[eq24]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Maybe it will turn a blessing in disguise for Toyota that the taxi segment shifts to the Evalia and they are able to return Innova to a premium family lifestyle vehicle placing that they have been trying it to be.

I don't think that will be very good for Toyota, unless its a really premium lifestyle product any numbers are good numbers. Even though Innovas are so common as Taxi, large family types never think twice before getting an innova for personal use.

Coming back to Evalia, I have not seen a single one in Gurgaon yet, whats up ?and I read somewhere about discounts, is it already that bad?

[vinair]

Test drove the Evalia last week and man I am mighty impressed!!

High driving position coupled with the light steering and a responsive engine were really impressive. I could just walk into the driver seat and once I was seated, the view was really good, commanding and at the same time with almost no blind spots.

Never did the Evalia throw its weight around (quite literally) and the ride was really good. I even found the fixed glasses on the middle row quite fine as the A/C did a pretty good job.

Third row is tight on space and yes, is best suited for kids or adults of medium stature (for short trips only..).

I was looking for a yellow board version and trust me, Nissan already has a customer if they were to introduce a taxi version!

[deetjohn]

Of late, I am seeing a number of Evalia on road around Ernakulam, both taxi and private vehicle and even in the signature green colour.

The front windows are huge. And the Nissan looks very undertyred on road.

[varunnaidu]

Originally Posted by swiftdiesel

Nice report there varunnaidu! How was the engine behaving with a full load? Did you get to do some hill driving?

Sorry to get back late on this. The engine was fine all through but there was no full load so cant say. Subsequently ive found it to be lacking in situations where the ac is on and youre starting off on an incline with a fuller load. Once warranty expires i migh put in a Petes tuning box in there to bump up some power.

Other observations:

Braking distance is scaaary. I found myself almost up the tail pipes of the vehicle in front a number of times. I attribute this to narrow tyres and the facts that it has two discs only. needs four.

I find metal sheet gauge / thickness of this to be better than that of the duster. Duster doors feel so flimsy, and even a maruti sx4 metal sheet work feels bit stronger!

Prospective evalia/nissan customers beware of there paining finish. I just discovered a strange feature on the roof/sidewall joining weld - a spot of unpainted metal that came under a jagged flap of ductile metal around 1/2 cm big that was sticking out!! Strange. Have brought it to notice of dealer around a month back, theyre and Nissan India are still sleeping over it. AM nissan, Goa. Now im launching nuclear war with the company.

Note from the Team-BHP Support: Please use the EDIT button instead of typing one post after another on the same thread.

[anjan_c2007]

Thanks Rehaan for the lovely review. Must say "aap ne hamari muh ki baat chhin li". But the detailed review you have done has gone into the knitty-gritty of the Evalia weighing all the possible pros and cons. I am also summing up my experience here.
I got more interested in this thread upon my rendezvous with this MPV, a few days ago. The 1461 cc/85 bhp diesel engine it shares, is from the Renault- Nissan stable and is a poorer (lower sales) competitor to the much liked, richer (higher sales) but trim (1248cc) Fiat MJD.
I was driven on a brand new Nissan Evalia from Pune to Mumbai a few days ago and took chances at occupying the front,rear window and rear centre seats.The seating configuration was two (front), three (second) and 2 + 2 (bench seats) at the rear.
On the looks department, the front is not aggressively styled but is unassuming and quite like any van in the garage next door. For its price, the front needs to be restyled. The Indian market takes kindly to aggressive looks - take a cue from M&M. Such a styling may be OK for the developed market.
The wheels are too sleek, as rightly pointed out .
The rear styling looks confused and the intent of the designer is not clear. The tail lights and reflectors are all messed up- is it the French or Japanese confusion? We in India are located somewhere in the middle from the West and the Far East.
Coming to the interiors,the plastics are quite OK quality wise. As rightly pointed the dash does not have any lockable glove box- this is a Rs 10 L MPV and all the papers etc are left for perusal of everyone.We are in the Right to Information Age rightly.
The version I travelled in, had 2 airbags for the two front passengers.Seated on the front passenger seat, the comfort level is quite OK and the outside view excellent. Leg room is ample. The dash mounted gear lever has a bulbous plastic periphery surrounding it. All this takes up a lot of space but considering that the engine is mounted in its normal front position and not below the driver's seat like many Vans,this little space sacrifice would be OK.Engine noise intrusion, even at high speeds into the cabin is minimum and acceptable.The music system does not have any USB port and this cannot be let off lightly.The front is too short and no competitor offers this kind of a nimble machine. The power steering and the minimal front extension of the engine bay facilitates the Evalia to dodge the traffic and many other four wheelers and through the roads and lanes of Mumbai and Pune during peak hours.
The rear window seats to the left and right are OK but the legroom is quite minimum.The third row was non-existent in the version I travelled in, but the 2+2 bench seats and the huge luggage space intruded with the second row leg space.
And if one has to be seated in the middle part of the second row, he or she has little leg space. The hump on the floor being missed is a blessing, but the legs cannot be stretched at all. I am 5'7" tall but imagine someone taller here. Three passengers on the second row bench are not that comfortable, as in the Innova or the Xylo that are listed here.The bottle holders are sorely missed but there are a whole lot of cup holders. The second bench does not have grab handles on the roof for long distance travel. The ingress grab handles located near the driver and front passenger's heads, do their duty for a minute during ingress. Even the employees with no work are declared as surplus, then how come these part time working, grab handles remain?
And the rear second row passengers don't get the usual door arm rest for long distance travel- they never can, as the doors are sliding ones. The front seats get arm rests and these are quite a solace for long distance travel.The windows on the sliding doors are permanently fixed and cannot be opened at all.
The AC at position TWO, with the air circulation on for the floor and head levels never left any stone unturned- cooling was excellent for the 1500 cc engine with four plus one passengers (all adults) and some luggage. The MPV never felt much underpowered and cruised beautifully I must say, at 80-90 kmph. We never exceeded 90 kmph but reached Mumbai by 3.45 pm. Starting from Pune at 12.15 pm it was nearly 1.00 pm by the time we exited Pune.
The driver was praising the frugal fuel consumption and great handling of the MPV. The front wheel drive, less kerb weight and the smaller engine are all favourable.
Who knows, it may soon become the favourite of taxi operators? It beats the Tavera, that should be its main competitor on many fronts for a big slice in the taxi segment.
Though good as a privately owned MPV, the niggles need to be sorted out sooner.
I could not take pictures, but have had a talk with the local dealer and will also post pictures soon.

[varunnaidu]

Originally Posted by swiftdiesel

Nice report there varunnaidu! How was the engine behaving with a full load? Did you get to do some hill driving?

Sorry for reverting late on this. I did hill driving and it was fine, some amount of body roll as is to be expected. However in a full load of seven people one has to ensure that the throttle is used well and gears are not shifted early, else it stalls without any warning. I believe that an engine in a higher powered state of tune would have been better for this vehicle.

[dhandapanik]

T-Board Evalia (KL state registration) spotted in Chennai. Never seen any TN registered Evalia Taxi. In what all states has Nissan allowed Evalia to be registered under yellow board.





Pic:Subramanian R

[bblost]

I saw my first Evalia on the road in Hyderabad. I had seen it parked at the dealership. But this was the first time I saw it on the road.

It looks like a minibus.

I don't think anyone who wants a personal vehicle will really like this one. Unless the buyer has a big family and for some reason will not buy the Innova or Ertiga.

[blackasta]

Evalia is a regular sight during my daily commute to office - all of them are white, well maintained and belong to a reputed travel agency. I suspect they are used for airport drops for groups.

[StarrySky]

I have seen the Evalia multiple times on road in Kerala - and they were all taxis. So yes, it looks like Evalia has not found favour among families.

[rrnsss]

I saw 8 or 9 evalias for post delivery pooja at the "body guard Muneeswarar" temple near central station , chennai. Looks like they were all for a travel agency.

[amitdan]

Interestingly, that's what I was assuming as well, that this would be a commercial people carrier. I have seen this being driven by a family, young guy with young kids. The vehicle looks too big for an urban commuter, and am not sure to how many other private owners it will appeal to. The seating position of the driver and passenger seemed pretty high.
Also does not look like a vehicle people might want to drive, rather have a driver to drive it.

[varunnaidu]

Makes for a very good urban vehicle and also lots of space fr a family. Its footprint is equivalent to an innova but its much more sprightly. Looks are a subjective issue but i would say its been a very underrated car. Im happy to have chosen it - 4500 kms and four months gone.

[Rehaan]

Wow, this is a sweet kit for the Evalia from Motormind





Thanks to Scorcher for pointing it out in another thread.

cya
R

[ByDesign]

Those puny tires make me want to hurl when I see this bread box. This is the absolute limit. Where's the ride comfort, stability and aesthetics with tires that size? I'd probably make up 0.1% of the customer base for this vehicle, but I'd 'steer' clear of this van just because of this atrocity.

The review's nice and detailed. Thank you. + 1 thanked.