[dkaile]

Originally Posted by automachine

Quality of plastics and interior is not up to mark. Not sure if Toyota can say this is quality product unless these prove durable over period.More on the updates as I get to know the car more.

Let me assure you that Toyota plastics and interiors will easily last you a decade, as a actual user of Qualis plastics (quite similar to the Etios ones) for the last 9 years.

[automachine]

Originally Posted by mohan41

Is this harder compared to the SX4 diesel's clutch?

Well the SX4 ZDI clutch seems lighter than Etios VD. I think it could also be due to the fact that the SX4 had run over 3700 km whereas the Etios was brand new out of showroom.

[mohan41]

Originally Posted by automachine

Well the SX4 ZDI clutch seems lighter than Etios VD. I think it could also be due to the fact that the SX4 had run over 3700 km whereas the Etios was brand new out of showroom.

Experts feel that clutch will get harder with use and not the other way. Please refer to Vidyut's post in response a similar query of mine in this thread itself: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2517558

Looks like SX4 D has the lightest clutch among diesel cars. Many other posts mentioned so, and your observation seems to confirm that.

[automachine]

@Mohan41: I think my experience so far is similar to what you have covered in your test run earlier.

It would be uncomfortable if the Etios D clutch gets harder in long run.
Another thing is that the gear box is not exactly the slickest. There is this gear rod 'thug' sound as you engage the gears as if there is some hollowness below without proper packaging. Or maybe because the overall sheet metal is thin to allow quite a lot of sounds below the floor to seep inside. Engine is more noisy outside and sounds more like Innova as one of my relative pointed out. Also I noticed that inside there is a slight different additional sound note like 'voooo' at speeds around 40-70 at low rpm. I am sure this is not seen in other diesels i have driven.
Overall I am enjoying the city driving in Etios VD so far in two days of driving.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by automachine

Hi guys, Just took delivery of my Etios VD today. Maybe I would attempt to do an ownership review soon.

Congratulations on a sensible purchase. Please do start a review thread and update it into a long term review thread, because we would love to have as many owners perspectives on the forum for the benefit of all. You are very objective in your assessment of the vehicle, so would appreciate the contribution.

Wish you many happy iles and a trouble-free ownership!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by automachine

@Mohan41: I think my experience so far is similar to what you have covered in your test run earlier.

It would be uncomfortable if the Etios D clutch gets harder in long run.

I also found the clutch on the harder side. I was a bit tense since, my mother too booked Liva Diesel. Initially, she told that it felt harder, but after driving the car for 20 minutes, she liked the overall feel. I asked her to minimize the use of clutch due to the availability of torque in hand. Asked her to slow down on any gear, and then try to pick up smoothly. She was able to do that without engine knocking. She felt good about it. ( She used to drive a Zen ). I still hope, it doesn't get any harder though.

Originally Posted by automachine

@Mohan41: Another thing is that the gear box is not exactly the slickest. There is this gear rod 'thug' sound as you engage the gears as if there is some hollowness below without proper packaging. Or maybe because the overall sheet metal is thin to allow quite a lot of sounds below the floor to seep inside.

In fact, I found it really slick and short. Maybe, you are applying force in the wrong direction or in a direction you were slotting in on a different car brand ?

Originally Posted by automachine

@Mohan41:
Engine is more noisy outside and sounds more like Innova as one of my relative pointed out. Also I noticed that inside there is a slight different additional sound note like 'voooo' at speeds around 40-70 at low rpm. I am sure this is not seen in other diesels i have driven.
Overall I am enjoying the city driving in Etios VD so far in two days of driving.

Can you record this sound somehow and post it here ? I also felt a sound, but that was not 'voo' sound. Rather, it was small diesel clatter.

PS: I got a call from Toyota that my car allotment is ON. So, will start with loan processing from Monday on.

[automachine]

Originally Posted by amalji

In fact, I found it really slick and short. Maybe, you are applying force in the wrong direction or in a direction you were slotting in on a different car brand ?

Can you record this sound somehow and post it here ? I also felt a sound, but that was not 'voo' sound. Rather, it was small diesel clatter.

PS: I got a call from Toyota that my car allotment is ON. So, will start with loan processing from Monday on.

Well the gear level engagement is easy, but not much feedback as compared to maruti cars.

I would definitely record the sound and have it posted.
I am sure your mother would love the car. The steering is light and easy to drive around in city as acceleration is also linear with almost negligible lag.
It may not be an powerful car but its practical on most aspect. I am going to write an ownsership review soon to provide my perspective.

[vinay_tw]

Dear All,

I have booked an Etios and waiting for delivery from Viva Toyota, Bangalore. I did quite some research on C segment cars and finally decided on Etios Diesel, as Toyota has always been popular for diesel vehicles and with a promise of 23.95 km/l n Etios, it looked a good option.

I was promised delivery before Diwali for a booking on Sep 29. However, I must say that Viva Toyota has been rather poor in customer management. Viva not only missed its own commitment of delivery date, it has also not bothered to contact me to give an update on the status of my vehicle so far. Moreover, the salesman with whom I was interacting (and who pestered me no end to buy the petrol car), has left Viva without a trace. This hasn't been very encouraging for me as I had discussed my plans for the car, accessories and the discounts with him. Without access to any other personnel from Viva, I am now stranded.

In the meanwhile, one of my office colleagues took delivery of Chevrolet Optra Magnum a couple of days back and told me how good the car is and the competitive pricing Trident offered him (Rs. 9.86 lakhs + accessories like reverse sensor, sun films, mats, etc.). What blew me away was the engine specifications (2l diesel with 120 bhp power) and the near top end features of the LS version at the price mentioned. As Toyota gives me nothing with the 8.9 lakh VD, I have to spend an additional 20-25k for accessories. If I could add another 70 k, I can get a bigger car, with better power and proven capabilities. With so many negative reviews on Etios' NVH levels and poor interiors I am now getting tempted to look at Optra Magnum. I have paid Rs. 50k as advance booking for Etios and have done my bank loan formalities.

So, my question to the TBHP folks. Is it a sane option to look at Chevy Optra now at the last minute? I haven't read too many negative reviews about Optra, apart from its poor resale value. What do you think are the problems with Optra vis-a-vis Etios? Mileage is very important for me. What is Optra's realistic mileage figures? I am keen to know your feedback.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by vinay_tw

So, my question to the TBHP folks. Is it a sane option to look at Chevy Optra now at the last minute? I haven't read too many negative reviews about Optra, apart from its poor resale value. What do you think are the problems with Optra vis-a-vis Etios? Mileage is very important for me. What is Optra's realistic mileage figures? I am keen to know your feedback.

My short take, if you are not bothered at all by the big drop in resale value of the Optra:

For Optra:

• Is a segment up
• Looks good
• Power, performance
• All disc brakes

Against Optra:

• Bigger, heavier (although this is a plus for me, it may be a minus for others)
• ARAI 17.9kmpl. Not too bad in itself. Not sure if the Etios will actually return 23kmpl in the real world (city) conditions
• Slightly dated interiors (again subjective)
• Does not have ABS/Airbags (in LS) - biggest negative
• Chevy's iffy and variable A.S.S

I will leave others with more experience of each vehicle to talk about other aspects like how the interiors of the Optra fare against the slightly poor (looking) interiors of the Etios, and their comparative rear seat space.

This will not be a tough decision if you consider what is important to you. Personally, the only thing that I would really worry about that is lacking in the Optra LS would be ABS.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by vinay_tw

So, my question to the TBHP folks. Is it a sane option to look at Chevy Optra now at the last minute? I haven't read too many negative reviews about Optra, apart from its poor resale value. What do you think are the problems with Optra vis-a-vis Etios? Mileage is very important for me. What is Optra's realistic mileage figures? I am keen to know your feedback.

Thats not a very tough choice. Just ask yourself if you are cool with the fact that the Optra might be discontinued in the near future or may undergo a radical change since its been in its present skin from a long time now. And its not doing great numbers on the sales chart. If discontinued I am not sure how the spare part availability work out. Again let me clarify that this is mere speculation although logic does make me wanna believe that the car will undergo some change sooner than later.

Also the after sales servicing cost will be slightly higher for the Optra as compared to the Etios.

Other then these 2 minor glitches I don't think there is any comparison between the 2 cars. Member positive and many other optra owners already take offence that the car belonging to the C+ segment has to compete with the C segment cars. And now you are comparing it with an entry level sedan.
Optra is a far better car. Its bigger, more powerful, probably more spacious, better interiors perhaps and a better status value ( in case that matters to you). FE is reported around 12 for the car. Etios diesel should return you more then 15 easily. My Altis which shares the same engine returns me 17 in Delhi traffic with 100% AC and 21.3 on the highway.

But if you fine with Optra's future prospects then i would recommend the Optra.

BTW what are your requirements? May be you should post the query in the what car section. You can also consider the Manza, Fiesta classic, Sx4 or add a little more and can get the Vento and Verna.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by vinay_tw

As Toyota gives me nothing with the 8.9 lakh VD, I have to spend an additional 20-25k for accessories. If I could add another 70 k, I can get a bigger car, with better power and proven capabilities. With so many negative reviews on Etios' NVH levels and poor interiors I am now getting tempted to look at Optra Magnum. I have paid Rs. 50k as advance booking for Etios and have done my bank loan formalities.

At that price, I would rather shell out an extra lakh & buy a car which DOES NOT look built to cost. And remember, at that price you get a much superior car except for the T badge. If you plan to keep the car for 5 years, I would suggest you go with Optra.

Coming to mileage, you can get the ARAI FE when you go on highway trips with in the mentioned speeds & parameters. In city, I would expect a mileage which is almost 4 kmpl less than ARAI FE.

Regarding FE, I can assure that Etios will give you better figures for the same driving style. If you drive Optra sanely, you might get upto 20 kmpl for your highway trips [Going by the difference I get on my Swift D on highways, compared to ARAI figures].

Note: Since I guess you are looking for an entry sedan model, have you checked the Verito? Now there have a limited edition and from the pictures the car looked good to me. And it's a proven workhorse, damn good FE & better interiors compared to Etios if you ask me. And rest all are mostly inline with the Etios too; space, power, boot, comfort, drive-ability etc.

Mahindra Verito Executive: http://www.mahindraverito.com/ExecutiveEdition/

Edit:: I have my own reservations on the re-sale value of Etios / Liva as I don't think these are NOT runaway hits like the other products from Toyota. They will have a decent value, may not command a premium in used car markets though [like Qualis / Innova]

[amalji]

5 days of Etios Diesel Ownership - I'm completely satisfied with this vehicle. Worth every penny, I would say. The car stays stable @ 140 kmph. Braking at high speeds inspires a lot of confidence. And everyone who got inside the car was satisfied with abundance of space and glass area in the vehicle. This is one of the best vehicles I have ever driven.

I'm glad, I trusted GTO's and Vid's review.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by amalji

5 days of Etios Diesel Ownership - I'm completely satisfied with this vehicle. Worth every penny, I would say. The car stays stable @ 140 kmph. Braking at high speeds inspires a lot of confidence. And everyone who got inside the car was satisfied with abundance of space and glass area in the vehicle. This is one of the best vehicles I have ever driven.

I'm glad, I trusted GTO's and Vid's review.

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?

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.

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by amalji

I'm glad, I trusted GTO's and Vid's review.

Deja vu! I too was glad that I decided to trust GTO's detailed balanced review and my own TD experiences amidst all the Etios-bashing on the forum and the curious looks and well-meaning yet gratuitous suggestions of acquaintances. Am a happy Etios (P) owner now. Till this day, even after several new launches, I can't see any other car below 10 lakhs that meets my needs better.

Kudos to team-bhp!

[heman_369]

+1 to this. The official team-bhp review + detailed test drive should be good enough to decide which car suits you the best and which you can buy. I was really nervous after booking Etios(P) immediately after launch. The extensive and unbiased review by GTO made me breath easy and the test drive sealed the deal. Thanks GTO and mods.
Now i am a very satisfied owner after 10K kms. My detailed review can be found here.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...km-review.html