[mroptimist]

Originally Posted by Grand Drive

Liva diesel J and G variants are not equipped with ABS but all variants comes with dual airbags as standard.

driving_smartly is correct. Liva all diesel variants come equipped with ABS and EBD. It's the petrol Liva J & G which don't come with it.

Have a look here:

Snapshot from the official site:

Regards.

[Grand Drive]

Originally Posted by mroptimist

driving_smartly is correct. Liva all diesel variants come equipped with ABS and EBD

Thanks for the correction. Yes, it's the petrol variants of Liva J and G which don't come with ABS.

But the petrol variants J and G, the diesel variants JD and GD variants of Etios sedan are not equipped with ABS.

The member's friend doesn't need to worry about the lower variants as the variants selected by him have got dual airbags and ABS.

[GrammarNazi]

If you go for a Tata product, there are advantages like VFM price with brilliant features, but there are also certain precautions you'll have to take during ownership (Ex. Staying with the car during service, ensuring the ASC ground staff (SA's/mechanics) don't fool around with the car etc). If you're upto that, fine, go for the Tata.

Even going for Toyota Etios will have its Pro's & Con's during ownership. Interiors will be plain, hard plastics, seemingly flimsy build. BUT, the benefits not just include reliability, but also the brilliant kind of support people get from the service center, its a tension free ownership over the next 10 years.

P.S. : IMO, Etios bootspace is close to 600L whereas Zest is barely above half of that. Many other differences can be compared in official reviews & other websites.

Enjoy & Drive safe

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

The Zest has a better ground clearance compared to the Etios, which I think is an important differentiation between the two.

Originally Posted by Grand Drive

Tata Zest diesel ground clearance is 165mm and for Toyota Etios, it's 170mm.

Actually, I see a loaded Zest to stand higher than a loaded Etios. The Etios tends to bottom out due to soft suspension setup.

[condor]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

P.S. : IMO, Etios bootspace is close to 600L whereas Zest is barely above half of that.

Hardly surprising. With a difference of 26.5 cm's in length, the two cars are in different segments. One is a sedan, the other is a compact sedan.

[null]

Thank you all for your inputs. Etios seem to be the way to go based on feedback here and other sources. He is trying out both zest & etios this weekend back on back to finalize..

Btw, in all this discussion, I am now tempted to get myself a new car. Guess I too will head along and check on the liva once

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by null

Has short listed the following three cars:
1. Toyota Etios VD
2. Tata Zest XMS Diesel
3. Honda Amaze S-MT(iDTEC) (contender - pretty much out of the race as of now).

So, its all about reliability vs. additional 1.5L payout upfront. Considering the 5-10 year ownership plan, Toyota scores over Tata. Other factors to consider:
0. Driveability aspects
1. FE
2. Niggle free car
3. Safety aspects (ABS is mandatory; Airbags are good to have).
4. Basic human comforts - all 4 power windows; Height adjustable driver seat; Proper aircon
5. Best deals that can be picked up; No / couple of weeks of waiting period
6. 5-10 year ownership period

Questions:
1. Is Etios FE better than Zest? - I believe so. Can someone clarify?
2. How does Zest compare with Etios on the driveability front? (1 person & full load conditions)
3. City use (90% of the "time", it will be in the city) - Etios or Zest?
4. Any other suggestions keeping in mind the above listed requirements?

Also, is it a good idea to consider Etios Liva (hatch) instead of Etios (sedan) to consider a potential saving of 1-1.5L?

Thanks.

Waiting period aside, any reason for not looking at the Aspire?
I haven't driven it, but as an Etios Owner, I personally feel that the Etios is better suited for chauffeur driven owing to its fantastic rear seat, lifeless steering, average performance, and basic interiors.
The Aspire will be more chuckable, better performing, safe, and reliable as well.

However, if the waiting period is a bummer - would recommend the Etios over the others. It is surprisingly fun to drive and very tractable in the city. Also possibly the only real sedan in his budget and definitely a family oriented car. In case he finds the Etios a little bland - there are some good deals on the Renault Scala which is also known to possess the same traits as the Etios, with nicer interiors, but poor service. However, even the Scala and Sunny score high on drivability and reliability.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by null

Thank you all for your inputs. Etios seem to be the way to go based on feedback here and other sources. He is trying out both zest & etios this weekend back on back to finalize..

Btw, in all this discussion, I am now tempted to get myself a new car. Guess I too will head along and check on the liva once

For retaining the car over a 10 year period, is it wise to pick a model that is already 5 years old in the market? And I believe Toyota has already made it public that they are not happy with the Etios product line and might not be upgraded.

I would pick the Aspire diesel in this scenario. It scores on a lot of aspects like pricing, features, interior quality, looks etc.

As for all the talks of it being a "real sedan" - 600L boot space is too much for a family in my opinion to overlook the other compromises with Etios. In my humble opinion- feels dated now, even in the present scenario. Can't imagine how outdated it would feel in the next 10 years!

[null]

We went to inquire on zest & etios today.

Zest: xe-d & xta-d is immediately available, but offering only 333 with silver amc - basically covering oil for 3 services & roadside assistance. They were keen on us to buy it even without a TD - crazy. Their sales force is pathetic. Felt like smashing his face for his arrogance. Test drive car was not available. Waited for almost half an hour and we decided to leave.

Etios: we were told, they don't get VD/VxD models and should go for Etios Exclusive (close to 11L if I am not wrong). No offers of any kind. Not confirming on immediate availability - citing demand / fast movement etc. may be if they see the cheque book, they will fall in line, but doubt if they offer any discounts. Discount of 10k/15k on liva petrol/diesel was mentioned. Some availability indicated, but again was vague. Unlike zest/bolt, etios & liva do not have same specs across variants (e.g. ABS is std in Liva, but available only in VD onwards in Etios etc) and hence was confusing when checking out both Liva & Etios. Couldn't stay back for a test drive as it got late for us.

So, still inconclusive on what car after today's inquiries.

PS: surprised to hear that XT automatic was available for immediate delivery. Not sure of the colour options though.

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by null

We went to inquire on zest & etios today....

PS: surprised to hear that XT automatic was available for immd delivery. Not sure of he color options though.

Given the premium Toyota charges for Etios, IMO it isn't THAT great a product for the dealer to not even give delivery timeline info.

Choose another TATA dealer. Mail their customer care saying you weren't treated well & to get you in touch with another dealer in the city. Once corporate intervenes, dealers listen.

If by chance you're planning to go for the readily avbl XTA Diesel, check the VIN number & if it indicates that the car is more than 2 months old, IMPO, give it a miss - I wouldn't be surprised if it was used as a TD workhorse with TC registrations. Some Tata dealers may do just anything.

And IIRC there was word of a 30k discount.

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

For retaining the car over a 10 year period, is it wise to pick a model that is already 5 years old in the market? And I believe Toyota has already made it public that they are not happy with the Etios product line and might not be upgraded.

Actually for a prudent, conservative buyer, a 5 year old mature model with proven mechanicals, proven reliability, proven low cost of ownership, proven long term reliability,Reliable ASS, it makes a lot of sense.

But yes, the Aspire is a global model and is an excellent option if you want a FTD car.

But there's value to buying mature proven products with kinks ironed out.

The 6.99 % finance offer for upto 100% financing from Toyota Finance sweetens the deal. In effect it will further lower the emi payments.

[Mr.Hunt]

Given the 10 year or even a 7 year time frame. IMHO, Etios is not a good buy. It's boring, not enough gizmos, not enough features and it's not FTD car either. A further year or two and this car will be really dated and a prospective owner will really feel bad for purchasing such a boring car at such a premium when IMHO there are so many good competitive cars around at this price point viz. Ecosport, Polo, Switft Dzire, Amaze, Zest, Aspire, Punto to name a few.

I strongly feel that you should be looking at more options that just Etios/Zest at this budget. There is nothing really bad with Zest to be honest. No real reports of problems and most of the cons attached to it are due to historical reasons with TATA brand.

I own a Polo Highline Petrol, I have driven Zest XMS Petrol and I sat in Etios Taxi multiple times. From that point of view, I would say that Zest interiors were really as good as Polo. The quality of plastics, ICE, steering, seats, buttons were great with the added advantage of good driver's view due to height, roomy interiors and wide rear bench which can seat 3 adults, good legroom (i'm 6 ft.). Zest drives well, it has light steering like my Polo and It felt like a car I would be happy to drive. If you really want FTD factor, then just switch to 'sports' mode and floor the pedal.

Etios has nothing great to excite me and it's mostly due to the bland interiors/exteriors of the car. It's not like it a great bargain either. So please reconsider your decision about Etios.

A co-worker owned the Liva for 2 years and now wants to sell it just because he is bored of it and feels he made mistake by missing on so many good options that are out in market.

[invidious]

I wonder if the delineation in the "What Car" section should be done by budget instead of body-type. My budget for a new car is between 7-10 lacs OTR. The cars I have test driven so far include the Ford Aspire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze - I am also considering the Honda Jazz, the Elite i20 and the new Baleno. Now, the top variant of all of these fall 6 models fall in approximately the same bracket (between 8-9.5 Lacs OTR). So shouldn't they be considered part of the same segment? Something for the Mods to consider.

The requirement is to replace the ageing Swift for my dad. So I was looking at it for a smallish city car which has Airbags and ABS.

I was really looking forward to the Aspire but the drive of the AT was uninspiring to say the least. They have been following up politely but the car did not inspire much confidence.

The Amaze was really nice to drive - it seemed like an ideal city car. The interiors were drab though and the lack of of Bluetooth integration for a car costing about 9 lacs OTR was a bit off-putting. Have not completely ruled it out.

The Xcent has been nice. Initially were not so keen, because the Grand i10 is presently being driven in the family and besides the ACC - the rest of the car is pretty much the same. It was not as good as the Amaze to drive but it certainly felt more comfortable and is undoubtedly feature rich. We are leaning toward it. They do currently have some nice discounts which sweetens the deal.

The i20 has no discounts and apparently has a waiting period. It also does not have an AT option which is a shame but I am willing to consider the top end MT. I have not driven the new Jazz, so this week will give it a shot.

I am keen on the Baleno - hopefully, the price will be in the same bracket.

Is there any other option that I have left out? The family is against the Zest - so that is ruled out. But other suggestions would be handy.

Thanks

[heydj]

Looking at your list it looks as if you are fine with both compact sedan and hatchback. My top 3 suggestions are:

1. Polo TSi (might stretch budget a bit but worth it)
2. Brio AT - if Aspire DCT you did not like then you would definitely not find Jazz AT inspiring. Instead consider Brio AT, because of small size of car this AT should be okay.
3. Figo AT, again lighter than Aspire so drive should be okay.

[invidious]

Thanks for the list. All 3 are great options. I didn't realize there was a Figo AT. Will give it a shot along with the Brio and the Polo TSI.