Enjoyed driving new Etios
After being in India for nearly a decade, the Japanese
car giant Toyota had introduced its first compact and small cars Etios and Liva
around the end of 2010. Though Etios, available in diesel and in petrol, sold
well since its launch (it is a big hit in the taxi segment), car buyers looking for
some class were not very enthusiastic. The interiors and features of Etios, an entry
level sedan, did not quite excite many individual buyers, more so when a buyer
was paying close to Rs 9 lakh (on road) for the diesel variant.
To overcome these
shortcomings Toyota has recently refreshed and re-launched both Liva and Etios
with better interiors and exciting features. To check out the changes in the new Etios, I recently took a
diesel car for a six hours rigorous drive on the highway and interior roads
towards Kolar, from Bangalore.
 |
| New Etios on Bangalore-Kolar Highway (All pictures by the writer) |
Engine
performance
Though the engine remains unchanged, I must share my
experience of its performance. The D-4D (Toyota technology) diesel engine is a
1364 cc (1.36 litre) common rail direct injection engine which is also used in
Corolla Altis (a premium sedan).
On paper this engine produces only 68 PS of power at 3800
rpm, but driving the car I felt the power was under-rated. At lower gears the
pickup of the car was very good, but on the 4th and 5th it felt a bit sluggish.
As Toyota uses a fixed geometry turbocharger in this engine, the pickup is on a smooth
curve. The engine produces maximum torque of 170Nm @1800-2400 rpm. The engine
performance, however, must be seen from the perspective of customers the Toyota
is targeting. Being an entry level sedan, the profile of the buyer for Etios is value conscious city dwellers graduating from a small
car to a sedan. Essentially, a Etios buyer will be looking for a car with good
mileage (the company claims Etios gives 23.59 kmpl under ideal test conditions),
comfortable to drive and fairly good handling in city driving. Etios will
fulfil all these needs. The car’s good ground clearance of 174 mm makes it easy
to go over the killer humps on the roads and the suspension is cushy enough to
take the shocks from roads full of potholes.
Good pick up at a low gears helps move fast when the
signal turns green and, the flat torque range makes it easy to drive on
congested roads without having to change the gear frequently. Driving Etios on
the highway is also fun as one can comfortably cruise at top gear between the
speed of 50 and 120 without having to shift gears down. But never forget that
while overtaking a speeding vehicle one must shift the gear down for extra
power and quick acceleration. One cautioning to Etios buyers: the gear shift
and the clutch pedals are a little too rigid, and the company explains that
after driving 5000 km they become softer. The steering, however, is adequately
easy for clumsy city driving and stiff enough for high-speed highway driving.
A lot of space inside
The good thing about Etios is that it is a family car
with a spacious cabin. Since Etios is as wide as e Camry, the rear seat can
comfortably sit three with enough leg room. The 595 litre boot space is really
huge and adequate enough for a family packing a lot of luggage while going on a
long vacation. The air conditioner is powerful enough for quick cooling and the
twin vents in the middle allows flow from the AC to both the driver and the
co-passenger.
To give the
car a classy feeling, Toyota has vastly improved its interior. It has used two
tone premium interiors, better plastics, stylishly textured dashboard and soft
fabrics for upholstery. In the top end model, Etios comes with 2 Din audio with
Bluetooth, USB, aux-in and remote control. The dashboard with speedometer and
rev metre comes in the centre, may take a new user some time to get used to
it. A very useful new feature in the car
is the height adjustable driver’s seat. The seat can be adjusted according the
need of the driver (who could be short, average or tall, fat or slim) for the
best driving posture. This, in turn, ensures extra confidence to the driver and
makes driving a pleasure. The glove box in the car now has an AC vent for
keeping water/ soft drinks cold.
From outside too Etios looks much more stylish and
contemporary. The car has redesigned grille with chrome finish, rear
combination lamps with a distinct fin pattern that gives it a sleek look and new
indicators on side view mirrors. Etios also comes with a 1.5 litre petrol
engine that produces maximum power of 90 PS @5600rpm and a maximum torque of
132 Nm @ 3000rpm. For the safety
conscious consumers Toyota also provides for airbags for the passengers in the
front seats. It also has the provision for ABS (anti-lock braking system) that
prevents the car from skidding in case of panic braking. But buyers will have
to pay around Rs 50,000 more for these features.
Etios is now
available in the price range of Rs 5.45 lakh and Rs 7.09 lakh (the petrol
variants) and
between Rs 6.71 lakh and Rs 8.16 lakh (the diesel variants), ex-showroom New
Delhi.
The fact box for Toyota Etios
Item
|
Specification
|
Engine options
|
Petrol and diesel
|
Engine capacity
|
1496 cc in Petrol and 1364 cc in diesel
|
Engine type
|
Electronic fuel injection in petrol and common rail direct injection in diesel
|
Power/ Petrol
|
90 PS@5600 rpm
|
Power/ Diesel
|
68 PS@3800 rpm
|
Length/ width/ height (mm)
|
4265/ 1695/ 1510
|
Wheelbase (mm)
|
2550
|
Ground clearance (mm)
|
174
|
Fuel tank
|
45 litres
|
Boot space
|
595 litres
|
Turning radius
|
4.9 metres
|
The writer is a business journalist and a freelance writer writing test drive reports on cars / SUVs for the last 10 years. Can be contacted on dilipmaitra@gmail.com. (Any unauthorised copy and reproduction of images are prohibited. Please write for permission.)
All pictures are by writer.
