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Remember the days when every other car on the road was a Maruti Suzuki? The story is not so different today – every second car sold in India is a Maruti. It took Hyundai’s feature-packed Santro to take on Maruti in the late 90s; it was a constant first and second place in the Indian auto industry. It wasn’t that nobody else tried. Tata’s famous Nano and Datsun’s forgotten Go hatchback are some of the names that come to mind. The carmakers attempted to break the code for what the commoner wanted – cheap maintenance, value for money, and frugality. Yet, they failed to capture the imagination of the masses. And then there was Toyota’s ambitious India-first project. The Etios-Liva siblings. It was a success, but not in the way Toyota intended.
Prologue
The 2000 model Ford Ikon 1.8 Diesel we had was on its last legs, running over 100,000 km. The 18-second-long engine start-up aside, the car had started to show its signs of ten years of wear. We needed a replacement – an easy-to-maintain petrol sedan (since the daily runs were limited). In the Summer of 2010, I was having fun reading automobile magazines and collecting posters. One such activity led me to a Toyota brochure with the Etios and Liva pictures inside it. My initial impressions were great: a futuristic-looking interior with oddly-shaped ac vents and centrally placed instrument cluster – (just like the Indica Vista then, and the S-Presso today)
And that’s how we zeroed in on the Etios. Toyota always had this excellent impression of durability and quality servicing, so it was a no-brainer to spend the seven lakhs for the V variant. And so, our Etios arrived in August 2010, in the Golden Beige colour. The V variant was the top-but one trim, with dual airbags and ABS. It had alloy wheels and a music system, too, which was enough value already. Being only ten years old then, I was confined to the rear or front passenger seats.
Passenger Experience
The rear seat is one of the highlights of the Etios. Four people can sit with no issue, and five can go in with a bit of a squeeze. The completely flat floor with no transmission-tunnel intrusion whatsoever makes it perfect for hauling your pet dog along. Long hauls mean much luggage, but the Etios does light work and eats up all of your bags with its cavernous 600-litre boot. The other big highlight is the headroom on offer. You walk into the car, just like you would in a hatchback – no crouching (ala Honda City) –perfect for the older ones in the family.
The biggest highlight of all, though, isn’t any of this. It’s the AC - even second speed on the blower gets you chilled within a minute. I don’t mind the weird vent placement. They get the job done much better than the competition. The seats get a fabric upholstery in the V trim, and the cushioning or bolstering is not great. You sit flat – which is good, but not great. And that is where you start noticing the evident cost-cutting—no adjustable headrests on all seats, a single front wiper, and the in-general function-over-form approach. Even the door closing had an extra clink to it – not something you hear in the other Toyotas.
Drive Experience
I had to wait eight years to get my driver’s licence and finally get behind the wheel of the Etios. First impressions: It is quite a nimble car to drive! The gears fall into place with much ease, the steering is weighted just right (not too light like the i20 or heavy like the XUV500), and the engine response is brilliant. There was the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) Etios Racing Cup held a couple of years back to showcase the inherent racing DNA (more of a marketing gimmick, though).
If you’ve driven the City before, the Etios would feel very unrefined even in the petrol guise. But then all cars aren’t built by Honda - Honda is refinement personified. There’s a lot of road noise that filters into the cabin, and it isn’t the most stable at high speeds. To put it into perspective, it feels like a small hatch bloated up on space. With the instrument cluster out of your way, you feel weird in the first couple of drives but get used to it quickly. Even the fuel meter is in the centre, and it is a chore to check it each time.
In 2021 though, the lack of an electrically adjustable side view mirror feels so painful. Adjusting the left side mirror gives you neck cramps unless, of course, you have a co-passenger to help you out. The lack of a reverse camera and parking sensors is more bearable – the Etios gets good all-round visibility thanks to no headrests and a big rear windshield. Speaking of windshields, the single wiper is not as bad as it seems – it does clear out the water well even during heavy rains.
Hit or a Miss?
The Etios sold in good numbers, being the second-best-selling car for Toyota after the Innova, for nine years when it was on sale. Once the initial excitement of the new vehicle died down around 2011, the Etios failed to catch up to better-equipped rivals like the Hyundai Verna and the Honda City. While the segment moved a premium step ahead, the Etios was stuck with Maruti’s Dzire as low-cost, easy-to-maintain vehicles. And eventually, the economy tag led the duo to the taxi tag.
It’s no secret that you wouldn’t want to own a car that is labelled a taxi. While Toyota still raked in significant sales figures for the Etios, the primary goal remained unfulfilled – to capture the mind of the Indian, looking for a large sedan for the family. Toyota not providing a proper facelift for the Etios throughout the nine years did not help the case either.
Legacy
Like the Qualis that clocked its best-ever sales while on its last month on sale, the Etios was a significant volume driver for Toyota. A bit of lax planning and lack of vision, though, hurt them and the Etios. While a comeback is ruled out, the Etios does rounds at all Indian airports today and will continue to do so in the many years to come.
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