[trek]

I saw the Etios Cross on the road recently. I am sure if I am not the only one here who feels that the cladding job just makes the car look even more weird.

I don't understand why is Toyota not doing anything about the bad interiors and rather wasting time and money in such stupid versions. If Toyota upgrades the interiors of both the Liva and the Etios with some minor facelift on the outside, it will definitely improve the sales figures!

[Lobogris]

I think it is a cute vehicle. The design is nice. It looks like a mini SUV.
The problem is that the interiors are very basic and very few options are available.
The price is too high as well. Had it been priced about 1 lakh cheaper and if it came with better interiors, this would be a great car.

[subratasenn]

Drove my friend's Liva GD (the new version) and Etios Cross two consecutive days.
God, what have they done to the cars.
I own the first version of the Liva GD, now at 36K km and am happy, but would have been happier if I had waited for three more months and went for the next version.
The new version has a silent cabin, much to my surprise. Excepting the hard clutch, it feels like I am in a petrol car.
And the interior of Cross? It is plush. Who was complaining about the 'cheap' interiors of the car?

Btw, even with so-called 'cheap' plastic interiors in my first generation Liva, the car hasn't generated a single rattle. That's something I didn't expect from a car which has been trashed by many. I can understand now why Toyota owners are smitten by the 'quality' of their cars and are ready to pay more even with apparent shortcomings.

Like, some people will never shift from Apple computers despite more cosmetic add ons being available on other platforms.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by subratasenn

. I can understand now why Toyota owners are smitten by the 'quality' of their cars and are ready to pay more even with apparent shortcomings.

+1 to that. Once, used to the QDR of a Toyota, it is very difficult to switch to another brand. I'm experiencing the same feeling here as well with the Etios Diesel.

Originally Posted by subratasenn

Like, some people will never shift from Apple computers despite more cosmetic add ons being available on other platforms.

Not sure, if I agree to that though. Apple puts you in a jail. And I've had many bad experiences with Apple's quality and the way they treat customers in their service centers. So, would any day opt for Google and Linux platforms over Apple.

Originally Posted by amalji

Not sure, if I agree to that though. Apple puts you in a jail. And I've had many bad experiences with Apple's quality and the way they treat customers in their service centers. So, would any day opt for Google and Linux platforms over Apple.

Would you mind sharing any sources/past experiences to the above point. Just curious to hear. Even i had apple products but liked them as they are a generation ahead to other manufacturer products.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by subratasenn

Btw, even with so-called 'cheap' plastic interiors in my first generation Liva, the car hasn't generated a single rattle. That's something I didn't expect from a car which has been trashed by many. I can understand now why Toyota owners are smitten by the 'quality' of their cars and are ready to pay more even with apparent shortcomings.

Agreed and i share the same experience with my 3 years and 34,000kms old Etios petrol. The car is still now 100% rattle free and always bring a smile to my face while driving.

Being from Kolkata you very well know our road condition's and in these bad roads its still rattle free. What looks 'cheap' is not necessary to have bad quality. Looks can be deceptive! I have heard bad rattling sounds from much newer cars with much plush interior from a different brand. As i do not want to bring any brand comparison am not taking the cars name. One thing i must admit that the interior feel good factor is lacking in the Etios but quality wise, i have no complaints.

Regarding Etios cross, i haven't driven one but had the opportunity to seat inside one in the showroom. Yes the interiors look far better. From out side its okay for me. But mechanically there are no changes. So i felt the premium we pay over the normal Liva is on the higher side. The Etios cross VD is 8.50 Lakhs on road Kolkata. In that price range we can get a i20 diesel or a Polo 1.5 tdi or Punto Evo 90hp with much powerful engines with good to excellent interiors.

Liva cross with some more ground clearance , with a bit more re-tuned engine for more performance and some suspension upgrade would have made sense for touring and off course for paying the extra premium. What i felt is just paying the premium for the extra plastic cladding's and better looking interiors is not that VFM. The normal Liva/Etios makes more sense to me. Etios cross VD is 8.50 lakhs on road Kolkata and Ecosports Ambient is 8.60 lakhs on road Kolkata! Though the base variant Ecosports lack the safety features which are present in the Etios cross VD but still the Ecosports feels much more VFM than the Etios cross, specially for touring. I must admit the Etios cross 1.5 Liter petrol is fun to drive but again touring in a petrol becomes expensive.

Originally Posted by amalji

Not sure, if I agree to that though. Apple puts you in a jail. And I've had many bad experiences with Apple's quality and the way they treat customers in their service centers. So, would any day opt for Google and Linux platforms over Apple.

On contrary am more than happy with my one year old Iphone 5.

But i wont say much in favor of Iphone, as if you get angry on me i can't call you any time and discuss about our cars.

[subratasenn]

Originally Posted by amalji

Not sure, if I agree to that though. Apple puts you in a jail. And I've had many bad experiences with Apple's quality and the way they treat customers in their service centers. So, would any day opt for Google and Linux platforms over Apple.

Amalji, I was not talking about phones. Basically was commenting on Mac computers and I see no comparison with other OS-es. Linux is a very stable platform in computers though, but it's mostly for programmers. My wife swears by Linux and refuses to use any other platform.

Originally Posted by Samba

Liva cross with some more ground clearance , with a bit more re-tuned engine for more performance and some suspension upgrade would have made sense for touring and off course for paying the extra premium. What i felt is just paying the premium for the extra plastic cladding's and better looking interiors is not that VFM. The normal Liva/Etios makes more sense to me. Etios cross VD is 8.50 lakhs on road Kolkata and Ecosports Ambient is 8.60 lakhs on road Kolkata! Though the base variant Ecosports lack the safety features which are present in the Etios cross VD but still the Ecosports feels much more VFM than the Etios cross, specially for touring. I must admit the Etios cross 1.5 Liter petrol is fun to drive but again touring in a petrol becomes expensive.

Probably you are right on the pricing factor if you compare with Ecosport. Even then, I have a feeling that the price factor graph would plateau down in favour of the Toyota car in the long run -- say three years of using the car. Toyota servicing is so much more VFM, which will always tilt the balance in Toyota's favour.

Originally Posted by Samba

On contrary am more than happy with my one year old Iphone 5.

OT: I am on Blackberry and Android and thus cannot compare your apple with my oranges.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

Would you mind sharing any sources/past experiences to the above point. Just curious to hear. Even i had apple products but liked them as they are a generation ahead to other manufacturer products.

It's OT. So, not posting in detail here. I'll make a short note.

ipod 20 GB ( hdd version with the round scroll ) -

• harddisk gone in warranty period. Replaced.
• 2 months after warranty, the harddisk again failed. Apple made me wait for over a month for a spare. Finally, I said enough is enough and purchased a Creative Muvo cheap music player and a good quality head phones.
• The ear phones provided ( even though had decent sound quality ) were so flimsy that the lightest pull would result in random noise on it. I replaced it from apple store ( yes, it's costly ).
• Within a month, the same problem recurred. When you pay a premium, you expect the product to give the same quality over and over again.

iphone 4s ( Gifted by my father, later given to my mom )

• To start with, the network reception was the poorest ( both voice and data ) among the phones I've ever used ( Nokia 6210, Sony Ericsson K700i, Moto Ming, Samsung Galaxy SL before I used the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy Note 1, Nexus 4, Moto G ( my wife's ) and Moto X ( my mother's ) after I used the iPhone )
• With the old iOS 6, many things that were a breeze on an android ( like transferring files, tethering, managing music and files, notification management, DLNA ) all were such a hassle on this outdated OS. Forget all that. Even taking a backup was a horrible experience. Apple wanted 16 GB free space on C: and not any other drive. I did not even have the option to choose what to backup or where to backup. This pathetic OS didn't even have widgets. So, basically all it does is to provide a platform to install apps and display the icons of the installed apps.
• So, ios 7 came. There were some copy paste features which android introduced 2 years or so back. But, still it was a welcome upgrade. But, what it also did was to expose the poor hardware configuration used on this device bought for 40,000 INR. It started lagging and suddenly the lagless iPhone started to lag like anything. As a comparison, the nexus 4 became more fluidic with each software update. You have to remember that the iphone home screen doesn't even have widget support to make it lag!
• As if these were not enough, after around 1.5 years of usage, the stupid port on the iPhone started detecting a music dock when nothing is connected. Searched the internet and found that many others have the same issue and that apple will replace the phone, if it is under warranty. Else, you are stuck with the old phone, which doesn't play any music/social media over the speakers. Again, spare availability is not there to get it repaired.

iPad of my neighbour

Screen broke. Apple's response - "Sorry, you will have to get a new ipad". I'm not sure why they even have a service center.

Originally Posted by Samba

Agreed and i share the same experience with my 3 years and 34,000kms old Etios petrol. The car is still now 100% rattle free and always bring a smile to my face while driving.

I had minor rattles on the airbag side. But, even that was very minor. Not the kind you normally see on the Marutis.

Originally Posted by Samba

On contrary am more than happy with my one year old Iphone 5.

But i wont say much in favor of Iphone, as if you get angry on me i can't call you any time and discuss about our cars.

Try out Moto X. I don't want to debate anything more here.

Originally Posted by subratasenn

Amalji, I was not talking about phones. Basically was commenting on Mac computers and I see no comparison with other OS-es. Linux is a very stable platform in computers though, but it's mostly for programmers. My wife swears by Linux and refuses to use any other platform.

Linux was made keeping in mind techies. But, it's far from it these days. Try out Linux Mint ( I've just installed it on my wife's laptop ). It's secure, faster, and is made based on a better philosophy ( Knowledge should be shared and not patented ).

[nijelj]

Originally Posted by nijelj

Mixed opinions here.. Some like the new looks that the Cross offers and some (most?) hate the look. From the review, it seems like a cosmetic job. There are no mechanical changes? I ask because my dad is hell bent on buying this in Kerala and I'm not able to convince him otherwise. We own a 1 Lakh + run innova at home, so brand-wise ,he is smitten by the 'quality' . He wants the Cross, because it looks good. Also the sales has worked their magic on him claiming that the demand is too much. The sales figures of the Etios liva is at an average of 1800 units , which is worse than the Indica+Vista sales!

Personally I see it as wasting 8.5 Lakhs on a dressed-up Taxi. The smiley pretty much sums up my reaction on hearing his intentions!
.

It has happened. Dad sold our waste-of-space Chevrolet spark and is going in for the Etios Cross. I don't know why he called me to give the news. It is kind of depressing that he has fell for the Sales persons spin and is getting the vehicle for zero discounts and sweetners. I couldn't even convince him to get the normal Liva instead. He dragged Mom to Honda (Amaze), Nissan (Micra) and then to Datsun (Go) to make her take test drives. She liked the Etios better (as per him). Will give his initial ownership report once he gets the vehicle (The horror. The horror..)

Disclaimer : The opinions regarding the Etios Cross are my own. I don't feel the looks,feature are good enough for that money. But there is no discounting the fact that Toyota has made a good impression on me and dad with regards to ruggedness and reliability.

[SunnyBoi]

Spotted an Etios Cross Ola taxi this morning. Looks like the taxi industry hasn't spared even this model

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Looks like the taxi industry hasn't spared even this model

There are TRD diesels running as cabs too. They look sweet.

One thing that you need to give Toyota credit is for offering good safety kit across variants. This applies even for the Etios.

The sedan cab scene in my city is moving to Toyota Etios cars. If you look very close, an increasing number of cabs have passenger airbag too.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

One thing that you need to give Toyota credit is for offering good safety kit across variants. This applies even for the Etios.

This happened as late as Jan 2015 when Toyota made airbags as standard across their entire range. Probably a precautionary move to avoid negative publicity incase the cars are picked up by NCAP as part of their Indian campaign.

Nevertheless- a welcome move in the Indian context.

[nijelj]

Originally Posted by nijelj

It has happened. Dad sold our waste-of-space Chevrolet spark and is going in for the Etios Cross. I don't know why he called me to give the news. It is kind of depressing that he has fell for the Sales persons spin and is getting the vehicle for zero discounts and sweetners.:

So finally the cross is home.He got 30k offer recently given by Toyota. I'm yet to see the vehicle personally though

[Rajeevraj]

Toyota is preparing to launch a special edition of the Etios Cross called Etios Cross Dynamique. Being a special edition, the changes are cosmetic in nature.

The Etios Cross Dynamique is expected to get the following changes.

Exterior

• Reverse Sensors
• Black Coated ORVM, Door handles and Roof Rails
• Dynamique Badge on the Left C Pillar

Interior

• Black and Orange (for Orange Car) or Black and Grey (for White Car) theme. Steering cover, floor-mats and seats.
• Orange or Blue foot-well lights.
• Chrome finished gear knob.

There are no changes expected to the engine options. The Etios Cross Dynamique will be offered with the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that is capable of producing 80 PS of maximum power and 104 Nm of peak torque. The 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated version is also available and generates 90 PS power and 132 Nm of peak torque. The 1.4-litre D-4D turbocharged common rail diesel motor with intercooler is good enough to develop 68 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque

The Etios Cross competes with other hatch cross overs like the Cross Polo, Elite i20 Active and Fiat Avventura.

Note: Representative Image

Source: Gaadiwaadi

[kvsingh13]

Hatch crossover is an unexciting segment. Good for those who need some extra ground clearence in their hatch but I don't understand what is the need to ruin the look of the hatch to make it quasi crossover. It just looks ugly. For eg. The cladding on etios cross, the i20 active's weird wanna be big boy looks etc.

These features would add a bit of sales though. Every car for different beings.