[tbppjpr]

At one point of time, Indian car buyers had been left with choices of 800cc to 1.2 ltr cars for long time in the hatchback segment. Most of the times these cars were capable of making below 75hp power. Few manufacturers like Fiat tried to enter in the powerful hatchback segment with more powerful variant of Palio but they didn't got succeed. It was said that the car was ahead of their time and Indian buyers are not yet fully prepared to accept such cars.

Time changed, new players entered in the middle class car segments. One of the recent entrant VW also tried out entering in the segment with GT TSI and GTD variants of the their hatchback car Polo and this time market took them with warm heart and cars seen some success. Some other manufacturers like Toyota also decided to play their cards after seeing possibilities in this segment and launched more powerful variant of their hatchback car naming it Liva Sportivo. Car has been for long enough duration in the market but never seen any remarkable numbers.

On the other hand manufacturers like Fiat are preparing to bring much more powerful car like Punto Abarth making power of around 140hp, whereas manufacturer like Toyota is getting forced to discontinue the Liva Sportivo due to extremely low sell.

"Toyota has discontinued the Sportivo editions of the Toyota Etios Liva hatchback, reports the site. The Etios Liva Sportivo was available with two engine options. While a powerful 1.5-liter petrol engine made 90 bhp for the hatchback, the company retained the diesel engine from the standard model giving the car just visual embellishments.

The discontinuation makes business sense, as the Etios Liva has found more traction with the tour operators segment as opposed to the personal segment it was initially targeted at."

Source : IAB

[Rajeevraj]

Toyota has decided to discontinue the Liva TRD Sportivo. The Etios Liva Sportivo was available with two engine options. The powerful 1.5-liter petrol engine ( which does duty in the Etios) made 90 bhp for the hatchback, the company retained the diesel engine from the standard model giving the car just visual embellishments. The cars were designed in conjunction with Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and also displayed the numerous accessories that customers could pick at the showrooms

When launched the Liva Sportivo was considered the closest available to a hot hatch and the only competitor to the GT TSI.

While the sales have been poor, it is a little surprising that Toyota is choosing to pull it out of the market at this point of time when others are slowing getting into the high performing hatch segment (GT TSI, Figo 1.5 DCT, Punto Abarth). Maybe they could have thrown in an AT box on the TRD Liva Sportivo and kept it running.

From the Official Review:

The engine & performance are the real talking points of the Liva TRD Sportivo. The 1.5L petrol motor is borrowed from its sedan sibling, the Etios. It runs an identical state of tune and produces the same power & torque figures. This 16V 4 cylinder DOHC 1496 cc unit is rated at 89 BHP (5,600 rpm) & 132 Nm of torque (3,000 rpm). The BHP / Liter output of 59.33 is pretty modest. Due to its light kerb weight though, the Liva 1.5 has a power to weight ratio of 96 BHP / tonne. That's better than any petrol hatchback, including the erstwhile Palio 1.6. It must be mentioned that the Liva 1.5L is 5 kilos heavier than the Etios base variant.

Get rolling and you’ll be left pleasantly surprised at the sheer driveability on tap. Torque delivery from low rpms is phenomenal, easily the best in class. 2nd gear can effortlessly pull the car from crawling speeds, as can the 3rd from as low as 20 kph. Depending on the traffic density, you could use either the 2nd or 3rd ratios like an automatic within the city. The Liva 1.5 can even get away from a speed-breaker in 2nd itself, a situation where most other cars require a downshift to 1st. Point worth noting : Shift into 5th gear a little over 50 kph, and the engine doesn’t complain. Where the Liva 1.2 had dull torque delivery, the Liva 1.5 is extremely tractable and makes light work of driving about in urban conditions. You won’t be working the gear lever as often as in most other petrol hatchbacks.

Out on the open road is where the fun begins. Slot the gear into first, slam the accelerator and release the clutch. There is a fair amount of torque steer. By now, you realise this isn't the ordinary, boring Liva. The car's quick acceleration is thoroughly enjoyable and easily makes it among the fastest petrol hatchbacks on sale today. The TRD Sportivo accelerates clean to a 100 kph, and eagerly continues beyond. What's more, throttle response is sharp, especially when compared to the Polo / Fabia 1.6L petrol. The mid-range packs a punch, making highway overtaking moves quick & easy. At the end of our spirited drive, we had a smile plastered all over our face. On the flip side, the 1.5L isn't a high-revving motor like the 1.2L of the Brio and i10. The revv-limiter cuts in at a mere 5,900 rpm! Also, over 5,000 rpm, the engine gets buzzy and sounds nowhere as sweet as the Honda or Hyundai 1.2s. The Liva's 5th gear isn’t too tall. Actually, all of the gear ratios seem to be tuned short for city driveability. On the highway at 100 kph, the revv needle is hovering just under 3,000 rpm. For a stock car, the exhaust note sounds good, even on the outside. Toyota says that the refreshed 2013 models have an updated exhaust system. The Liva 1.5's ARAI rating is 16.78 kpl. Real-world fuel economy should be the same as the Etios.

The 5 speed gearbox is smooth to use. Shift quality is positive, gates are well defined and the throw is just right. The clutch has an unusually short travel and is effortless to operate. It’s also reasonably light and makes gear-shifting an easy exercise. Overall NVH levels have improved from the early Etios & Liva that we tested. However, it's still not a match to the competition. The motor is fairly audible inside, even at the 2,500 - 3,000 rpm range. At 100 kph, road and tyre noise inside the cabin were on the higher side. The 2013 cars get hydraulic engine mounts (instead of the earlier rubber mounts). Vibrations are well under control. In GTO's Liva 1.2L review, he complained of a noisy suspension. This problem has also been addressed in the refreshed 2013 models.

In my view they should have made an attempt to revamp the interiors, load it with features on par for the segment and promoted it in a big way. Today I am sure not many people are aware that a Liva TRD Sportivo existed.


Sources:
IAB
Carwale

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

For all the premium the Toyota brand commands, a huge majority of their sales come from tour, taxi, cab and hotel operators.

The TRD never even came up as an option for enthusiasts, as the engine alone was not good enough to hide the many weaknesses of the car. Plus- Toyota ruined the brand TRD by offering it on their diesel Etios (with body kit) used by a lot of cabbies in cities like Bangalore.

This one won't be missed IMO!

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

This one won't be missed IMO!

Agreed!
In fact, even if both the Etios twins are dropped, no private buyer would miss it.
Those with budget of about 8-10 lakhs has several things on mind, and big boot space is one of the least. The top variant features of Etios are available in the mid variant of many C2 cars, that are available in similar prices.
There are very less number of private buyers who would buy their cars, truly based on how well they munch miles, right? How many private buyers would actually drive 2L kms on a car?

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

For all the premium the Toyota brand commands, a huge majority of their sales come from tour, taxi, cab and hotel operators.

The TRD never even came up as an option for enthusiasts, as the engine alone was not good enough to hide the many weaknesses of the car. Plus- Toyota ruined the brand TRD by offering it on their diesel Etios (with body kit) used by a lot of cabbies in cities like Bangalore.

This one won't be missed IMO!

Spot on. In India, brand Toyota is reduced to taxis. Barring Fortuner, all other models are seen as taxis more than as personal cars. Go to Toyota service centre and you will see sea of yellow-plates.

[Samba]

Another Toyota bashing thread in progress with the capability and non capability of the car from majority of the non users!

Toyota has stopped the Liva 1.5 TRD few months back and they have plonked the 1.5L petrol in the Etios cross. So those who want a Toyota hatch with a 1.5L option can get it in the Etios cross. If any one buy this car will buy it for the 1.5L engine not the cheap plastic body kits offered by Toyota. So for the buyers of this car it wont matter if its under the hood of Etios cross badge or Liva Trd badge.

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

There are very less number of private buyers who would buy their cars, truly based on how well they munch miles, right? How many private buyers would actually drive 2L kms on a car?

Sadly you are correct, most of the first time buyers need to spend few years with his first car to know what actually he needs from his car! At first people will select a car depending on the features or looks or from his friends advice! No wonder cars with zero safety ratings rule our Indian roads!

[sriramv.iyer]

"A car with a punchy engine, lots of space and TRD Sportivo branding will sorely be missed" - said NO one.

Toyota require a rap in their knuckle for thinking Indians would lap up whatever they offered - When Etios was launched (with AR Rahman) the car was absolutely terrible with water leaking through the doors during rains (in some cars) due to mind-boggling cost cutting.

All this Sportivo stuff was nonsense. I'd be surprised if Toyota themselves believed that this would work. Next to go should be Toyota Cross. I have seen probably a couple of them (in the months that have gone by since they launched)

Bye Bye Sportivo. You'll NOT be missed.

[amalji]

I'm glad, the taxi market adores brand Toyota for its practicality, durability / longevity , hassle free experience and the cheapest of maintenance cost ( yeah, Etios Diesel is cheaper than an Alto Petrol to maintain ). This makes Toyota's interest in India intact.

After using an Etios Diesel for 85,000 kms this is my experience.

• Zero unplanned replacements of mechanical parts except the proactive free replacement of suspensions from Toyota to solve the thud sound bug in the initial batches of the Etios.
• Terms like Lower arm, steering rattle, Tie rod end has all become unheard of after switching from Fiat & Maruti ( 800, Zen, Esteem ) to Toyota. As far as reliability is concerned, nothing can beat a Toyota.
• Whether it is just before service or after service, the car just stays the same.

[sups]

Originally Posted by amalji

Whether it is just before service or after service, the car just stays the same.

I can't agree more on this. My Liva diesel has crossed 55,000 km in little less than three years. And it feels the same before and after service. It just runs without a fuss like a trusted boring friend. And its damn cheap to maintain.

[anand_lukose]

Bumping this thread

Considering that we have very good demand for the Polo TSI, S Cross 1.6 (after the pricing debacle ) as well as the huge interest in the Punto Abarth, should Toyota reconsider launching the TRD Sportivo ?

I for one really wanted this to be back in the game. I can tolerate the absence of many of the interior creature comforts but just not that console. It has to be on the driver side.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by anand_lukose

Bumping this thread

I for one really wanted this to be back in the game. I can tolerate the absence of many of the interior creature comforts but just not that console. It has to be on the driver side.

Hey anand_lukose, I have not driven the 1.5 TRD but I have driven the Liva diesel quite a bit. It just about felt like a regular, no non-sense, built for money/reliability, A to B people mover sort of a car. I am sure the 1.5 TRD is fun to pilot, but its almost got nothing else to brag about.

I can think of the following reasons:

- Liva 1.5 TRD may be fast, but it does not seem to have the Oomph factor.

- Forget the interior feature, it just does not even look like a modern hatch from outside.

- With cars like Polo GT, Figo, Baleno, I20, etc constantly getting upgrades on all fronts, Toyota seem to be banking on their service and probably Innova/Fortuner sales. Looks like the Etios twins have been completely neglected.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by anand_lukose

Bumping this thread

Considering that we have very good demand for the Polo TSI, S Cross 1.6 (after the pricing debacle ) as well as the huge interest in the Punto Abarth, should Toyota reconsider launching the TRD Sportivo ?

I for one really wanted this to be back in the game. I can tolerate the absence of many of the interior creature comforts but just not that console. It has to be on the driver side.

The only real difference (apart from some cosmetic stuff) was the 1.5L Engine for the Liva. Although the Sportivo is no longer available, the Etios Cross does come with the 1.5L petrol. And apparently Toyota is planning to launch a special edition called Etios Cross Dynamique.