I purchased this car for my mom - Etios Liva Diesel GD 2 years back and have driven close to 20, 000 Kms. Not much running for a diesel car, but let me share my experience so far.
Pros
Very smooth Diesel engine. Shifting between gears is excellant.
Very smooth steering. Driving in the city is a breeze
Roomy. Lot of space
Decent mileage. I think I get around 16 KM/L in the city and around 20+ on highways
Service is very good. They give it on time and the service cost is very less. Even though initial cost is slightly higher, the service cost is less. But there is a drawback here which I shall explain later
Toyota reliability I will know on the long run. Innova I know is a reliable car, since we have one.
Brakes feel excellent. The car can stop on its tracks even at high speeds. Acceleration and speed are pretty good. I gave the run to a Honda city once on the highway.
Now, coming to the drawbacks
Build is very bad. Lot of compromises. Toyota has cut down on lot of quality needed material to give a car at this price. At a price lesser than this the Ford Figo or the Micra is a much better built car. You can easily pull the parts apart with your hand on the Liva, my back seat just broke off. The mudguard on the front wheel ripped off while driving in stagnant water.
Engine noise inside the car. The engine is actually quiet, but the noise reduction has been compromised. Not good noise insulation and therefore you hear more noise inside than outside, which is ridiculous. I heard that the newer models have this rectified by having better insulation. I am yet to experience it though.
Suspension isn’t great. Good for smooth roads. Try driving on pot holed roads or on highways with big potholes. The car struggles and you can heard hard thuds and feel it all over the vehicle. While handling is good, the suspension is either too soft or not thought of well - this is the worst thing about the car.
Overall it is a decent car and I would give it 3 stars of 5. But Toyota should not have compromised on the build of the car. I hope the later models are built better.