[Ayu8648]

Firstly before starting with the car let me tell you all that this is my first post on Team BHP, so please pardon me for my mistakes and most importantly a BIG thank you to the Moderators for making me a part of this heaven of a community, TRULY thank you!

Now starting with the post I'll divide it into three parts i.e
• why the etios that to a 3rd hand one.
• The Car.
• our experience so far.
(Note- Its my aunts car so it was her making majority of the decisions, I was the one giving suggestions)


1. Reason to go for the Etios-
So search for a new car started somewhere early in 2022 after we had to part our ways with our beloved Vw Polo 1.2 TDI 2012 Model unwillingly because of its sudden gasket failure which happened so suddenly when the car was doing well otherwise, the repair costs quoted were exorbitantly high and we had no option but to sell it on point (I wasn't even able to see it for one last time) letting that car go was/is the hardest thing EVER, mainly because of special place I have for her in my heart and forgetting a car which you've had an association with for one long decade is impossible and even more so when its your first love, which happened to you when you were as small as 6 years old! I still remember walking into the Vw showroom with my tiny feets with having zero interest in the polo and leaving with only her in my heart (Also the Jetta!).
Well, thats a story for some other day.

These were the cars we checked out-
( I wasn't present in any of the test drives so the showroom experience is in my Aunt's point of view)


(Image sourced from Team BHP)

1. Kia Sonet- It was a car my aunt insisted on test driving, but I wasn't as keen because it just wasn't the right upgrade to the polo but she anyway test drove the 1.2 IMT and was okay with the performance of the car. The car overall was good but the quality was clearly a downgrade and the waiting period stretched to almost 6 months! and that wasn't okay because we wanted the car immediately, so the sonet was kept on hold.



(Image sourced from Team BHP)

2. Magnite - Again a fantastic car. Nicely designed, offered great value but was striked out pretty easily as soon as my aunt closed the doors, The car literally shaked and a friend who was accompanying her had to remind her that its a magnite and not the polo. Despite of knowing that its a 4 Star rated car, she just wasn't confident about its built. She didn't even bother to test drive it, Magnite was clearly off our minds.



(Image sourced from Team BHP)

3. Taigun - Now the Taigun wasn't on our list due to the price and also otherwise but she couldn't resist checking it out when the showroom was just opposite. Test drove the 1.5 GT plus and understood what the hype was about my aunt was really impressed with it but a downside that even she noticed was the build that was just slightly lower than the polo but that was manageable. The Taigun looks absolutely Fabulous in the Curcuma Yellow. It was just the right car to upgrade to but what wasn't manageable was the price even the base taigun Comfortline costed 13.50 OTR and hence there was no question of the Taigun .

We did see other cars but but none picked our interests,
Now we were in dilemma as to what next? My Aunt had the Sonet 1.2 Turbo petrol IMT on her mind, she was in a place where the want to try a new brand was outweighing the negatives of the car which were in LOADS. the only thing putting her off was the waiting period of 5 months (which was good for me) I wasn't even remotely impressed by the Sonet, Knowing Kia as a brand I knew we were settling for something less.
Honestly, there weren't any great cars to upgrade to, the only car that could possibly be an upgrade was the Taigun, I wanted it to be the Taigun anyway (Now the Virtus!). Also the feeling we get while buying a new car was absent. One of the reasons being the Sonet. We gave it a thought and to my relief we decided to go for a second hand car wait for a few years and ultimately go back to Vw

From here the journey of hunting second hand cars Started, this was around March 2022. Now with a budget of 3-4 lakhs we checked out a few cars, our priorities weren't many apart from the obvious ones i e safety, the built, preferably petrol and one of the main one was having a higher ground clearance making ingress and egress easy for the elderly in our family. This being the first second hand car in the family we didn't know much about the criterias of inspecting the car.
Some people in the know suggested cars like celerio or the wagonr according to our budget but there was no way we were buying any of the two in 3-4 lakhs we knew we would get a better car at the same price and continued our search, checked out the city 2013 model, this car got an immediate green flag from me because of the comfort it offered and I personally liked the styling of the car but the problem was that it wasn't maintained well and GC was not enough either, Next was the ecosport which again got a BIG yes from me but was striked off because my aunt feared of getting the same service experience like Vw moreover fords absence in the country only added to the concern. Saw the duster and it was just perfect but that demanded us to stretch our budget quite a bit, admist all of this we came across a 2011 Etios VX, second owner and 66000 km driven. It immediately grabbed our attention because it was comparatively less driven and frankly for a Toyota 66000 is nothing and most importantly it was immaculately well maintained, there were a few small dents but they weren't any sort of deal breakers and also the price was well into our budget infact almost half of it!
There was no way we were letting this car go We had a look at the car and were very satisfied with it. So the Etios it was, got the paper work done and bought her home on Akshay Tritiya on 3 May 2022.


THE CAR

Exterior-

The car as I said before was extremely well maintained it didn't remind the fact that it had changed a couple of owners. There were two dents below the ORVMS and a small one on the bootlide, the headlamps had turned yellow and that was the only thing that needed replacement, which we replaced in the first service. It looks okayish on the front but hundred times better than the rear. My most favourite part ahead is the Innova derived cute smiling grill.


On the back, the car looks too much like the Logan/Verito sedans and moreover I am not a fan of those stubby triangle shaped taillamps and to add to my discomfort the car came with black bumper protectors which I hate, to me they spoil the look of the car.
What I Personally liked is the Serene Bluish Silver shade as what Toyota likes to call it, its an interesting colour where sometimes in direct sun it comes upon as various shades of blue and silver.



From the side the car looks pretty proportionate, doesn't look Liva with a boot stubbed forcefully on it. I like how the shoulder line continues its way on the A pillar to all the way back to the C pillar. The Side skirts definitely do good to this car and add a hint of sportiness. The alloys do a good job of filling the wheel arches but in my opinion a set of 4 chunky alloys would look just great.
Built wise the car is very light, the doors are feather light they just won't hang on the way and are always on the way to close themselves quite the opposite of the doors on the polo which had three steps for opening and closing.



Like everybody says the Etios is a very plain Jain looking car it doesn't try hard to impress you, Toyota certainly played it safe with the design but to me I think its a kind of design that grows on you after a while.
Its a car where car is the way it is, it does not die to grab your eyeballs. Its having that kind of an attitude like 'I am the way I am, if you like me then that's great, if you don't then that's your problem'. I think Etios is that type of a car and I've come to like it and moreover the smiling grill only adds to my appeal.


Interior- Now this is a part where I think Toyota messed up Big time. the interior design as well as the quality feels horribly cheap especially after getting used to the quality of the polo, the etios felt extremely inferior.


Problem isn't with the no nonsense approach but the way things have been put together and the tacky quality. For Eg the buttons that do not have the reassuring feel to them.

Aesthetically the dash looks just okay not a fan of having the instrument cluster in the centre, but I like the round Ac vents though.
Equipment wise this car doesn't offer much, just the necessary things like air conditioning, power windows, central locking and a few others including a cooled glove box. This being the VX it came with leather seats and red fabric inserts on the door pad. What I like the most of being inside though is the space, theres acres and acres of space, its by far the most comfortable car in our family. In the Polo due to the low ground Clearance and limited space, my grandparents used to find it uncomfortable to get in. Initially we doubted if this car would be comfortable in case of ingress and egress for them but we were more than happy when we got a thumbs up from them. Seating 3 abreast is not at all a Problem, infact fitting 4 skinny people for short distances is possible also the cushioning of the seats is perfect. The fact that the seats are not contoured add to the comfort of the middle passenger. The Boot is HUGE by every standards, everybody always complained about the small boot in the polo and how they couldn't fit their luggage while on trips but with the etios they can fit all their world and can sleep in the boot themselves! On a serious note Etios's boot can really put some Executive sedans to shame.
Overall the Whole interior was stock apart from the tacky steering wheel cover the previous owner had put. The only change that We made was the Audio system which according to my Aunt looked old and weird, I personally don't like to mess up with the electricals of the car and prefer to keep it stock and I tried to convince her to keep the stock system but... anyway.

Etios under the cracked skies

Mechanically the car does well .The 1.5 motor does a good job being under the hood, the car feels peppy to drive and its a joy when you receive the power in a quick and linear way. This 1.5 motor feels much active than the sluggish 1.2 TDI which used to get alive only past the 2000 rpm mark and used to need working the gears under heavy conditions, the light weight of the etios helps alot to make it light on its foot, It feels very drivable than the polo. What it cannot match is the ofcourse Stability and the Handling dynamics of the polo. Etios just doesn't give the confidence on high speeds the way polo gave. Comparing them would be an idiot's task.
The ride quality is very nice, soaks up all the bumps and this is even when the shock absorbers are not in their ideal condition. The thing that messes the experience is the poor sound insulation, the wind noise is clearly audible even when you aren't on high speeds, that takes away the sense of the otherwise comfortable interior.

Etios with her very old relative

THE EXPERIENCE



It has been almost 2 years with the car and it has given us no issues whatsoever (its a Toyota afterall, what else do you expect), we've crossed the 85000 kms mark and are looking forward to make it upto the lakh mark. The car serves its promise of being practical and importantly reliable. We get around 10 kmpl in the city and 16 kmpl on the Highways, it drives well and is considerably fun to drive, especially with having the 1.5 motor in such a light car it actually feels breeze like to drive. It is exactly the 'Fill it shut it and Forget it' type of a car, ekdum tension free. Its a relief to own her especially after owning a german car for so many years, which gave a new problem every month (hey, I am not complaining!) .My Aunt finds the fact that the earth would not end if this car is not serviced on time oddly uncomfortable.



Just the regular service at 6 months intervals because of the the high running. Its doing great, even maintenance wise the bill hasn't crossed 10 k mark, we haven't changed anything mechanically yet. We only replaced the audio system and replaced the headlamps which was worth the 3000 bucks because now the car looks thousand times better. Tyres are the same, suspension also doesn't need any work. So basically the car is all good to go 1 more year before it is set to be replaced (Hopefully A hearty thanks to the previous owners of the car for treating her so nicely. Whenever the time comes I hope she goes to an owner who will continue to treat her as nicely.

Etios and long drives

Things I wish were improved
1. Quality- Even if it is a 4 star rated car, the build doesn't inspire confidence. I am sure a bit more weight wouldn't take a hit on the fuel Economy. The quality of interior trim reminds me of cars that are well below the segment. On high speeds over the highways when you go over a few rumble strips, the whole dashboard vibrates as if it's going to fall apart anytime. In some places like the boot and the front doors the panel gaps are clearly evident, the first time I noticed the gap on the bootlide I thought the boot was actually open. Toyota didn't have to make the fact that 'the Etios twins are built to a price' this public.

2. Equipment- I am not much of a techy person but would certainly not mind having a few basic useful features like a Bootlamp, keyless go, rear reading lights, Rear fog lamps and a nice pair of keys.

3. Rear End- I do not have any problem with the look of the car but the rear end is something I can't stand. For me the front and rear do not compliment each other. The split tail lamp like effect that Toyota tried to give with the Platinum Etios polished things a bit but there was a whole room for improvement even further.

4. Sound Insulation- Now this comes under quality but it deserves a special mention. All the wind noise is clearly audible on high speeds, as it is Etios does not inspire much confidence on high speeds and the poor sound insulation adds to that.

5. Desirability- All the above mentioned Things I wish were improvedIt isn't a desirable car by any means. Its genuinely a good car but you understand that only once you live with it. Toyota went so strict with the car that it was deprived of desire.

Interestingly, when you think about the two cars , the Polo and the Etios, you realise that despite of them being so different they are yet too similar. The biggest similarity is the strict no nonsense approach, you dont get unnecessary crap like 10 air purifiers, 100 colour ambient lighting, 50 wireless chargers to tickle your fancy, the two offer the stuff that you require and then some more. Both the cars are well built and safe, Etios takes a small step back in the former though. You'll have fun in the driver's seat of both these machines, the Polo gives you a sudden bang after a considerable turbo lag whereas in the Etios power delivery is linear. Most importantly both of them are very respectable cars, both of them have strong fan bases who swear by these machines. Also, The two cars fabulously depict the values of their respective brands then may it be the Tough build and the german engineering of the polo or the Japanese reliability of the Etios.

The best angle of the car

Honestly, I wasn't happy with the idea of getting the etios initially because it didn't feel right after experiencing a Vw for a decade. Also, its uber image didn't go well with me but overtime when I looked at the Etios as an independent car I came to like it because firstly its a Fantasically engineered car, if you see, its a car which has got all the basics right and how! - Comfort, Ride quality, safety, is peppy to drive and space, everything thing that matters is more than perfect. This car doesn't have the flash, both technologically and aesthetically that some other car have but its more than perfect in the areas it must be. Etios is that introvert who is shy to interact with others but is quite confident and capable of doing great things. Toyota actually did an exceptional job considering that the Etios twins were their first small cars but they outdid themselves to a great extent that it misfired. All the positives became negatives, The twins were so good that they found more Taxi drivers than private owners, dont forget the toyota badge that cemented the trust even more. Ofcourse nobody wants to be seen in a car that is so common in Taxis. Most of the times people just pass it on as if its something utterly inferior by saying its a Taxi car and fail to understand how remarkably well built the car really is overall. Its a shame that people really didn't care about the car, how comfortable, how spacious, how balanced it was, all they were bothered about was the image. The fact that people never truly understood the potential of this car, my friends, breaks my heart.

Etios says Bye!

[arnav17]

Great review, thanks for sharing . Definitely agree with most of the points you mentioned. The Etios was truly under-rated by people after it got the Taxi Image, which is saddening, being the great car it is. The sound of the Etios' motor is something I admire whenever I sit in any Uber/Ola cab. Have a great ownership ahead

[Phantom 510]

Congratulations!! Etios is an excellent car and scores really high where needed. It promises rock solid Toyota reliability, durability, space for 5, decent dynamics, ease of driving and superb after sales service. The number of positives easily outweighs it's negatives that could be experienced only when one owns it. We too have an Etios Liva with the 1.4L diesel under it's bonnet. It is 11 years young and nearing 1,10,000 kms now but feels brand new and tight. Enjoy your ownership.

[DicKy]

Looks like the Etios twins have started to gain popularity as a credible alternative to smaller Marutis in the budget end of used car market.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

From the side the car looks pretty proportionate, doesn't look Liva with a boot stubbed forcefully on it. I like how the shoulder line continues its way on the A pillar to all the way back to the C pillar.

True. That shoulder line makes it so much more proportionate than the stubby bonnet would allow it to be, unlike the slanted/curvy shoulder lines of that era making cars look tip forwarded or sporty but ages horribly.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

This being the VX it came with leather seats and red fabric inserts on the door pad.

Pretty sure those leather seats are aftermarket. The Etios never had leather seats in any variant in any iteration.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

The Boot is HUGE by every standards, everybody always complained about the small boot in the polo and how they couldn't fit their luggage while on trips but with the etios they can fit all their world and can sleep in the boot themselves! On a serious note Etios's boot can really put some Executive sedans to shame.

True. So huge that it is difficult to downgrade to smaller size boots. You can be really careless about packaging. But can't use all that space for heavy load carrying as the rear suspension would just sag and you will be in low rider mode if there is anything heavy in the boot.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

My Aunt finds the fact that the earth would not end if this car is not serviced on time oddly uncomfortable.

Reminds me of the time we forgot to change the engine oil in our F10D WagonR for 2+ years.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

Just the regular service at 6 months intervals because of the the high running. Its doing great, even maintenance wise the bill hasn't crossed 10 k mark, we haven't changed anything mechanically yet.

10k for just oil change or other items too? Our diesel Etios hasn't gone beyond 6k for ordinary oil change.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

the whole dashboard vibrates as if it's going to fall apart anytime.

Plastic quality is crap and basic, but one thing we have to give is that everything is screwed tight. 60k+ kms and no work ever done on the suspension? Please do tell them to check the suspension during the next service. The front shock absorebrs must be in its last legs.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

I am not much of a techy person but would certainly not mind having a few basic useful features like a Bootlamp, keyless go, rear reading lights, Rear fog lamps and a nice pair of keys.

The bootlamp is there in the Etios, even in the first batch one I believe. They gave flap type handles and a single reverse light, keyless go and rear foglamps are just dreams. Yes, the keys and remote keyfob don't feel fancy but I would prefer these over soft button key fobs and flip key fobs that detoriarate after years.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

3. Rear End- I do not have any problem with the look of the car but the rear end is something I can't stand. For me the front and rear do not compliment each other. The split tail lamp like effect that Toyota tried to give with the Platinum Etios polished things a bit but there was a whole room for improvement even further.

They could have tried by giving more horizontal lighting elements or placing the number plate in the bootlid, but then it would expose the wafer like quality of the bootlid.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

4. Sound Insulation- Now this comes under quality but it deserves a special mention. All the wind noise is clearly audible on high speeds, as it is Etios does not inspire much confidence on high speeds and the poor sound insulation adds to that.

True. First time I had to check whether any windows were open, it was that bad. Our F10D WagonR was far superbly insulated. Also check the door beadings. They lose adhesion with age pretty fast.

Originally Posted by Ayu8648

Toyota actually did an exceptional job considering that the Etios twins were their first small cars but they outdid themselves to a great extent that it misfired. All the positives became negatives,.... Its a shame that people really didn't care about the car, how comfortable, how spacious, how balanced it was, all they were bothered about was the image. The fact that people never truly understood the potential of this car, my friends, breaks my heart.

True. And it feels like Toyota had vengeance for the failure of their EFC project in India till they found that Indians could be taken for a ride with rebadged Marutis. Toyota could have easily made it more rounded and desirable, even by increasing the price by 1-1.5 lakhs, but they kept steady to their minimum cost philosophy which meant most people couldn't see the well engineered vehicle behind the wafer body panels and hard plastics.

Pity that we can have VAG cars in the affordable side of 20 lakhs, with the new sub 4m Skoda possibly near to 10 lakhs mark, but the cheapest proper Toyota is 20+ lakhs.

[W.S.T.R.]

Good Analysis Buddy.
I have driven Etios for thousands of kms, especially in Himalayas and Kerala in south, through self drive portals, at one point of time, way back in 2014-15-16 & 17.

I am a fan of Etios for its huge boot space (for a car of that size), suspensions, well balanced proportions, reliability, maneuverability, mileage and no-nonsense approach.

Hope it serves you well.

[Ayu8648]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Pretty sure those leather seats are aftermarket. The Etios never had leather seats in any variant in any iteration.
…


The bootlamp is there in the Etios, even in the first batch one I believe. They gave flap type handles and a single reverse light, keyless go and rear foglamps are just dreams. Yes, the keys and remote keyfob don't feel fancy but I would prefer these over soft button key fobs and flip key fobs that detoriarate after years.

Hey, thanks for the correction on the leather seats. Initially I had checked the brochure, it had black and red seats like ours and misunderstood them for being leather. So yes the leather seats must be aftermarket (but they don't feel like it).

About the bootlamp, after I read your comment I checked the boot and to my surprise there wasn't any lamp but there was a light socket with dangling wires. I suspect the bootlamp might have been fallen even before the delivery. So I assumed that the etios missed out on that. Now that I know of it, I'll get it fixed.

With the service, the first service had set us back by 10k because it included a few other things besides oil change so that was the most expensive one. But for regular service after that even our bill hasn't crossed 6k mark.

And yes, we had checked the suspension with the mech, he said it'll need our attention in the near future but there's no need to rush for it because it still can hold a few hundred kms.

Thanks

[TorqueAddict007]

My uncle owns a Etios that he's looking to replace and it's been rock solid in terms of reliability and has been doing its job pretty well for the past ten years for more than 80k kms. And he is definitely not the type who cajoles or takes care of his car well, it takes a great deal of abuse as he travels to a lot of villages, and gets only the bare minimum servicing done for the car.

It's also the first car I drove on a highway after learning to drive, and I've driven a lot of cars since then, and it's not bad at all, when it comes to just cruising. It rides pretty darn well on highways until 100. Above that, you do get a bit of a floating feeling.

That diesel engine may not push your face into the seat or be explosive, but the gear ratios for the MT are spot on, and the clutch placement is very good, which makes it pretty nice to drive, and you always have power on tap. Plus fuel efficiency is just unreal at 20 kmpl when I drove it last time, where I mostly maintained speed at around 90.

Sure the insulation is terrible, the engine is noisy, the interiors put even Maruti's to shame in terms of cheapness of quality, but it's the perfect utilitarian vehicle. It's just so damn fuss free in terms of ownership, so cheap to service, and has bulletproof reliability. Not an enthusiast's car, but was one of the better choices for a one car family ten years ago. Sad that Toyota killed it off, rather than coming up with a better looking facelift with a better engine, better interiors and good AT options.

[greenhorn]

For the sound insulation, it's all an you because a little research here would have shown the facelift cars have better sound insulation. As the recent owner of one i can confirm. I even wrote an ownership update contrasting the improvements in the facelift version
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-report.html (Pre-owned 2017 Toyota Etios Liva | Ownership Report)


My main grouse with the liva which you won't have is the puny engine. Because of that it continues to enjoy the same fate it had with it's first owner. Gather dust as a backup car and get lent out to visiting friends and relatives.
Bear in mind my other car is an indica. So you can imagine how poor the driving experience is. But the reliability is what keeps the car there. Nothing but scheduled maintainence in the past 3 years