All about the new diesel Toyota Etios and Liva

The Toyota badge on a compact sedan and hatchback, as we have already seen, is irresistible to us Indians.

Add a diesel engine to the mix and Toyota should have no problem in filling up its order books.

With that as a backdrop, let's get on with the task of evaluating the diesel versions of the Etios sedan and Liva hatchback.

The tsunami in Japan played havoc with the launch dates that Toyota had lined up for the Etios, but better late than never, eh?

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Not a moment too soon, either - diesel cars are overwhelmingly the flavour of the day, given the prices of petrol, and even people whose useage patterns don't really justify the purchase of a diesel car are opting for the sticky fuel.

So, where does the Etios fit into this scenario?

The Etios, like most cars in this category (and, indeed, most categories) doesn't look any different in diesel form.

To be quite honest, the Etios has a bit of an image problem.

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It is pitted against cars like the Suzuki Swift Dzire, the Ford Fiesta Classic, the Tata Indigo Manza and the Mahindra Verito but, being a Toyota, there is an expectation of something 'more'.

However, the Etios still looks like a dated design, and I feel Toyota could have stolen a march on the competition by making it look more contemporary.

Nevertheless, the Etios sedan is an inoffensive design, in keeping with most Toyota products.

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In diesel form, the Etios is available in three different trims - GD, VD and VXD.

The base GD variant comes without ABS and airbags, although you can order them as options, and it also makes do without an audio system, alloy wheels, tachometer, fog lamps, side skirts, antenna and rear defogger; the GD's seats are clad in a black-ish/grey fabric, with no other colour.

The VD model comes with ABS, airbags, alloy wheels, a 2 DIN CD player and dual tone (black/grey) fabric seats, while the top-end VXD comes with all the bells and whistles - 2 DIN DVD player, black and red fabric seats and a leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel.

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As for the Liva hatchback, it's only available in the GD trim - no tachometer, audio system or alloy wheels, and it gets the monotone fabric seats.

It does have ABS as standard, though, and you get skirts and a spoiler.

It's a bit puzzling, the way that Toyota has treated the interiors and equipment levels.

There's nothing wrong with them, per se, but you just don't get the feeling that the quality of the plastics, fabric and other materials is up to the mark, especially for a Toyota product.

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The GD variants, with their monotone cabins, look rather gloomy because of the sheer amount of black and grey everywhere - surely a small dash of colour could have been introduced, even if the variant seems to be aimed at the fleet taxi market?

Step into an Innova immediately after an Etios, for example, and the difference in the cabin's quality is too marked for comfort; this lack of a quality tactile sensation and visual appeal is something they are going to have to seriously think about.

To skimp on as basic a requirement as a tachometer is inexplicable, and to not have electrically operated ORVMs even in the top-end VXD trim is also a sore point.

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Toyota has jumped head first into a very competitive segment with these two cars, and they are doing themselves no favours by compromising on quality and features.

Having said that, the cabin is extremely spacious, as always, and the seats are quite comfortable, with boot and hatch space being very generous too.

As for the engine, both the sedan and hatchback are powered by the familiar D4D diesel engine seen in the Corolla Altis, in this case a 1.4-litre, 67 bhp unit, making 17 kgm between 1800-2400 rpm and utilising a fixed-vane turbocharger.

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At start up, it's surprisingly quiet, and Toyota has definitely done a lot to control NVH levels - you can see signs of extra sound insulation everywhere in the cabin and other parts of the car.

Mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox that has a firm feel to it, the engine displays an admirable amount of tractability through the rev range, making both cars quite effortless to drive.

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Don't expect spirited performance, however - the powerplant has clearly been tuned for efficiency.

The Liva, being 25 kg lighter than the mid and top-end Etios, is more fun to drive and has a bit more feel from the steering, but in general, both cars tend towards the neutral-to-understeer side of things.

Both cars come with MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam setup at the rear, and offer a ride quality that is comfortable and which soaks up bumps well.

The flip side of this is on the handling front, the soft suspension leads to a degree of roll and wallowing on corners or undulations at higher speeds, but it's still within acceptable limits.

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All said and done, in this category, it all boils down to value. As announced, the entry-level Etios GD retails in Delhi at Rs 644,000, while the VXD variant is priced at Rs 787,000.

The Liva GD wears a price tag of Rs 554,000 ex-Delhi.

In comparison, upper C-segment cars like the Honda City and Suzuki SX4 are available at Rs 700,000 onwards, while a hatchback like the Ford Figo diesel, fully loaded, comes for about Rs 570,000.

Given the wide choice in these segments, either of these cars makes sense mainly if you want a Toyota-badged diesel sedan or hatchback.