Nissan Sunny VS Tata Indigo Manza VS Toyota Etios

So, you have about Rs 8 lakh to spare. Don’t want to settle for an expensive hatchback but still want a well-equipped car. And since you are going to be driven around pretty often, you’d also take some extra in-cabin space. The demand here is very specific indeed. But, we have just the cars for you.

This isn’t the only reason why we have this line up spread out on our pages, however. An equally important consideration here was the recent arrival of the all-new Sunny and we needed to find out where it stands. So, the remaining two cars – the most expensive versions of the Toyota Etios and the Tata Manza, the VX and Elan, respectively – are here because these are priced as much as the mid-variant of the Sunny on test here, and are also among the more spacious and well equipped sedans in the segment. What remains now are some questions that need answering...

If you feel that the Toyota Etios is the most boring looking car here and the Sunny, the most interesting, clearly your taste matches ours. The Manza is some where in the middle; its design is most neutral here but again, it is just too straight cut and functional to get you all excited. The Sunny asn’t a great looking car either, but it certainly looks the freshest and the most upmarket in this group. Its long length also helps establish that. It just looks a tad under-tyred in the XL trim with hits 14in wheels.

Qualitywise, the Etios again finds itself playing catch-up. The quality of plastics all round, even with the forced flashiness, looks tacky. To add to its woes, the fit and finish is just about average. Then there are things like the thin seats, a down right basic looking instrumentation and a flimsy feeling dashboard with speakers that refuse to fit flush, that ruin the wellness aspect of this Toyota. It’s not a cabin that’s inviting at all.

The Manza feels a bit better and it’s obvious Tata has put in effort to give it an upmarket feel. The sober play of colours, different fi nishes, textures and shapes and even soft grain plastic, all hint at it. The result is, you feel better when inside the Tata compared to the Toyota. The fit and finish and operability though, are a bit of a let down.

As for the Sunny, given its exteriors, we expected the Nissan to have a classier feel to its interiors. But clearly, the Sunny too suffers from quality and fit and finish issues, though not to the same degree as the Tata and even lesser compared to the Toyota. But, the gaps on the dashboard alone do leave you feeling corners have been cut to get the pricing down. But overall, of the three, the Sunny still has the best design and the most welcoming interiors.

Quite a bit really, no matter where you look. Let’s start with the newest car here. The Sunny’s in-cabin space, especially for the rear passengers is simply outstanding. There’s not so much of shoulder or head room, but the rear kneeroom has to be seen and felt to be believed. At 840mm for the standard AUTO BILD INDIA 1m kneeroom measurement, it eclipses even the Audi Q7! It feels pretty spacious too helped of course by light interiors, a decently large glass area and the front seats being so far forward, you’d need a stick to tap the driver’s shoulder to catch his attention.

The Manza is spacious too. No, it’s not comparable to the Sunny, but there’s enough and more to be comfortable. The Etios too is spacious, more so than the Manza even, specifically at the rear, thanks to wider shoulder room. But in this bunch, it’s the least fun to be in, especially at the back. The seats don’t offer much in terms of support or cushiness; there’s no central armrest and the ambience all round is just a little low key.

The Sunny doesn’t have very comfortable rear seats either, but it’s easier to get comfortable in the Nissan than in the Toyota. But, it’s the Manza that has the best rear seats in the house. These are the largest and the cushiest. Wish the back inclination was a little less though.

When it comes to comfort and convenience, the Manza, again, is well endowed. Like the Etios and the Sunny, it gets ABS and airbags, a stereo that plays most formats, and steering mounted controls. Additionally, it has Bluetooth connectivity, a trip computer and height adjustable driver’s seat. The Etios doesn’t have any of these, the Sunny only the trip computer. But, at least the Sunny has its own exclusive element - a fancy looking climate control system with even a fan in the centre, which essentially just redirects cooled air from the front to the rear passengers.

Overall then, the Sunny XL is the most comfortable car to buy in this test. The Manza though comes very close indeed; in fact, it gets beaten to this honour by just a single point.

Not very well to be honest, and that’s true for all three cars here. But, the worst of the lot has to be the Manza. Not only is it the slowest off the line in this test but it also lacks mid-range performance, making it the least drive able here. To make matters worse, it is also the least fuel efficient. Moreover, shifting gears too, needs some effort on the Tata.

When it comes to straight line stability though, or even ride quality for that matter, the Manza is better than the othertwo. It’s also better around bends than the Sunny. It’s not that the Manza corners fl at or its steering is feedback rich, but after the Sunny, which feels too light nd too nervous, the Manza does feel planted.

The Nissan has a direct steering which is also light and therefore brilliant in the city, but drive a little quickly in a straight line or through a section of bends,and the lack of weight in the steering, the unpredictable body movement in almost every plane and the inertia of the rear end which refuses to keep up with the front even after the turn is done and dusted, unnerves you. And that’s sad because the Sunny’s engine is quite enjoyable, and spirited. After all, the Nissan is the quickest car in this test.

The Etios though is the best balanced when it comes to driving. The engine is as good as the Nissan’s, if not better. It is smooth, quick and efficient. It’s as torquey as the Nissan’s as well in the real world and thanks to better gearing, it is also more drivable at higher speeds. Naturally, there’s less need to work the gears on the Etios. And even if you have to, the gear shift quality again, is the best on the Toyota, and it’s not taxing at all.

The Etios is also the most dynamically capable here. It might be a light car, but it doesn’t feel too nervous at full clip. Even around bends, it turns in better, is more agile and feels more controllable than both the Nissan and the Tata. The only drawback in its dynamic package, even in this company, is the steering. It’s vague and slow and requires almost four turns lock to lock compared to three on the other two. So, it’s hard work every time you park.