Team-BHP - Toyota Etios : Test Drive & Review

Great Review GTO ! It was a long wait for this one!

My thoughts:

The car looks like a Logan from the rear three quarters .

The instrument cluster is ugly . The design is bad and the location is not preferred by most.

The car reeks of cost cutting from the AC Knobs to the door handles .

The Toyota badge rescues what is clearly an outdated product .

But with a Toyota good Quality is almost assured (compared to Tata) . I think it would be better put together than a Maruti (lesser rattles) . But all this only long term ownership reports will tell us.

Airport Taxi Market has another comfortable car to add to its fleet . But they will wait for the diesel .

Great review GTO,
This is a very good car for the money...ABS, airbags, music/DVD, speakers, Alloy wheels, controls mounted on streering wheel, AC/power windows and steering. Super interior comforts (space), Toyota brand name, quailty and reliability.What else can any one expect at that price.(about 8L)
I guess, TATA/Maruti are now working reall hard to break this toyota wave..

Quote:

Originally Posted by SchumiFan (Post 2181177)

The reason why there are these many bookings are because it is a Toyota. It is a trust on the brand which has been built over years not just in a fortnight. Also I don't think people are that blind to go behind brand. Else we wouldn't have seen flops (read Astar and Estilo) even with the biggest car manufacturer in India, Maruti.

The iCOTY is not from the latest platform of Fiesta hatch but it sold well since it had what people wanted.

Unless I am a Toyota or Honda salesperson or stakeholder, why the hell should I bother about sales numbers?
If sales numbers are the only thing important to you, you are in the wrong place as there is no need for discussion.
The majority of the car buyers prefer something which I do not. What's wrong in that? And every one here understands why there are so many bookings for Etios!

There are many good cars IMO in the market apart from Honda which do not sell well. Doesn't change my opinion about those cars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adimicra (Post 2181152)

So, Toyota has given us an outdated car with cheap interiors and bebadged it as Etios! No wonder, we do not have the NCAP ratings as it would no doubt fail miserably. Still, we have 15000 bookings in just 3 weeks.
So, what does it prove? I guess the answer is best left unanswered.

I feel bad that it might prompt other manufacturers to rebadge some of their old shelved models and launch those as 'new' cars in India with a seemingly cheap price. And Voila, you have months and months of waiting period.

Ford did the same with the Figo and it worked as well. Ford did not have great brand image but the product did the trick.

Unfortunately the manufacture is not at fault, it's the indian consumer going by your thinking.

I don't see any harm if the manufacturer studies the market and gives what the market wants, a good VFM car that is practical for our use.

Honda tried it with the Jazz but they failed miserably cause they priced it out of limits. A 8L hatch with no alloys, no seat height adjust, no climate control, no usb, no fog lamps. The succeeded with the City as the City looked to be more luxurious, something which a buyer from that segment was looking for.

So what if it doesnt have an NCAP rating, the Dzire and Manza don't either.

The NCAP rating for europe almost does not hold good here as we get puny tyres, only 2 airbags, no ESP and only the top end models have ABS and airbags in India which accounts for least of the sales usually.

I'm also sure many companies like MAruti, Ford Honda removed whole lot of impact absorption material from the bumpers to save on cost.

For all you know sheet metal thickness maybe compromised in company as well.

Not having EURO NCAP is not a deal breaker.

Someone else mentioned the Echo. I did drive that car for about a month as a rental as I was between cars in the U.S. then and was moving from one state to another. Echo was the cheapest option. Infact, if I remember correctly they had introduced that model as they believed that they were rapidly losing market share in the El Cheapo segment to the Hyundais and the Kias. It was a serviceable car.

Good balanced review GTO. I am surprised to see the that Etios' weight is lesser than some hatchbacks!! All in all Toyota have ticked all correct boxes for the Indian market and the bookings reflect that..I think Etios will be a big hit in Taxi/Fleet market..

@gitartha- good find..its strikingly similar to Echo..sadly thats the truth about Indian auto sector..old models/technology is offered at the current prices..Toyota is master at that..remember Qualis..i read somewhere that it was based on 1980's platform..similarly Innova which is an older version of Tarago/Previa..

Toyota knows the market pulse and for that reason they are the largest car makers in the world (though that does not make them the best). You have to hand it to them, considering the formidable reputation that they have built for themselves in terms of reliability, quality and service. This evident when you travel anywhere in the world, you will find that Toyotas have the best resale values.

They are clearly after the mass market who have lapped up the Dzire which is nothing but a cramped Swift with a boot and not so great interiors. So as far as a company who is focussed on business goes they are spot on. They have been proven right with their strategy of Qualis which was one of the most ugliest of MUV and outdated.

So there are no doubts that the product will sell and in quite good numbers. But again that doesn't make it the best car in the market.

As ususal, greta review GTO!! Had been waiting for this car to be launched, not for buying, but this car i suspect will be a game changer in terms of driving sale away from the Dzire & Indigo. Seems to be a very well thought out car with not too many frills, and at the same time having all what most of the entry C-segment buyers would want (FE, decent looks, good fit n finish, decent interiors, and most importantly - the brand!).
Next - Waiting for Nissan to get it's C-Segment car out!!