[teamveevee]

If the Toyota badge is removed from Etios, nobody will even consider buying Etios, at the price point, just by its features or design or look. Unlike Corolla, Etios is a new car, made for India. So the reliability of the Car in Indian conditions is not proven. But the Toyota badge, give the confidence. I personally will never buy a vehicle, just because of its brand.

[polopm]

Go for the Manza diesel, as folks have said, a Logan might be a better buy. Get a nice spoiler and the rear is taken care of in the Manza.
Personally I feel Etios is pure marketing blitz, Toyota Quality...oh yes after most of their cars were recalled.. !!!!

[joy_swift]

I would go for the Manza hands down.

Its a much better looking,better packaged car.

The Toyota has a better engine and it might be a tad more reliable but am sure you want to buy a car keeping in mind the looks and the features as well.

This is where the Manza trounces the Etios.

Also,I have not heard of any quality niggles in Manza,so go for it

[gautam109]

Wow! Plenty of relevant opinion and food for thought within hours of posting! Thanks to everyone for generously giving their time and opinions.

@ Androdev: I'd considered a second hand ANHC or Optra Magnum diesel - but family shot it down as they are firmly against second hand cars.
I have a short commute to work (~2 kms) and, as of now, the car will be used mostly on weekends. My average monthly mileage will be 500-700 kms tops. Would absolutely love to buy diesel for the sheer power, but can't justify it financially.

The car will seat 4 people most of the time with an occasional 5th - especially on airport runs or family holidays. I want a car that keeps 5 people comfortable on long drives, else would've bought the Ford Figo last year itself. Lastly since my wife will be driving about half the time an easy clutch and gearbox is important.

@ DicKy: A D-4D in Etios chassis should be serious fun!

@ musicmanaman: Nice way to simplify the problem . My wallet rules Manza Diesel out as an option though

BTW, Etios top-trim (VX) is not a great option - the main difference over the V trim is steering controls on wheel, a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel and DVD-audio player vs a CD audio player in "V". Not worth paying about Rs. 50,000 premium. Toyota should have offered electronic OVRMs, ELR seatbelts and drivers seat height adjust on the VX instead of the DVD-audio player and other cosmetic add-ons. If they had, I might just have booked the VX and not be looking for other options right now.

@sachinj12: lol! Don't know about the car, but will surely pass-on my Team-bhp membership to him!

@devarshi84: Considered the Logan which is an incredible VFM sedan, but dropped it as we didn't really like the looks and more importantly even the top-end petrol Logan doesn't have ABS/EBD and Airbags.

@ Diesel9999: Thanks! As a Tata owner, your input obviously carries weight. Quite a few Tata customers also have good things to say about Tata Motors nowadays. Will have to seriously think about it. Been following Project Sierra Renovation avidly. Hope to see a Manza review from you soon.

@ Pavan Kadam: Thanks for putting the video here! Probably the most brilliant and well produced advert on TV right now. Beats the silly Etios advert any day. Having been showing it to all the Tata-bashers I know. The "no tanaka-san!" reference in my post comes from here!


@chevelle: Guess we have similar thoughts about Etios/Manza conundrum. Waiting time is not so much of an issue from me as I'd booked Etios early on and been told to expect allotment in April.
Maybe Tata should think of launching a Manza "S" with a re-tuned suspension to combine better features with better driving dynamics. Budget constraints aside, I'd by a Manza Elan D Sport in a heartbeat.


@julupani: I don't really care about "brand" for brand's sake. I have no mental block against that Tata brand. However, many long-term Tata owners will tell you how fast their car aged, how much time it spent in the garage due to constant niggles, breakages and spares non-availability. While I keep hearing that Tata is improving, you can't ignore this legacy with Rs. 7 lacs+ riding on the decision.
Without the questionable prior reputation of Tata Motors or the superior driving dynamics of Etios, the Manza would be a no-brainer for me.


Q: Has anyone driven / experienced a Manza at 100-120 kph speeds? How was the handling and stability? Was there any bounciness - especially at rear? And were the rear passengers unruffled or did they feel a bit unsettled?

[GTO]

Petrol Etios or Petrol Manza? No competition, the Etios any which day. It's much quicker (like 3 - 4 seconds to the 100), has superior driveability, a better handler (than the Corolla Altis too), meets the Manza for interior space (though Manza is that much more) and has an amazing balance between ride & handling. Even if you leave the "Toyota" badge aside, product to product, the Etios is much better engineered. And yes, Toyota after-sales is miles ahead of Tata's.

[sajo]

My personal ownership experience with a Tata petrol sedan for the past 7 years brings me to the following conclusion :
Tata cars do not age well. Though nothing went drastically wrong, or left us stranded anywhere, the overall feel of the car simply isnt that of a reasonably well maintained, low mileage vehicle.
Though there is nothing more I would than being proven wrong on this count in the newer cars. But as of now, my 7 big ones will certainly into Toyota's bank account.
Please go for the Etios without even thinking about it.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by gautam109

Q: Has anyone driven / experienced a Manza at 100-120 kph speeds? How was the handling and stability? Was there any bounciness - especially at rear? And were the rear passengers unruffled or did they feel a bit unsettled?

I've test driven both Etios and Manza Safire for a friend of mine. After the test drive, I felt like I was under estimating the Safire, even though am a fan of the Manza D I did a highway test run for around 10 mins, to test for the in-gear acceleration, braking and handling capabilities. In both cars, I went around a maximum of 120. Both cars felt pretty much comfortable, but I felt Etios much more planted, better in acceleration and handling. I would hardly believe its the lightest sedan in India. But there is no need to even compare the feature list, Safire wins any time. Also I never liked the A/C vents placement in Etios.

Being said that, I'd sum up like:

1) If you want a sheer driving experience, go for Etios. I bet its a driver's car any day.
2) If you want a mix of both worlds, comfort-features, go for Safire. No one can beat the bells and whistles this car offers at the price. VFM for sure.

Regarding A.S.S and maintenance cost, I owned a Tata Petrol for 5 years. She had never let me down. Give her, her routine maintenance and forget about that. Its R-E-L-I-A-B-L-E, from my experience. Small niggles where there from the second year of ownership though, in the form of rattles and noises. But I believe, in the 2nd generation Manza all these would've been taken care (at least there must be an improvement).

[ACM]

Gautam if you look at the Manza diesel (say the Aqua or Aura) instead if Aura + it may be more fun to drive than both the Etios Petrol and Manza Petrol due to the engine, Etios does have an edge in terms of the cornering but not by much.

Etios and Manza both are a great value proposition but they are different in the Values that they bring to the table. You might feel good just being in the Manza and feel good while driving the Etios causing you to not bother about which car you are in. The Dzire is just not in this segment. But it is about which car apeal to one when testing it in person. If you can't take a call, get your family join in and go by the majority view.

[devarshi84]

I was suggesting you a Diesel Logan only. Frugal, Well built chassis and suspension and spacious too. THe diesel also comes with ABS-EBD and Driver side airbag. Also a pete's box is available. The diesel being below 7 also makes sense due to the rising price of petrol.

For the petrol, I would go for Manza just for the sheer list of features it comes with. Additionally, neither is the Etios a looker and nor am I a fan of the centrally mounted dials.

But my opinion is based on personal choice.

[gautam109]

Originally Posted by GTO

Petrol Etios or Petrol Manza? No competition, the Etios any which day. It's much quicker (like 3 - 4 seconds to the 100), has superior driveability, a better handler (than the Corolla Altis too), meets the Manza for interior space (though Manza is that much more) and has an amazing balance between ride & handling. Even if you leave the "Toyota" badge aside, product to product, the Etios is much better engineered. And yes, Toyota after-sales is miles ahead of Tata's.

Thanks GTO! Since you had reviewed both the Manza and Etios extensively was hoping for an input from you. Totally agree with your comments on Etios' handling and stability. Lack of body roll truly must be experienced to be believed. However, I do wish that Toyota had provided basics like pre-tensioner/load limiter seatbelts, driver's seat height adjust and e-OVRMS in the higher models or offered these as options. I would have happily paid a premium of say 20-25k for these features and it would have made the Etios a more complete package.

Thanks to teamveevee, polopm and joy_swift also for your inputs. Irrespective of my decision, its always nice to read good things about Tata Motors. TM is one of the few truly innovative Indian companies and its sad to see them lagging behind due to QC and A$$ issues. If they truly turn the corner on this, they can be world-beaters. Good for all of us as consumers and as Indians.

@devarshi: I thought that top-end diesel only has ABS/EBD. Just re-checked and saw that it has airbag also (albeit driver-side only). The Logan DLSx is priced at Rs. 6.5 lacs ex-showroom Mumbai. hmmm...

Originally Posted by ACM

Gautam if you look at the Manza diesel (say the Aqua or Aura) instead if Aura + it may be more fun to drive than both the Etios Petrol and Manza Petrol due to the engine, Etios does have an edge in terms of the cornering but not by much.

Etios and Manza both are a great value proposition but they are different in the Values that they bring to the table. You might feel good just being in the Manza and feel good while driving the Etios causing you to not bother about which car you are in. The Dzire is just not in this segment. But it is about which car apeal to one when testing it in person. If you can't take a call, get your family join in and go by the majority view.

Airbags are a must, so can't really look below Aura+. Maybe should try asking the boss for a raise so I can book the Elan Diesel .
As you say, what's left to do is take a call. Will probably TD both cars again over the weekend, poll the family and make the call.

[shankar.balan]

You cant go wrong with the Etios.

Simply because Toyota has a far longer tradition of engineering good quality, tough and efficient cars in comparison to Tata. On after sales service it is clear that Toyota leads. While the Manza is a very good effort, the Toyota is a more prudent choice.

[sajanjohn]

Hi,

I have completed 15,000km on my Manza Aura+. Its been 14 months now. I did had a major niggle once but TATA folks took care of the car very very well and made sure that my concerns are addressed.

The total ownership cost apart from diesel for my car is approximately 4500Rs. Thats the amount I paid for changing oil even though TATA recommends oil change at 20,000KM. Apart from three free services, I have been to 3 free manza special checkup camps in Bangalore(conducted by KHT motors) - all they did there was - just making sure that car is working as expected, free top ups and a free wash. I got this free checkups in between my free services, so I felt the car is being taken care well by them.

I am not sure if I can recommend the car over etios to you. I have never tried etios. All I can say is, as a customer I have been treated well by TATA. I used to pay 8K to 10K for my santro service and I had tough times with my maruti zen services. I feel TATA is more willing to listen to you as a customer these days and doing their bit to improve the ownership experience.

Regards,
saj

[GTO]

Originally Posted by gautam109

I would have happily paid a premium of say 20-25k for these features and it would have made the Etios a more complete package.

The issue here isn't about customers paying 25K more for better features; it's about the Altis maintaining substantial differentiation over the Etios. Heck, the Etios interiors (especially the back seat) are already as spacious as the Altis. It's nearly as quick, and a better handler too. Toyota wanted only the Altis to maintain the "feel good" factor. After all, at nearly 1000 units a month, the Corolla is a very profitable product.

[volkman10]

Considering the fit, finish, interiors, after market and resale value any day it would be a Toyota Etios instead of the Tata Manza!

Cheers!

[gshanky]

I would suggest test drive Manza Elan (not aura +) and then decide.

Agreed that Etios is fun to drive, but IMO Etios is not a complete package like Manza. And in Elan TML seems to have improved on the interiors quite a bit.

And Etios engine is loud normally due to bad dampening and it gets worse if you rev it in the redline.

For a family sedan with creature comforts, it should be manza. But if you were a single person getting into your first car it would easily be the Etios V.