[vigsom]

a few more examples of cost cutting on the Etios

no seals at the strut joints


badly finished seal at another joint


a cheap looking hook holding the crucial cable to the exhaust sensor

[mohan41]

@vigsom: Thank you for the info. Can these cost cutting measures cause some issues in the long term use of car?

Etios excels in some areas - space, city driveability, fuel efficient diesel, A.S.S good so far. For me personally these are very important factors. However time and again I come across reports of cost cutting which make me unsure whether this car is worth going for. The other such questionable cost cutting measures I have heard on the forum in various posts are:

1. No rubber beading on the door. Yes, people have pointed out they are present on the door frame, but on my car (Getz) I see beading on both the frame and also on the door, may be both are essential to prevent both water and dust coming in?

2. rear seat is fixed in place with just two plastic locks (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2475382)

3. some gap in the underbody through which a mouse had got into car (mentioned in post above)


Among the other issues reported, it seems that NVH issues have been addressed by Toyota (refer to post http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2510146)

Ultimately with all these issues, it is difficult for me to make up my mind whether to buy this car.

[vigsom]

I think you'll be fine with the diesel ; mileage will be no issue(this is a point of concern for many petrol Etios owners) and you'll have no issues with resale.

[mohan41]

Originally Posted by vigsom

I think you'll be fine with the diesel ; mileage will be no issue(this is a point of concern for many petrol Etios owners)

Mileage is definitely not an issue. Engine tuned for FE and light weight. Must be a reliable engine too. The 1.4D-4D is used internationally in Yaris and known to be reliable. It is the build of the Etios with all that cost cutting that is concern.

and you'll have no issues with resale.

I guess you are saying that if the car starts giving issues, it can be sold off without much loss

[amateurpro]

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

Hey amateurpro, good to know about this. Hope the mileage stays that way.


I still insisted as to why the vibrations and why they were not present earlier. Ever so politely, the service engineer suggested it could possibly be that I did not notice these earlier as one often tends to get overwhelmed with the experience of a new car initially. Then he offered me to check other cars including Corolla. So here I am checking one Corolla and one Corolla Altis (both petrol). Yeah, almost similar level of vibrations exist. I am a little flummoxed, and feeling a little red-faced too. Have I overdone the vibrations concern?

.

It is good to be sure since it is a new car. You were right in insisting on reduction of the vibration levels. I am glad there is progress too.

On my mileage issue, I need to observe for a little longer period. Last one week, I have not driven my car since I was away.

[amateurpro]

Oops. I jumped the gun on mileage. There is hardly any change in mileage that I observed in subsequent driving and it continues to be 9 kmpl in city roads and 12 kmpl on highways (Had some very long drives over the weekend). My earlier observation that it returned 12 kmpl in city was more an aberration. Very sad :-(

So it is clear there are two types of Etios sedans (petrol) - one tuned for mileage and another tuned for refinement. Now at current petrol prices, I want the one tuned for mileage only (not sure how much I have to trade off in refinement).

Hope there are Toyota guys & gals listening to customer voices in these forums.

[amateurpro]

A general question to all Etios users (even to owners of other cars too).

I usually use A/C in fresh air mode and not on internal circulation. This is what most manuals advise us to do. The internally circulated air could become stale and is not advisable, according to these manuals. My cousin advised me not to use fresh air mode and I tried internal mode of circulation based on his advise. Surprisingly, the cooling was faster and more effective in internal circulation mode.

In Chennai, the outside temparature could be as high as 35 C even on a rainy day!! That would mean a huge cooling effort needed on the part of A/C and engine. On top of it, the fresh air mode would mean continuous cooling of the hot air at 35 C. In internal mode of circulation, the A/C has less strenuous work, which is keeping the already cooled air cooler. This is probably why the A/C is more effective in internal circulation mode in hot Indian conditions. This could possibly help in improved mileage too but I am not sure.

Any advise from fellow BHPians on internal VS fresh air mode of circulation?

Hope I am not

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by amateurpro

A general question...

Pl. look up here...
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...stale-air.html

[amateurpro]

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

Pl. look up here...
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...stale-air.html

Thanks RadiantKarma. What is your most often used A/C mode - fresh air or internal circulation?

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by amateurpro

Thanks RadiantKarma. What is your most often used A/C mode - fresh air or internal circulation?

I freshen up the cabin first by opening the windows and turning the fan on for a while before switching the AC knob on - in internal circulation mode always. Then refresh the cabin intermittently - on long drives.

Fresh air mode = Slow cooling + High AC load - can be used (with AC off!) in winters to let in fresh air when want to keep windows shut to avoid smoke and dust!

[libranof1987]

The made-for-India Toyota Etios and Liva will now find their way to South Africa by March '12.

India seems to be establishing itself as a hub for exports to emerging markets, rather strongly.

Read on :

Toyota Kirloskar Motor will start exporting Toyota Etios and the Etios Liva to South Africa by March 2012.

The export model of the Etios will be built on the same platform as the Etios and the Etios Liva that are manufactured and sold in India, said a company press release. There would, however, be a few changes in the technical specifications and features to suit the different needs of each market. The company will export only the petrol variants of the Etios.

The Etios is currently manufactured in TKM's second plant located in Bidadi industrial area on the outskirts of Bangalore. The export model will also be manufactured in the same plant.

The current production capacity in the second plant is 80,000 units, which will be ramped up to 1,20,000 units by 2012 and 2,10,000 units by 2013. The engine and transmission for the Etios sold in India and export markets will be manufactured at Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts in Bangalore.

Approximately one lakh engines will be produced per year starting in the third quarter of 2012 and approximately 2.4 lakh transmissions per year starting in early 2013. The engines and transmissions are currently being imported from Japan.

Mr Shekar Viswanathan, Deputy Managing Director, Commercial, TKM, said that the entry into the export market promises a lot of growth for the company.

Source : Business Line : Companies News : Toyota to export Etios, Liva to S Africa by March

Toyota Kirloskar Motor to export Etios and Liva to South Africa

PS : I just checked on the net if Toyota plans to sell the Etios/Liva in Brazil (the other stop when it comes to emerging markets); and here's what I found : http://www.indiandrives.com/toyota-i...-2012-end.html

[revintup]

Would Toyota clear the backlog before starting export ?Or will the booking period increase once the exports start?

Wondering if toyota would consider improving the dash of etios.The only reason i convinced my dad not to go for one.Frankly i think my 800 has a better looking dash.Ok maybe am exaggerating.But just a wee bit.

[andromeda]

Originally Posted by revintup

Would Toyota clear the backlog before starting export ?Or will the booking period increase once the exports start?

The news articles clearly mentions that ONLY petrol variants will be exported. Don't think there is any backlog for the Petrol variant as of now. In fact, there are ads in the newspapers with dealers offering free insurance with Etios petrol here in Bangalore.

The current production capacity in the second Toyota plant is 80,000 units which will be ramped up to 1.2-lakh units by 2012 and to 2.1-lakh units by 2013.

This second plant of Toyota is exclusively for Etios+Liva. The sales numbers of Etios+Liva (both Petrol & Diesel put together) in the past couple of months clearly show that this plant is being under-utilized. It would be interesting to know what changes/safety features would be done to these export cars.

[arin_12]

I would be surprised if they get success on selling this model to SA. As I have seen in SA the car market is much richer than India. They have wide variety of choice to choose from. Right from German to Chinese At this price they will get better car.

[indivic]

Originally Posted by arin_12

I would be surprised if they get success on selling this model to SA. As I have seen in SA the car market is much richer than India. They have wide variety of choice to choose from. Right from German to Chinese At this price they will get better car.

They'll sell it in S.A as what it is - a cut price car . It will compete with the

Figo, Ikon i.e Figo, Fiesta classic

Vista eGO i.e pre-facelift Vista

Renault Sandero i.e Logan hatchback in other markets except India.

It might fit in between the Aygo and Yaris in S.A.