Congrats Toyota for becoming India’s No4 Automobile company by beating Tata Motors! The Etios has been a decent success for Toyota in recent past, but now with the launch of the Chevrolet Sail and the soon-to-be-launched Honda Amaze, the Etios is facing a big threat. The new Etios launched will be keep the challenge on.
The new Etios has a redesigned grille with chrome finish, rear combination lamps with distinct fin pattern that gives it a sleek look plus new indicators on side view mirrors. There is also a new colour called Classic Grey. The front with the huge ‘smile’ grille and clear lens headlamps is distinctive. The running side spoiler, clean side lines and the running chrome lip on the boot go a long way in adding flair to the design.
The interiors are truly one of the strongest selling points of the Etios. When it comes to changes there is a two tone look with a textured dashboard, soft fabric and ash brown colour. Features wise you get a new 2 Din audio with Bluetooth, USB, Aux- In and remote, driver seats comes with height adjust, combimeter with new blue illumination and new AC control panel with clean air filters. The interiors are, without a doubt, the most practical and spacious of the lot in this price range and make the car feel like a much bigger segment vehicle on several occasions.
The Etios can seat five adults in utter comfort while keeping all their individuals bottles in addition to two more, at a handy distance. Further it gets a huge 13-litre glovebox to keep more bottles chilled. The Etios is now powered by two engine options. The petrol is the best in class 1.5-litre unit which is basically Toyota’s 2NR-FE unit but does without the VVTi technology to keep costs low. It not only puts out a very healthy 90PS of power, but at the same time, the car being as light as a premium hatchback means it’s power to weight ratio is better than the competition. The company also claims an ARAI fuel efficiency figure of 17.6kmpl which is astonishing for a car of this class and with an engine so potent. However the one that will be selling like hot cakes is the new diesel version that comes with the same D-4D motor as found on the Altis though in the Etios, to cut costs, it does away with the variable geometry turbo and has a fixed one instead.
The maximum power is 68PS while the peak torque stands at 170Nm. It also has a fantastic ARAI rated fuel economy of 23.59kmpl which means you will easy get around 17-18kmpl in real world conditions. Both the petrol and diesel engines are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The suspension set-up is on the softer side to ensure a better ride and comfort factor for the Indian families than for hitting the twisties on weekends. The car responds sharply to the driver’s inputs and its ability to zip through traffic is remarkable.
It would be safe to say that overall drive dynamics and vehicle behavior are neutral. The diesel line up will now have the newly introduced J variant and prices now start at Rs 5.45 to 7.08 lakhs for the petrol to Rs 6.7 to Rs 8.15 lakhs for the diesel.