I was researching over 4 months to get a sedan which needs to accomadate 5 comfortably. I do over 5 long trips a year and hence Diesel was my choice. I gave away my reliable horse"My Swift" after 8 long years and decided I upgrade to a sedan. Low maintainance and good mileage were my choices.
Choices I had
1.Swift Dzire D
Honda Amaze D
Ertiga Vdi
4.sx4 diesel
5.xcent diesel
- Etios Diesel
7.Xuv
8.Thar
9.Scorpio
- Fiesta
Decided not to go becos.
- Just a dicky upgrade.
2.4 seater basically.
3.High speed stability issues(assumption)
- Outdated
5.odd looking
- Outdated design but rock solid car.
Test drove all above cars and lastly did Etios Diesel twice from two different dealers. While test driving scraped on a speed breaker and car was noisy at 5th gear at decent speed.
I decided to move from maruthi stable to Toyota as I heard service was equally or even better. My family liked it so had no choice to drop my dreams of SUV’s. Lots said its a cab and many said its looks plain with compromised interiors and low grade sheet metal.
I took a chance and bought my Etios Diesel VDSP in july, safety was prime hence blindly settled for top end. I’d now feel its good time to write a review after my first long trip to mangalore from chennai.
Pros
Stability -at high speeds 140+.Braking was Excellent. Mileage -19+ with full time ac and mixed driving with one of the worst roads.the western ghats. Chennai.hosur.hassan.mangalore.mookambika.
Big fuel tank 45 litres .fill it and forget it concept. Comfort-class my dad whose 81 years did not have one complaint. Value Add features- Juice stays chill in glove box.its welcome feature especially in a hot sunny day with lots of travelling. Space.its alllll space and hugee trunk which swallows loads and loads of luggage.
Cons
68ps power -hence sluggish and no use pressing the accelator hard as you are not reaching anywhere. Highway driving touched 160.however not a peppy car. Its noisy if you use overdrive(5th gear) around 50 to 60 kms speed. Ground clearance is quite bad if fully loaded.
Speedo in center your view on road is better.You get used to it anyway. Closing doors need some pressure.think amby here. No electrical mirror adjustment even in top end.its a pain in heavy traffic and when you move your seats.you will never reach with seat belts on and always you are not happy with adjustment.
lacks new era features.distance to empty.average mileage.auto climate control. display for fuel is just an inch sized.hard to read on sunny day.
Only 4 alloys.stepney is rim and jack is under co passenger seat. Reversing needs camera and sensors. Since boot is high.Sound system is decent however planning to upgrade the stock speakers. ETIOS is a tension free.niggle free.family car and one will not regret after buying. Maintainance
3k for 10000kms and slightly more for 20 k kms which seems reasonable.no wonder soooo many cabs on road. Overall good package for 8.07 Ex showroom. Planning for my next trip.:-) Happy Motoring.