[gsurya]

I test drove the Petrol Etios a couple of months back & really liked it, comfortable to drive around over bumpers & traffic in 2nd gear, silent cabin.. decent interiors & boot.. but I didnt like the steel on the doors, nor the colors on offer - comparatively Honda, Maruti.. even Chevy have much better colors.

[mints21]

I am glad to hear from Samba his regular updates on the car. Toyota no doubt is best in terms of the cars they manufacture. It is the only company with each and every product from its stable offering the owner a value for money proposition.

However, I would like three things to be incorporated in the car.

A. Cladding in the boot lid.
B. Centre arm rest at the rear.
C. A little work on improving ground clearance.

Best wishes, and continue to enjoy your drives.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by tacho9000

The only one niggle if I may say so was that at higher speeds during braking the steering was vibrating a lot due to vibrations from the brake pads I think so which was also felt in the cabin but as the day progressed and we were returning at night fall the vibrations had reduced quite significantly. I would request other owners to pour in with some opinions but other than this there was absolutely no drama from the car.

There is no vibrations normally on the Etios brakes. Can happen if the brake pads have grooves which are not in alignment with the discs. Was the pads replaced recently?

Originally Posted by tacho9000

As most of the toyota owners have said I'll really agree that the ownership of any toyota is utterly boring like fill it,shut it,forget it. A big thumbs up to bhpian Samba for taking me along on this trip and an even bigger salute to the reliability toyota has built into their cars. Attached is the pose given by THE MAN & THE MACHINE

Subhra.

Completely agree. Absolutely no reasons to visit Toyota service except for the 10000 kms service and it's damn cheap to maintain as well. :-)

Originally Posted by mints21

However, I would like three things to be incorporated in the car.

A. Cladding in the boot lid.

I guess it's already there in the 2013 model Etios

Originally Posted by mints21

B. Centre arm rest at the rear.

Already provided by Toyota as a genuine accessory. I have it on my 2011 model Etios. :-)

Originally Posted by mints21

C. A little work on improving ground clearance.

Best wishes, and continue to enjoy your drives.

The 2013 model Etios' clearance is increased by 4mm to 174 mm.

[mints21]

Originally Posted by amalji

There is no vibrations normally on the Etios brakes. Can happen if the brake pads have grooves which are not in alignment with the discs. Was the pads replaced recently?

Completely agree. Absolutely no reasons to visit Toyota service except for the 10000 kms service and it's damn cheap to maintain as well. :-)

I guess it's already there in the 2013 model Etios

Already provided by Toyota as a genuine accessory. I have it on my 2011 model Etios. :-)

The 2013 model Etios' clearance is increased by 4mm to 174 mm.

Boot Cladding: It is a welcome step in the right direction. Hope Honda is listening to this. Even Amaze and City lacks this feature, which turns the experience of opening the boot lid an eye sore.

Centre Arm Rest: This is a good news, but my concern is does it folds back or is it just a piece of arm rest which is kept in the centre and remains there. My friend told me that they have tried convincing the Toyota management to give this issue a serious look but the decision making process is slow.

Ground clearance: This was a much needed change. I have spoken to so many people including some fleet owners and this was their grudge towards this car. I hope this will bring a smile to all.

Given the fact that all my concerns have been addressed, I would rate it a perfect buy within the below Nine Lakh price bracket.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by amalji

There is no vibrations normally on the Etios brakes. Can happen if the brake pads have grooves which are not in alignment with the discs. Was the pads replaced recently?

Yes previously there was no vibration at all. The car is running on original brake pads. The feel and the bite of the brakes are absolutely fantastic till now. Only niggle is the vibration on braking above 120. Today i drove my car in city around 80kms. I didn't exceed 100km/hr for even once and there was absolutely no vibration and everything felt perfect. Plus to add on while returning back from the long trip the vibration also reduced significantly than it was in the morning. I will get it checked once in the 30,000kms service. My guess is it may be due to dust or uneven wear and tear of the brake pads which needs to smoothed out a bit by a sand paper or so. My guess is an old school thought but still there is a chance. Lets see.

[jgsolo27]

Hi Samba!
I have been planning to sell off my Xylo and buy a petrol car, since my usage is very less, only week-end short trips. I had short listed Amaze Petrol SMT and i20 Sportz Petrol. My son recommended to include Etios Petrol also to the list and I started going through the Threads on ETIOS in TBHP. I completely went through the review by GTO and also your Thread. On New Year's Day I had a TD, of course it was a Diesel car and not Petrol, and now Etios has become number one in my list! Thank you so much for the detailed ownership review. As per the dealer here in Pondicherry, Lanson Toyota, the waiting period for a Petrol Etios is one and a half months. The SA says he will try to get the car earlier than that. May book the car in a week's time.

[TheIndian]

Excellent thread. The pictures on the first page are awesome.

Yes. Etios is a practical car. It may not be best in class in certain parameters but it ticks most of the boxes of the requirements of a typical buyer in this segment.

How was your overall service experience along with service costs?

[Samba]

Originally Posted by jgsolo27

Hi Samba!
I have been planning to sell off my Xylo and buy a petrol car, since my usage is very less, only week-end short trips. I had short listed Amaze Petrol SMT and i20 Sportz Petrol. My son recommended to include Etios Petrol also to the list and I started going through the Threads on ETIOS in TBHP. I completely went through the review by GTO and also your Thread. On New Year's Day I had a TD, of course it was a Diesel car and not Petrol, and now Etios has become number one in my list! Thank you so much for the detailed ownership review. As per the dealer here in Pondicherry, Lanson Toyota, the waiting period for a Petrol Etios is one and a half months. The SA says he will try to get the car earlier than that. May book the car in a week's time.

Its good to know my review helped you to decide on the Etios. Between Amaze petrol and I20 petrol i would say Etios will be much more fun to drive, more spacious and comfortable with lowest maintenance cost. If diesel you can consider i20 or the Amaze. Etios is a fuss free car. So you can always have a peace of mind with the car apart from the boring practical interior.
Keep us updated on your new purchase. Wish you all the best for that.

Originally Posted by TheIndian

Excellent thread. The pictures on the first page are awesome.

Yes. Etios is a practical car. It may not be best in class in certain parameters but it ticks most of the boxes of the requirements of a typical buyer in this segment.

How was your overall service experience along with service costs?

Thanks. I have mentioned the maintenance cost of my car in the first page. Am again copy pasting it and updating that list for you.
The visits to Toyota service station in these two and a half years and 28,200 kms-

1) 1000kms- 1st servicing. Cost- 0

2) 6000kms- To replace the fuel hose as it was a recall from Toyota.
Cost- 0

3) 10,000kms- 2nd servicing- Changed engine oil and oil filter. poured synthetic oil. Cost- rs-2,800

4) 17,000kms- Front left shock absorber leaked and it was making sound. Replaced under warranty. Cost- 0

5) 20,000kms- 3rd servicing. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), oil filter, 4 spark plugs, rotation of tyres and greasing the side walls of the tyres. Cost-rs 3,800

6) 21,000kms- To upgrade the shock absorbers to the stiffer one under warranty. Cost- 0

7)24,000kms- One blown up fuse due to using a more wattage mobile charger than recommended by Toyota. (My fault) Toyota changed it for free. Cost - 0

8)25,000kms- Had to change a tyre due to side wall cut.(Not a fault of the car) Cost- Rs 3,200.

9) 27,000kms- Changed the factory fitted horn as it was malfunctioning. Cost- Rs 100.

[jgsolo27]

[quote=Samba;3341502]Its good to know my review helped you to decide on the Etios. Between Amaze petrol and I20 petrol i would say Etios will be much more fun to drive, more spacious and comfortable with lowest maintenance cost. If diesel you can consider i20 or the Amaze. Etios is a fuss free car. So you can always have a peace of mind with the car apart from the boring practical interior.
Keep us updated on your new purchase. Wish you all the best for that.

Thanks for your reply. Now i20 is removed from the list. It is between ETIOS V SP and AMAZE VX Petrol. The OTR price in Pondicherry is almost same for both. For ETIOS I may get some discount, but not for AMAZE! Request some valid pros and cons of both the vechicles so that I can decide and make a booking.

[Samba]

Thanks for your reply. Now i20 is removed from the list. It is between ETIOS V SP and AMAZE VX Petrol. The OTR price in Pondicherry is almost same for both. For ETIOS I may get some discount, but not for AMAZE! Request some valid pros and cons of both the vechicles so that I can decide and make a booking.

Sure let me put my own view over here.

Honda Amaze-
Pros-
1) Looks contemporary and looks better than the Etios.
2) The 1.2 Ivtec is more refined than the Etios with better nvh level.
3) As its a 1.2 fuel economy should be better but am not sure please recheck it once with the Amaze owners.
4)Its a sub 4 meter car so easier to drive in congested city roads and easier to park in tight parking spots.

Cons-
1) Interior space is lesser than the Etios.
2) The 1.2 liter engine is less fun to drive than the 1.5 liter engine of the Etios.
3) Rear seat comfort is more in Etios, the Amaze shock absorbers felt to be a bit more stiffer than the Etios so the ride quality is bit bumpy.
4)The dashboard of the Amaze is too boring just like the Etios.

Toyota Etios-
Pros-
1) The first thing to mention is the 1.5 liter engine. Its dam fun to drive both in city and highways. You never go out of steam on the highways and overtaking rarely needs a down shift.
2) Surprisingly good fuel economy if driven in a sedate way. You can find the mileage figures in my first page posts.
3)The ride is comfortable and poised.
4)Interiors are very spacious and the rear leg space is among the best in its class. It comfortable accommodates 5 people.
5) The huge 595 liter boot can swallow a lot of luggage for your week end drives.
6)The brakes are really good and effective.
7) Its a fuss free car, and definitely Amaze will be too a fuss free car.
8) The interior plastics look bad and boring but the quality is good. No rattle till now in my car after 28,000kms.

Cons-
1) The body metal is thin you wont find the solid feel of the European cars.
2) The interiors are really boring and the the center speedometer looks out of place.
3) Common features with multidisplay, for example- Average fuel consumption, distance to empty, average speed for the trip are sorely missing. The instrument cluster is too basic.
4) Toyota do not provide rear speaker with there stock music system. If you get it fitted out side you may void your warranty.
5) The Nvh level in my car is poor but the new owners claim that Toyota has improved on it on there revised version.
6) Absence of rubber beedings inside the door do result in accumulation of dust.


Regarding after sales service i would say Toyota is excellent and two of my friends who own Honda cars has also said nice about Honda servicing. On that department both should be equally good.

I tried to give you an unbiased judgement on both the cars. I would say you test drive both and decide a car according to your needs. Just one pointer i would say. More of city drive go for the Amaze , more highway drives go with the Etios. You cant go wrong with either of the cars.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by jgsolo27

Thanks for your reply. Now i20 is removed from the list. It is between ETIOS V SP and AMAZE VX Petrol. The OTR price in Pondicherry is almost same for both. For ETIOS I may get some discount, but not for AMAZE! Request some valid pros and cons of both the vechicles so that I can decide and make a booking.

To add to what Samba had mentioned, add one more factor - Maintenance cost. An Etios will be cheaper to maintain than the Amaze. Expect around 15k - 20k savings on maintenance cost, when you use the car for 5 years. This is mainly due to the 6 months service interval for the Amaze ( compared to 1 year for the Etios ). In addition, the replacement intervals are longer as well for the Etios.

I had done a comparison for the Diesel variants. But, even for Petrol it should be very similar. Please refer http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3103984

[TheIndian]

Thanks Samba. We are considering Etios as a 4th car in our family and your inputs are really valuable. This will be driven by a female member in our family replacing her Swift.

[jgsolo27]

Originally Posted by Samba

Sure let me put my own view over here.

Regarding after sales service i would say Toyota is excellent and two of my friends who own Honda cars has also said nice about Honda servicing. On that department both should be equally good.

I tried to give you an unbiased judgement on both the cars. I would say you test drive both and decide a car according to your needs. Just one pointer i would say. More of city drive go for the Amaze , more highway drives go with the Etios. You cant go wrong with either of the cars.

Originally Posted by amalji

To add to what Samba had mentioned, add one more factor - Maintenance cost. An Etios will be cheaper to maintain than the Amaze. Expect around 15k - 20k savings on maintenance cost, when you use the car for 5 years. This is mainly due to the 6 months service interval for the Amaze ( compared to 1 year for the Etios ). In addition, the replacement intervals are longer as well for the Etios.

I had done a comparison for the Diesel variants. But, even for Petrol it should be very similar. Please refer http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3103984

Thanks for your replies Samba / Amalji. Going through the very excellent comparison Samba had provided and a very positive point Amalji had made on the service frequency and cost, our search narrowed down to ETIOS and we were to book the VSP variant. Just then came the news that Honda has added one more variant SX to the existing variants of Amaze. The SX has been very reasonably priced and has got what all we wanted, except alloys, which can be added easily later. Moreover, since it's going to be more of city (Pondicherry) drives and less of highway drives (occasional trips to Chennai) all at home are inclined towards the Amaze! Will keep you posted on the final decision.

[Samba]

Update at 29,000kms -

Got a call from Topsel Toyota that my car is due for its 30,000kms servicing on 26th Feb. Currently my odometer is around 29,000kms. Due to some personal reason will be busy for a month so fixed a date after 20th March with Toyota for the servicing. By then i hope it will be near 30,000kms if not 30,000.

So today i was cleaning my car and noted a few small bits down of what all needed to be taken care off during the servicing.

1) Wiper blade/rubber needs to be replaced as its making marks on the windshield. I have not changed it till date.

2)Brake oil needs a slight top up.


3) Coolant level is tad below the 'full' marking.


4) Engine oil level is fine. Am surprised even after 9,000kms the engine oil is as it is. It has not even turned blackish. Plus the stickiness is as it is too. Am sure its god for another 10,000 kms! But will definitely change it during the service. I use the fully synthetic oil.


5) Air filter will be cleaned or changed. I will insist them to change it as am still using the original one.

6) Will ask them to do a wheel alignment and balancing once this time. Till date have not got it done for a single time. There is no pull, no wobbling or uneven were and tears in the tyres. Still for my own satisfaction want to get it done.

7) AC filter should be cleaned as i have gone through many dusty places.

8) Now the only issue that needs to be checked. While driving above 120 when am applying the brakes the car is vibrating. My car don't have an ABS so might be some issue with the brake pads or disc. Have to get this checked.

Will update once the servicing is done.

[Apple Master]

Looking forward to the update.
Samba any advice for my first service tomorrow.
What should I look forward to?