Car definitely to be owned by the family man not by a Car enthusiast

 

Exterior When you see the pictures first it does not give a "Wow" feeling and in this aspect , Toyota disappoints. Toyota engineers have played it safe on the looks and wanted to satisfy everyone and has done a very conservative styling.

Front of the car looks like the innova with the Customary Toyota SMILE grille, but the headlamps looks very small ( but i have not checked the effectiveness of the same). Also single blade wiper looks an innovative concept but it shows on the heavy cost cutting they have done on design.

Side skirts are available only on the VX model and they give classy look to the car.

Rear view, im not the first to tell, but i need to reiterate was a huge ... huge disappointment as it looks very similar to the Poorly styled logan. If i would have been given an option, i could have shifted the number plate zone from the rear bumper to the rear bonnet becasue the rear bonnet looks very plain and simple.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Because of the value engineering Toyota engineers have done, first of all it does not have the Traditional class look of any other toyota car, interiors looks comparable / or incrementally better to the Dzire, Manza and Logan where the pricing of Etios is also fixed. If your budget is 1.5 /2 lakhs more you could go for a Linea or a Verna or a Vento or a City. Toyota etios interiors are not like the aforesaid cars.

Features like ABS and Airbags are there in the intermediate variant ( GO) itself and its a smart move by Toyota, you need not shell out 1 lakh more if you are a safety savvy guy.

595 litres boot space is a very good option. This is not available even in the high end cars which are in the price bracket of 10 to 12 lakhs. Glove box is also huge - 13 litre with cooling option. Toyota have clearly understood Indian customers thinking.

As regard to comfort --Arm rest option, Driver height adjustment facility are not available. Also the rear seat look like a bench providing scope for 3 persons to sit easily, but when it comes to comfort there are no curves on the rear seat so that 2 persons can feel the luxury of seating. Toyota have made a genuine 5 seater car at the cost of comfort level.

The hump what you generally have in the rear seat in the center area is not there and it helps greatly the 3rd person to sit comfortably.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is 1.5 litre meaning more power 90 hp ad high torque 132 Nm. Point to be noted is that this torque comes at 3000rpm of the engine compared to the Dzire which reaches the desired torque level only above 4000 rpm.

Gear shifting is as smooth like cutting butter with sharp knife. Q class shows here

17.64 kmpl mileage is really good, but this needs to be ascertained by varied users / drivers/ customers

Kerb weight 930kgs is less and this i think would contribute to the fuel efficiency.

 

Ride Quality & Handling Not tried but point to be mentioned is 170mm Ground clearance can clear majority of the pot holes what we encounter, When i saw the video, the ridequality and handling looks good, but this again needs to be ascertained.

 

Final Words If you are are family man with a budget of 5 to 7 .5 lakhs and overall kms usage within 10,000kms / year, go for it without any hesitation.

 

Areas of improvement J variant - should also have power steering, nowadays power steering is not a luxury it has become a necessity especially on a 3 box sedan. Towards cost engineering you can cut the FAT but not the MUSCLE.

VX variant should have Driver height adjustment, Rear seat should have arm rest option helpful for long runs and also a class feel.

Shift the number plate on the rear from Bumper to rear boot area as this would improve the aesthetics to a large extent and exhorcise the logan feeling from etios.

Single wiper - I hate it , please do something about it

Red colour seats for VX gives an unpleasant look and distracts the eyes. All might not like.

Dashboard centrally located resembles Indica vista and looks cheap, I think Toyota have done that to have standardisation with LH and RH drive models.

Climate control option to be given in VX variant atleast.

Understood the price from Coimbatore dealer

 Variant - Showroom - On road - main feature

J             4.84 lakhs   5.46 lakhs   Only AC, no Power windows, no Power steeing, R14 wheels

G            5.33 lakhs   6.02 lakhs  Power steering and power windows

GS           5.84 lakhs   6.59 lakhs ABS and Air bags available

V             6.29 lakhs   7.10 lakhs  Music system with R15 alloy wheels

VX            6.74 lakhs   7.61 lakhs  DVD music system, side skirt design and Stg control audio

 

Low end torque of the engine is good, not a traditional toyota pricing ( very aggressively priced),Does give the "Wow" feeling when you see it first, Driver height adjustment not available even in VX