was unfounded. This car seems to have got all the basics right be it the ride, handling, mileage, braking etc. The only areas where it seems to be behind the competition are the looks (which are subjective), features, built (sheet metal).

Have you tried driving the car on highways with 5 adults & a bootfull of luggage? Does it behave any different when fully loaded.

[vishnugs]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Have you tried driving the car on highways with 5 adults & a bootfull of luggage? Does it behave any different when fully loaded.

I have done several long trips with 5 passengers on my Etios (P) including BLR - Thirupathi, trip involving hills. The car is well balanced and is reassuring on highway. I have driven uptown 150kmph, it was good, it definitely had juice to do some more. The car has very less drag coefficient compared to Swift that I had owned earlier so can climb and remain at high speeds with ease.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by vishnugs

I have done several long trips with 5 passengers on my Etios (P) including BLR - Thirupathi, trip involving hills. The car is well balanced and is reassuring on highway. I have driven uptown 150kmph, it was good, it definitely had juice to do some more. The car has very less drag coefficient compared to Swift that I had owned earlier so can climb and remain at high speeds with ease.

That is quite reassuring. The Etios (P) is quite torquey & the least weighing sedan, hence can understand that it can pull effortlessly. However does this hold true for the Etios (D) as well? Moroever when there are 5 adults & boot full luggage does the rear end sag like that of a Dezire?

[amalji]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

That is quite reassuring. The Etios (P) is quite torquey & the least weighing sedan, hence can understand that it can pull effortlessly. However does this hold true for the Etios (D) as well? Moroever when there are 5 adults & boot full luggage does the rear end sag like that of a Dezire?

With regards to sagging, I think, I've seen Etios sag when the boot is fully loaded. Maybe, it's due to the softer suspensions. I haven't tried luggage on my car yet. I'll let you know, when I try it out.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Thanks for sharing that experience. From your above explanation what I can understand is that the Etios D seems to be a workhorse, pleasure to drive in the city & equally competent on open highways. I was a bit skeptic @ its highway capabilities, given that a fixed geometry turbo does the duty instead of a variable geometry, but now I believe my fear was unfounded. This car seems to have got all the basics right be it the ride, handling, mileage, braking etc.

True.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Have you tried driving the car on highways with 5 adults & a bootfull of luggage? Does it behave any different when fully loaded.

When I did 140, there were just 3 people on the car without any luggage.
Yesterday, I tried it with 5 adults, but not the luggage. Traffic in Kochi kept me at 120 kmph. I couldn't try out 140 kmph. The engine did not feel strained.

[andromeda]

Originally Posted by amalji

With regards to sagging, I think, I've seen Etios sag when the boot is fully loaded. Maybe, it's due to the softer suspensions. I haven't tried luggage on my car yet. I'll let you know, when I try it out.

Yep. There is definitely sagging as the car is loaded/occupied. With 2 people (with full/no boot load) you can take on the speed breakers in the 2nd gear.
But when the second row is full (5 people) + boot loaded, I definitely have to slow down at the speed breakers and get to 1st gear. Any faster, the car ends up scraping the tarmac.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by amalji

At 100 kmph on 5th, the engine is relaxed at 2200 rpm

I want to correct myself here. @100 kmph on 5th gear, the engine rpm is just 2000! That's real tall and means that the fun lasts for more time on the high way. 85 kmph to 140 kmph on 5th gear is so easy, thanks to the combination of tall gearing and flat peak torque from 1800 rpm to 2400 rpm. After understanding the gear ratio and power band of this car ( I've driven 1500 kms now ), driving experience on my etios diesel has become fun. Shift the gears properly on etios diesel and you can overtake most vehicles on highway with ease.

Braking is fantastic which adds to the comfort and confidence level of the driver at very high speeds.

Short and slick gear shifts ensures that you don't lose much time when you shift gears to get into the peak torque band.

[srikanthp3]

I wanted to buy one too (had just sold an Innova), but what put me off was its dated finish, and --- CABLE TIES TO HOLD THE WHEEL RIMS!! My expensive Innova had one, but Toyota-don't you learn?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by srikanthp3

I wanted to buy one too (had just sold an Innova), but what put me off was its dated finish, and --- CABLE TIES TO HOLD THE WHEEL RIMS!! My expensive Innova had one, but Toyota-don't you learn?

Cable ties are not used to hold the rims!! They are used to hold the plastic wheel cap. For some reason, people put them on for added security. If you remove them the wheel cap will not fly off.

[srikanthp3]

Sorry - thats what I meant. But without the plastic rims, the wheel looks bare....shouldnt Toyota do something about it? I dont think ANY other car in India has its wheels sporting cable ties .

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by srikanthp3

Sorry - thats what I meant. But without the plastic rims, the wheel looks bare....shouldnt Toyota do something about it? I dont think ANY other car in India has its wheels sporting cable ties .

Seen every different brand of car in India with the same plastic ties holding the wheel caps in place. Not sure why. I'm pretty sure they don't come from Toyota, but are put on by the dealers or more likely the owners. Where were yours fitted, and why do you think Toyotas in particular need them?

AFAIK Toyota does offer wheel caps with the Etios. Let me know if I am mistaken

[koushik]

Originally Posted by mohan41

Wish the cars had a "power clutch" (similar to power steering)

Why none of the reviews in all magazines/websites provide the timings for 0-100 and in gear speed timings? Not expecting to see great numbers for 0-100 but in gear figures for 3rd gear (20-80) and 4th gear (40-100) could be interesting for comparison with the other cars.

I will try to furnish some data you are looking for.I have done 7000 kms in my Etios GD mostly on highways. As I have used my friend's Corolla D-4D for several months and which inspired me to go for Etios, it would be interesting to compare these two cars. Both the cars share the same 1ND-TV engine and same gear box and final drive ratio.The sixth gear in the corolla has been removed in Etios. The 1ND-TV engine has been detuned for better mileage. It seems that engine power has been reduced in proportion with the reduction in body weight without compromising anything in performance.
I was looking for a car with generous dimensions , light body weight , respectable power to weight ratio and above all bullet proof reliability.

I feel that etios has a unique driving characteristic.Driveability is comparable with corolla if you do not drive too fast.The gearbox is easy to use and shifts are pleasently smooth.I do not know of any better diesel car for relaxed driving on Indian highways in this category.
It is said that diesel engine vibration and engine clatter is an issue for this car. I have been using diesel cars for many years. Honestly speaking the engine clatter is a negligible issue.

As regards to acceleration , I tried to get data on a private cemented road near Madhuban dam in Silvassa. It reaches 0 to 60 kmph in 5.9 seconds and 0 to 100kmph in 14.9 seconds. After crossing the speed of 150kmph the engine starts becoming very very noisy but still I could manage to cross 170 kmph. Further on downhill the speed was incredibly fast.

As regards to mileage it is in the range of 18 to 20 kms per litre on highway driving.

After completing 10 K I will furnish more interesting datas.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by srikanthp3

Sorry - thats what I meant. But without the plastic rims, the wheel looks bare....shouldnt Toyota do something about it? I dont think ANY other car in India has its wheels sporting cable ties .

Think different, Toyota is urging it's customers to upgrade into an alloy to make your ride hotter!

Frankly, as being posted in the tread, the plastic threads are there for additional safety. I don't have any on my Swift for 3 years, but I never had any problems of the caps flying off. I have seen mechanics putting considerable efforts to have it removed while wheel balancing.

In fact what I noticed is, the OEM wheel caps fit well and are sturdy while after market ones have a higher probability of the caps flying off when jumping into pot holes or under hard cornering etc.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

...

I am sure you would have got to see most of the colors on Etios in flesh, if not all. Which one do you pick as your favourite?? Liva looks the most flashy in blue & red (?)