The fuel economy of the car has been stellar. It averages 18 to 20 km/l with AC on (city+highway).
BHPian Phantom 510 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
11 years and 1,11,111 kms later!
Our Etios Liva GD came home in August 2013. It has been tirelessly serving us since then. Last August 2024, it turned 11 years old. Back in 2013, we had an Alto LX MY2003, which was nearing 100,000 km, and we were looking for an upgrade in terms of space, efficiency, grunt, and safety in the form of ABS brakes with a budget of Rs 7 lakh. However, the Alto was performing like a champ with an F8D motor under it’s bonnet.
The search for a suitable upgrade began with the help of the comprehensive T-BHP’s official car reviews. I would go through each review before checking out the car in person. It gave me an idea of what to expect. So thank you, T-BHP!!
Our Indian market was filled with small-capacity diesel hatchbacks from Chevy Beat to Hyundai i20 diesel back in 2013. There was a diesel hatch for everyone, and to be honest, nothing beats a small diesel hatchback, and till date, they are my favourite kind of vehicle to have ever existed on our Indian roads. They are just perfect when it comes to price tag, fuel efficiency, ease of driving and manoeuvring, along with the strong low-end/midrange rpm torque which gives them a superior real world performance. The Diesel engines packed in both practicality and fun, which is a rare combination, and a Diesel does it so well. So, i decided that our next upgrade would certainly a hatchback with an oil burner under it’s bonnet.
There was a long list of competitors.
Chevy Beat TCDi, Sail Uva TCDi, Nissan Micra DCi, Maruti Swift DDiS, Ford Figo TDCi, Fiat Punto Multijet, VW Polo TDI, Hyundai i20 CRDi and Toyota Etios Liva D-4D.
We went and checked out each of the above cars one by one. So I’m going to share my personal experiences while sampling them in person.
Chevy beat impressed with its price tag, peppy oil burner, fuel efficiency, and compact size. But it’s youthful styling was not appreciated by my folks.
The Chevy Sail Uva TCDi had the superb 1.3 MJD under its bonnet and happened to be the most affordable diesel hatch to have featured that engine. The engine with its tune along with its plush ride quality and space really impressed me a lot. But for some reasons, my folks weren’t convinced.
Nissan Micra was really a strong competitor with city-friendly controls, good ride quality, and, let’s not forget, that superb 1.5L K9K DCi diesel. But it looked a bit too soft to my folks with its rounded styling theme.
Maruti Swift DDiS was the champ of the diesel hatchback segment. It was fun to drive, very manoeuvrable, but the all-important ride quality was not great, and rear occupants felt hemmed in. I too agreed, as it would be ferrying my folks most of the time.
We went to check out the gorgeous Fiat Punto Multijet. The Fiat Punto by far is the most beautiful hatchback to have graced our Indian roads, closely followed by the 1st generation Fiat Palio, in my opinion. Punto not only looked good but also had the best ride and handling balance, really tough build quality, and superb steering. What did not work for us was its ergos, rear seat space, and sketchy after sales. It had to be struck down.
Checked out the VW Polo TDI (1.2L) too. It had the best cabin, scoring high on quality. It’s interior quality was superb, much better than today’s VW 2.0 products. A great car but still lacked the all-important rear passenger space we needed, and that 1.2L TDI had loads of turbo lag, which impacted its driveability and also had surprisingly high maintenance costs for a hatch.
The Hyundai i20 Crdi with its strong 1.4L CRDi, upmarket styling, big car feel, and luxurious cabin with a long list of features seemed right, but what worked against it was the high sticker price.
The Ford Figo had to be struck down as well, in spite of being the most fun to drive. The 1.4L TDCi was responsive, and the handling was something else. I have not driven a hatch like the 1st generation Figo till date in terms of the smiles it offers with its superb handling prowess. The later ones with 1.5L tdci didn’t feel as direct like the 1st generation Figo did. However, the diesel clatter from the 1.4L TDCi was too loud, lacked ground clearance, and also missed out on certain basic creature comforts like lacking rear power windows even in the top-spec trim, which was upsetting.
And then we visited the Toyota showroom. Etios Liva was not the most desirable out there with it’s plain Jane design inside out. However, as luck would have it, the MY2013 model received certain upgrades, like a better NVH package, better seats, and more features, along with small styling tweaks to make it look more appealing to consumers. What struck us immediately when we were checking it out was its sheer interior space. It was a clear step up from others; the width of the rear bench allowed three to sit comfortably, which was not the case with the others. The 1.4L D-4D diesel motor under its bonnet came across as a gem of a motor with a slick shifting gearbox. The ride quality is comfy (if not the best) and has the planted feel of a larger car. Styling too was appreciated by my folks, and that Toyota badge made it even more appealing.
So, the Etios Liva in its GD trim came home in the month of August 2013 and our Alto Lx was sold soon after its arrival with a heavy heart. It has been over 11 plus years now. So, I would like to highlight the pros and cons of our vehicle observed till date.
Let us start with the bad bits first (only a few though).
Cons:
1. Interior dashboard layout.
2. NVH is not of the highest order.
3. Cost cutting is evident in a few places.
4. Ride quality can be slightly busy at times.
And, now time for the good bits.
Pros:
1. The design, even though plain Jane, has aged gracefully.
2. Cabin space is unbeatable with supportive seats. It has surprised many people, as it looks quite compact on the outside.
3. High-speed manners are surefooted and instill confidence.
4. Light controls, excellent all-round visibility, and a tight turning radius make life easy.
5. That 1.4L D-4D oil burner is a gem, like I have mentioned before. It’s torquey, tractable, and frugal. The 2V per cylinder with SOHC set up might lool low tech on paper, but it shines bright in our everyday low- to medium-speed driving. The engine is so tractable that it will continue moving at 35-40 kmph in 5th gear without any throttle inputs.
6. Has certain features like a cooled glove box and a height-adjustable seat, which were not commonly seen at that price back in the day. The cabin has loads of cubby holes, bottle holders, and storage spaces. Overall, a very practical cabin.
7. It might have lacked a fancy-looking interior, but it is put together really well. No rattles too till date in spite of cost cutting. On the outside too, the body panel gaps are consistent throughout the car with a good quality paint job that has flawlessly stood the test of time.
8. Excellent after-sales service needs a mention. The support from the team has been excellent. Even though the car has been discontinued, the communication from their end has been stellar. They would timely inform us before the service was due. Service cost has been around ₹ 6,000 per year (for the basic service), which is really a boon.
9. Last but not least, the fuel economy of the car has been stellar. It averages 18 to 20 kmpl with AC on (city+highway). However, the highest kmpl figure was 28.5 kmpl with AC on when I tried to extract the best efficiency out of it, and the lowest was 14 odd kmpl so far.
10. Astounding resale value of this car has surprised me. People are willing to pay high prices for a vehicle that has been already discontinued . But this one is a keeper.
So, this was an ownership experience of our beloved Toyota Etios Liva GD. I hope you guys liked it and would like to thank you very much for your time. Regards.
I am sharing a few pictures of our car.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
