[superboy44]

very nicely reviewed GTO, you make sure i need not buy an auto mag

as for the etios i feel it is going to tempt a large chunk of dzire and manza buying janta towards it.
as it looks better than both for sure, has adequate standard equipment , is fuel efficient and comes with Toyota reliability.

the main gripe i have with the car is the way the interiors have been done up, those don't like they should belong to a Toyota product being launched in 2011.
that orange gray combination feels cheap to say the least.
good that the orange garnish atop the gear lever comes off easy, would have scrubbed it off myself if i get one.

but Toyota i feel will easily get away with the cheap bits at the end of the day cause as you said this is one car that does some bits very well, others adequately and nothing to badly.

[RoadTiger]

Thanks, GTO for the 'best in class' review of the Etios

I know an incredible number of us have commented on the looks of the Etios - So, I cant resist my take too.

IMHO, the Etios design is bland, boring and dated - equally, its proportionate, inoffensive and non-quirky. I guess Toyota has played it reaaallly safe with the design - I guess it wants the car to merge in the background and folks to focus on its functional value.

On another note, look at the competition - Dzire, Manza, Logan and some dated-but-capable models like the Accent, Ikon (they still sell!) - We all know how 'boot-iful' the Dzire is, dont we? I guess stylistically, one could call it 'par for the course' for the segment - of course, we could have surely applauded if Toyota had made this a little more contemporary and stylish, but I guess the guys knew in India, looks are not really a big priority for sales - just ask Fiat.

And by the looks of it (not to mention the bookings!) you cant blame Toyota - they seem to have their priorities right.

[kpzen]

GTO - Nice review.

Why is the spare wheel of a different brand when its of the same size. ?
Four wheels - Bridgestone Turanza ER300
Spare - Goodyear Duraplus

Or did you have 2 different cars for the shoot out ?

[sukiwa]

Will Toyota stop booking of Etios similar to Fortuner so that they can keep up with the demand OR do they have any plans to increase production of Etios to keep up with demand?

Secondly, can Etios be a game-changer in entry-level sedan market?

[supremeBaleno]

^^^ Looks like it has already gone the Fortuner way. Atleast in Chennai.

A colleague was looking out for a new sedan and I suggested the Etios. He calls up the dealer who says they have already closed bookings. Will open bookings again next month and then deliveries will take 6 months. And all this without even a TD car.

Friend is leaning towards Fiesta1.6

Nice review, GTO.

Looks like Toyota ticks all the right boxes with the Etios. Am glad there is finally some competition for the Dzire. Wish they brought the Liva too ASAP so that no Maruti dealer can wave the "6-month waiting period, saar" in a customer's face.

[mohan41]

Thank you GTO Sir for the great review.

Do you think that the car is prone to rattles from the interior parts, were you able to get any feel about this?

There is no dead pedal. Was the space under the clutch pedal sufficient for a large foot with shoes?

Are the rear seats placed as low as in the Honda city?

[aditya116]

A comprehensive review as always.your pics make the etios look better than those floating around the web.beats me why manufacturers always come up with dated designs in the name of economy? all the same expect the car to have a good run.(well most of the people i know who booked etios were above 50.)

[rki2007]

Fantastic reveiw again. Hats off GTO.
What i could see is the lot of good features combined with extreme cost cutting. Even though the seats may be comfortable it makes me to remember Nano and looks cheap.The interiors are not fancy and attractive. The option to play DVD, huge boot space, pricing, is welcomed.

[RoadTiger]

GTO - Thanks again for the great review.

A few questions:
- Can you confirm that the rear windows do NOT roll down 100% - and if so, do the windows roll down more or less vs. the figo
- How would you rate the ride quality at high speeds (100+) vs. Dzire vs. Manza

[gupta_chd]

I do not think this car is any threat to Dezire and Manza.

Why?? Simply because there would be huge production constraints. Maruti is selling around 10k dezires a month, adds to 1.2 lakh a year. Tata is selling 6-7k manzas a month, adds to around 75k a year. Total 2 lakh.

Here etios has the capacity of 70k including Liva, roughly 35k for sedan. Simpy no match fror dezire and manza.

[aaggoswami]

1) Excellent Review! All point covered. Since the day Etios was launched, I am waiting for this review. I am yet to recover from my accident, but this review made me type such a long reply!

2)About engine. The 1.5 is a motor more suited to sedate driving, like a mature family man and not enthusiasts, that is what I understand, but for highway driving, which one is better, Dzire or Etios ?
Dzire has 1.2 ltr. engine which is really nice, though not as good a cruiser like G13, this K12M is quite good.
So which is better for highway high speed driving and for situations like sudden overtaking, etc. ?

3) Regarding steering feel. Having driven Altis, I am sure that I am not a fan of EPS. I felt that Baleno had better feel than Altis. But is the steering that bad ? Altis was manageable, but is Etios better than Altis or not ?
BTW, I hate EPS of Waggie that we have.

4) Dynamics better than Altis ? Toyota seems to have made various improvements. Note that Altis's wheelbase is 2600mm. Etios wheelbase is 50mm short of Altis. Altis has a much bigger unit up front.

Originally Posted by GTO

5) The Etios feels like a “well-engineered” Toyota, albeit not an “over-engineered” one (as say, the Innova does).

6) No NCAP testing. But then, neither are the Dzire and Manza.

7) The interior rear-view mirror on our test car came off a couple of times! The bonnet-holding rod got detached. Not the Toyota we know. Our car was a pre-production example. Lets hope there are no such issues once the Etios starts rolling off assembly lines in the 3rd week of December.

5) That will work quite well for India I think. And well engineered is good enough. But I suspect this a bit on the other hand. Recently with interview in ACI, some senior person or project manager stated that they have done special engineering for India. He cited an example that in India the temperatures dont go below -5/-10 and in International markets, the temperatures do go as low as -40 deg C.

So Etios's major electrical parts are engineered for -5/-10 deg C only and not over engineering like what Innova has.

I think this is a bit wrong, but time will most probably prove me wrong.

6) Atleast Dzire is based on Swift which scored 4/5 stars will all those airbags. I read quite some time ago that Vista will need modifications to meet 3/4 stars at Euro NCAP. If Etios rating is good at Euro NCAP, Toyota should have given the rating out. This is one aspect I am not happy with. The new Swift is 5/5, i20 is 5/5. Things are moving ahead and Toyota should come up with Euro NCAP ratings.

7) I dont think similar was the case with either Fortuner or Altis D. But again, Toyota will do quite a bit of homework.

8) I like the XL sized headlight beam adjuster. Quite practical to what Maruti offers in small cars. This is one very good bit from Toyota. Safe and easy to use till one gets the desired level.

9) Toyota sure has gathered a lot of interest. I think this rush to Toyota showrooms is more than what VW's DAS AUTO did. But seriously Toyota should do something to reduce waiting list.

[Mevtec]

Thank you GTO for the great review.Now there is no need to buy an auto magazine or to see the boring TV shows to know more about Etios.Toyota has done proper research before launching this product.I am really surprised to see the interior space,which as you said rivals ANHC.Indian consumers will love this car.When Toyota launches the diesel the waiting period might be more than that of the Fortuner.

Personally I didn't like the design of the dash board,especially the "casio" like display of the odometer.Hope Toyota will improve the car as they get more feedback from the customers.

[RS_DEL]

@GTO : Trying to complement you on the depth, quality etc of the review is superfluous - not to flatter you but this level of diligence is expected of you and you deliver ALWAYS.

Now to the vehicle - insofar as I am concerned this vehicle is a compelling value proposition and seems to be the replacement for my matchbox. I will put my dreams of a truck aside for the moment till my circumstances enable me to be more indulgent. The question here is - have Toyota raised the bar to such an extent that the competition will be COMPELLED ( forgive the caps folks , this is just for added emphasis and not because I have forgotten my net-etiquette ) to tone up their act. Will this result in things such as Hyundai fixing the long pending rattle problem with theiir i20 or VW having a cavalier ( too strong a word?) towards the customers?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

Any pointers on mileage? Being light weight, this should have a comparable if not better mileage that Maruti counterparts.

Lets leave the KPL figures to the ownership reviews. The Etios is a light weight, and doesn't require too many revvs in the city due to its low end torque.

Originally Posted by psbali

Anyway.. Have obviously read the whole article but if you were to compare the car with manza and dzire and especially the interior quality then what's your preference??

I don't think either of these are going to win interior-quality contests. All are entry-level sedans built to strict costs. Good in few areas, average in most, poor in some. If you're looking for interior plushness, better to go the hatchback way (i20 anyone?)

Originally Posted by vinaydas

Toyota's are known for their Huge OVRM's

One of the reasons I made the ORVM comment.

Originally Posted by anilisanil

are the windows tinted by default or is it done specially for the tested version?

Not at all! Toyota would be sitting on a pile of law suits if they sold the Etios with standard jet black tints!

Originally Posted by sidindica

The USB/aux-in jack will be provided as an accessory for about 650-700 bucks and will be fitted at the back of the audio system and I think will come in from the glovebox like that of the cedia. J and G variants do not come with an audio at all.

Thanks for the correction. Will have the review edited. I just checked again and the Etios specs slyly say "USB / AUX ready"

Originally Posted by kpzen

Why is the spare wheel of a different brand when its of the same size. ?
Four wheels - Bridgestone Turanza ER300
Spare - Goodyear Duraplus

Or did you have 2 different cars for the shoot out ?

Now, YOU have an eagle eye. As mentioned in the review, our car was a pre-production. Hence, some inconsistencies are to be expected.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

can Etios be a game-changer in entry-level sedan market?

I thought about that and no, I don't think it's going to be a game changer. Remember, Maruti isn't known to sit idle...Toyota knows that MUL is an extremely formidable competitor. The Fortuner? Now, that's a game changer which redefined the segment.

Originally Posted by mohan41

Do you think that the car is prone to rattles from the interior parts, were you able to get any feel about this?

Our car didn't have any.

There is no dead pedal. Was the space under the clutch pedal sufficient for a large foot with shoes?

Sure. But you'll still miss a dead pedal / space on the left to rest your foot.

Are the rear seats placed as low as in the Honda city?

Not as low, but low enough to make Senior Citizens complain.

Originally Posted by RoadTiger

Can you confirm that the rear windows do NOT roll down 100%

Confirmed

How would you rate the ride quality at high speeds (100+) vs. Dzire vs. Manza

Dzire isn't good in the city nor the highway. Manza is awesome in the city, Etios is king on the highway (really flat ride).

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

but for highway driving, which one is better, Dzire or Etios ?

Driving + high-revving = Dzire. Regular driving style = Etios.

But is the steering that bad ? Altis was manageable, but is Etios better than Altis or not ?

Since you've driven an Altis, I can tell you this : near identical.

Dynamics better than Altis ? Toyota seems to have made various improvements. Note that Altis's wheelbase is 2600mm. Etios wheelbase is 50mm short of Altis. Altis has a much bigger unit up front.

Don't go by the numbers on paper, that's all I can say

So Etios's major electrical parts are engineered for -5/-10 deg C only and not over engineering like what Innova has.

That's what I meant. The Etios is well engineered, but the Innova / Altis / Fortuner are over engineered

[RoadTiger]

The game hots up ... wonder how MUL and Tata Motors will react to the new (and formidable!) kid on the block.

My guess for MUL :
- Step up advertising for Dzire
- Focus on semi-urban and rural markets (where Toyota has little service/dealer presence)
- New Dzire in late 2011 (based on the new Swift)
- TRUMP CARD: Dzire never passed on the excise savings benefit when they got the 1.2 k-series engine instead of the earlier 1.3 - they might do that at some point of time to defend market share