[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

As I said, I was NOT very happy with the back seat. Guess hard compound seats + high transmission tunnel made it difficult for 3 at the back.

BIL has a Manza. We found the rear seat okay - it was good enough for regular 300km rides. (though I understand that it is eventually a personal preference).

The only negative about the Manza is that its made by Tata with corresponding niggles to boot. Thus the BIL was happy with it, notching up 40k a year (he's a doctor with lots of outstation trips) - except the random niggles. That said, its never stranded him on the road, even though the MID will show random DTE etc.

I found the Etios to be great value except random ergonomics (those AC vents) and strictly average rear seat (the Sunny was better).

Verito is great value except for the wafer thin rear seats.

[sandeepmohan]

Toyota Etios. Travelled in it enough that I am now willing to accept the not so nice interiors, external appearance and oddball placement of meters. The car has acres of space, very comfortable, the petrol is good to drive and peace of mind to own. Those cheap looking interiors actually hold up quite well too.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

The only negative about the Manza is that its made by Tata with corresponding niggles to boot.

Agree with you on the niggles issue, but I feel they are working towards it I feel to increase their customer hold in the market.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I found the Etios to be great value except random ergonomics (those AC vents) and strictly average rear seat (the Sunny was better).

Etios is a great car backed up by Toyota's ASC with an overall peaceful ownership. I was going to select the Liva D as the replacement for Ritz D but bought a Swift D as I wasn't happy with the interiors of the Liva, rest all were good enough.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Verito is great value except for the wafer thin rear seats.

The Verito, I would say is an understated car that has all capabilities to be a decent family car but the Taxi image has has got lower families in its bag. Something has to be done by Renault to shed that Taxi image.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Toyota Etios. Travelled in it enough that I am now willing to accept the not so nice interiors, external appearance and oddball placement of meters. The car has acres of space, very comfortable, the petrol is good to drive and peace of mind to own. Those cheap looking interiors actually hold up quite well too.

+1 to your opinion.

Once your in the car and living with it you will accept it with happiness.

All criticised the Ritz when launched for its rear end shape but I start to fall in love with it once in ownership. Lived with it for 3 years and 1.07 lac kms.

Anurag.

[pdma]

IMO there is one car which matches all your requirements - The Toyota Etios

Absolutely NO problems with the badge value - Toyota one of the best in the market
Sedan + Good boot space - Etios is a proper sedan unlike the Dezire or Amaze which have an extended boot.
Spacious & Comfortable rear seat - The car is pretty spacious and no hump in between as well.
Silent cabin - I think this depends on perception so kindly take a test drive and see if the NVH is in your acceptable range.
(Comparative) Driver oriented nature - The driving position is pretty good except for the placement of the center console.
Cost of ownership - You will be all smiles with this car , there are multiple reviews on this forum where people have reported service costs of diesel as less as 3k.
Also Sunny is not an entry level sedan and hence the price is more.
If you are looking for a trouble free car which can run run & run for years with affordable maintenance it has to be Etios out of this list apart from Amaze (which falls short on your other priorities).
I would request you not to think of resale value etc as if you are deciding to sell it after 5 years of use this car will end up in landing in some cab owners fleet.

cheers,
pdma

[KarthikK]

My pick of the lot would be the Sunny. It will stretch your budget but in my opinion, is the best chauffeur driven car (or has the most spacious back seat) you can get for south of 10L. It is also very easy/effortless to drive in the city and will happily do most of the urban duties you might expect it to do. The proven 1.5L engine is bullet proof and from what I have test driven of the 2 cars (etios/Sunny), I would say the Sunny diesel has better refinement and NVH levels than the Etios D, adding one more point for itself. The gizmo list is also quite long in the Sunny, while the Etios is relatively basic. This again is not a fair comparison since the Sunny is from a segment above, but just mentioning it.

If budget is an issue, then the Etios V.D makes a strong case for itself, but it will obviously come with lesser gizmos than the Sunny, lesser backseat space and lesser image perception in society, considering it is a popular fleet vehicle with taxis. The latter can be ignored since you mentioned you are not bothered about it.

Good luck with the decision! Take a test drive of the vehicles with your parents in tow, and I have a hunch you might stick with the Sunny, budget permitting

[phamilyman]

Ah yes, KarthikK has highlighted the real fact. Sunny is expensive but on paper.

TANSTAAFL. Etios may be cheaper but it lacks the gizmos and the comforts of the Sunny. The sunny does offer commensurate value and leading comfort at a slightly higher price point.

The only negative I must mention are the slightly higher spares cost for the Sunny. e.g the turbocharger costs 1.1L (SX4 is 35k). My bro's 1.9 year old Micra just had a starter unit malfunction (which basically made the car dead), that costed some 42k (think of it like a piggy back ECU for the ignition system). Nissan did a good job in sourcing/replacing it in 2 days since its not a fast moving item, but the initial price gave my bro a mini heart attack. I'm not wholly convinced about the long term ownership cost of a Sunny over say 2L km (whereas I'm completely at peace with my Swift VDi after 5.25 years and 1.1L km).

[thoma]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

With parents at the back, spirited drive will be the last thing in my mind. When they are NOT around, I would hop onto my Swift D for that extra fun.

You already have a fun to drive diesel. Are you sure you really need another diesel in the garage? Petrols are so very silent which add a lot to the elderly comfort factor. Or else you have to go for the Hyundai diesels if NVH is of priority.

Cost of ownership - you can't beat the Etios here. If it is the Sunny, have you considered traveling twice yearly for the service (EDIT:not too sure, my Micra D has), especially when you need to travel 50 kms one side. If that is okay, I would suggest you to stretch your budget to a Vento, Verna or a City. A couple of more lakhs and you are completely in another league.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I'm not wholly convinced about the long term ownership cost of a Sunny over say 2L km (whereas I'm completely at peace with my Swift VDi after 5.25 years and 1.1L km).

Just a doubt, wasn't it covered it under warranty?

The 1.3 MJD is a cake walk for maintenance and I'd the car during the ownership is maintained the right way then it should never give a problem. I have done 1.1L in 3 years in my Ritz VDi.

I have changed the tyres and brake pads only. Engine or any internals never touched! Mighty pleased with the ownership.

Anurag

[F150]

It is a straight fight between Etios D and Sunny D.

Amalji has a thread on Etios, he seems to be pretty happy with the Etios.

I would suggest you to go for a Sunny, if you get a fantastic deal, it isnt exactly setting the sales charts on fire. Else Etios it is.

Forgot to add that Toyota customers are pretty happy with the A.S.S and the cost of maintenance.

[Sridhar K]

My two cents. Having owned a Manza and have been on the back seat of Etios for a few drives from Chennai to Bangalore with the six laning, I have vouched that I will never want to sit in the back seat of the Etios with its harsh ride, cabin noise. Have traveled extensively in Fiesta and Verito on the same stretch as well during the same period. The ride quality of Verito was unmatched closely followed by the fiesta. With the Etios, we had to ask the driver to slow down many times. I agree that Etios has a beautiful engine, excellent drive ability, lower cost of maintenance, long engine life and now they have improved on the insulation as well. Verito is not that much fun to drive though and slightly higher maintenance bills.

The other issue that the Etios drivers were complaining big time is the quality of sheet metal and bumper. My friends Vento hit a etios at 15kmph and the etios had a completely broken bumper along with the hits on the chasis, whilst Vento had scratches. He had a tough time as the bills for fixing the etios were high. Fortunately, it was covered in insurance and handled well by Toyota though.

[prokinetic]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

The verito/ vibe are one of the most underrated cars in our country. As you are not much concerned about brand value I would suggest do have a look at the Verito/vibe...

+1 Asit. Being old doesn't makes the Verito ugly OTOH Etios and Sunny are no lookers. Verito follows an edgy styling philosophy, whereas the others are neither here nor there.
Mechanically there is nothing to fault in the car.
Your requirements of travelling on state highways and rural areas should keep you in peace with Mahindra. Don't care for brand, its a Renault under the skin.

[F150]

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

My two cents. Having owned a Manza and have been on the back seat of Etios for a few drives from Chennai to Bangalore with the six laning, I have vouched that I will never want to sit in the back seat of the Etios with its harsh ride, cabin noise. Have traveled extensively in Fiesta and Verito on the same stretch as well during the same period. The ride quality of Verito was unmatched closely followed by the fiesta. With the Etios, we had to ask the driver to slow down many times.

Did you mean cabin noise was the reason for asking the driver to slow down ?

Our official review says good things about the ride.

The MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear is standard fare in the C segment. There is some element of firmness at low speeds, but it's not uncomfortable at all, except over the largest & sharpest of potholes. The Etios’ ride quality is neither too soft nor too stiff, the suspension is well-calibrated with the ride staying flat all through. Example : Where the Tata Manza’s rear has excessive vertical movement on uneven Indian highways, the Etios stays firmly planted. Even broken highway roads are handled well. This planted ride, and lack of bounciness, greatly helps in keeping fatigue away for Etios passengers over long highway runs. Her long wheelbase is definitely a contributor to the nice ride.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by F150

Our official review says good things about the ride.

Where the Tata Manza’s rear has excessive vertical movement on uneven Indian highways, the Etios stays firmly planted. Even broken highway roads are handled well. This planted ride, and lack of bounciness, greatly helps in keeping fatigue away for Etios passengers over long highway runs.

But the hard bench like seats spoil the party overall. Add to it the un-solid build quality, noises creep in from the unclad wheel well mostly. My personal opinion though.

[Sridhar K]

Originally Posted by F150

Did you mean cabin noise was the reason for asking the driver to slow down ?

Our official review says good things about the ride.

Not the cabin noise but the stiff ride on uneven. Pot holed roads and the flat seats did not help either. The Fiesta, Verito and Linea had much better ride quality.

Every week, our team were travelling in a cab to Bangalore from Chennai for almost over a couple of months. Each time, we had different vehicles. Twice it was Etios, twice it was Fiesta and once a logan and once an innova. For the lot, did not like the ride quality of Etios one bit. Had again traveled from Bangalore airport to electronic city multiple times on different cars (logan, Manza, Etios).

Please not that the experience is completely from the rear seat and not from the front. Prior to this had traveled on Etios in the front seat a few times and did not have any complaints. My Manza had pronounced bounciness which was worse on bad uneven roads.

[amtak]

I have had better sleeps in Logan/Verito than Etios on airport runs. As everyone suggested, please have a look at either the Verito or Etios. Both are used as taxies acorss various opertors and one can easily determine them to be reliable and cheap to own and maintain (otherwise the cabbies wont lap them up).

If you have a MASS near your house, opt for the Verito, if you have a Toyota, opt for the later. In the long run, Toyota will give you better resale.