Toyota Etios Liva Car Review in India

Toyota has launched the Etios Liva to make its presence felt in the entry-level premium hatchback segment in the Indian market. The Etios Liva hatchback is a product of conceptualising the mind of an Indian car driver. Keeping in mind the needs of the Indian customers, the Etios Liva hatchback has been made to accommodate maximum space and comfort features. Even the pricing of the car has been kept very competitive; infact the price of the base version of car can give nightmares to the other competitors in the segment.

Toyota Etios Liva comes equipped with a fuel efficient engine and is offered in seven variants such as: J, G, G special edition, V, VX, GD and GD special edition. The hatchback comes in a choice of seven very appealing colours including Vermilion Red, Celestial Black, Serene Bluish Silver, White, Symphony Silver, Harmony Beige and Ultramarine Blue.

The Toyota Etios Liva is comes with two engines- 3NR-FE, Gasoline, 4-Cylinder 1.2 litre or 1197cc 16V, DOHC engine and 1ND-TV, Diesel, 1.4L, SOHC engine. The engine is capable of producing a maximum power of 78 bhp @ 5600rpm and maximum torque of 104 Nm at 3100 rpm. The modestly powerful engine is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. The engine is responsive at low revs and takes up the slack well, which is likely to make it immensely easy to drive on the Indian roads. The transmission is also very slick.

With its new offering Etios Liva hatchback, Toyota has hit just the right chord with the Indian customers. Etios Liva boasts of a class-best ARAI certified fuel mileage of 18.31kmpl. On an average expect the car to return with a favourable mileage of 15 plus kmpl in the city driving conditions and 20 plus kmpl on the highways.

The Toyota Etios Liva comes with electric power steering that offers excellent manoeuvrability and the tilt features ensures an ergonomic driving experience. The Toyota hatcback's suspension boasts of McPherson strut in the front and torsion beam in the back. The Toyota Etios features ventilated disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.

There is no much change in the styling of the Liva when compared to the Etios sedan. The styling remains bare basic for the Liva, though Toyota has added abundance of chrome to give that upmarket feel for the car. The Liva has some style elements that would be appreciated by the Indian crowd. A distinctive front grille with a smile line and sculpted surface enhances the road presence of the car. The styling of the car as mentioned earlier has been kept at its minimum, Toyota has gone extra lenghts to spruce up the car with side skirts, roof and bumper spoilers. The rear of the Etios Liva is where the similarities end between the sedan and the hatchback. The hatchback gets a huge chrome strip right below the rear windshield, which enhances the look of the car. The three dimensional combination lamps add up to the good looks of the car. The top variant of Etios Liva stands tall on 15-inch wheels while the lower end variants get 14-inch tyres. The Liva also features body coloured outside rear side view mirrors and door handles accentuated with chrome strips.

The interior of the Toyota Etios Liva is probably the best thing about the car. Toyota has managed to keep the interiors of the car simpl, without compromising on some jazz. The seats are ergonomically designed with integrated headrests. A stylish instrument panel, including speedometer and tripmetre, is placed near the dashboard. The three-spoke steering wheel comes in dual tone along with the rest of the interior.

Toyota Etios Liva features a newly developed Air Conditioning system with powerful and multi-directional vents that ensure superior cooling inside the cabin. The car also features a class-first 'clean air filter', which is standard across all grades for purified air in the cabin.

Toyota Etios Liva comes fully strapped with features that are common to the other B-segment car. The Etios Liva has power steering, power windows, remote central locking, dash integrated music system, steering mounted audio controls, rear defogger, steering adjustment and various other features that are aimed at providing maximum comfort to the passengers. Etios also features a 2 DIN music system which will be a MP3 and FM system and 4 speakers.

Toyota Etios Liva boasts of various active and passive safety features that match with the global safety standards. The safety features included in the Etios are energy absorbing body shell, driver and passenger airbags, and ABS with EBD.