Toyota Etios GD SP

Toyota Etios GD SP

With petrol prices going through the roof, the demand of diesel cars has suddenly increased. Noticing this paradigm shift, automobile manufactures until very recently were finding it difficult to keep up with the demand and were directly affected as they were unable to sell petrol variants across the country. Moving away but at the same time keeping this scenario in mind, Toyota Kirloskar Motors recently shared its sale figures for the month of May 2012 which states that they have grown by 108 percent. In perspective, a total of 15,501 units were sold as compared to 7,470 units for the same duration last year. Our pick of the day is the Etios sedan, which going by this report suggests has sold over 4,270 units in comparison to 3,412 units in May last year, thereby registering a 25% growth.  Considering that the Toyota Etios comes in at the price point of a premium hatchback, it still suffices for many middle class aspirants who would like to own a reasonable priced sedan like this one.  With the current state of affairs of the Indian economy, we look at Toyota‘s most economical sedan to see whether it stands tall on its claims – ‘Q Class’. Q referring to quality in its case, the Etios is up to date with competitors like the Maruti Dzire, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna and so on. Considering that the brand value goes in favour of it, Toyota has definitely gambled on the quality of plastics used throughout the vehicle. Actually we can’t blame the company because in a price sensitive market like ours, the price point speaks a lot for the vehicle on offer. Therefore having a price tag of Rs 7.18 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, the Etios seems to be a reasonable option. Considering that all Toyota’s have a good resale value, the Etios petrol provides a 1.5 litre, 4 cylinder 16V DOHC engine under its hood. Producing a total power output of 89 bhp with 132 Nm of torque, the vehicle is pretty good to drive. The pick up is linear with ample of torque indicating that if and when pushed hard then it would not fail to impress you.  The 5 speed manual transmission does well to provide smooth shifts, even at row revs one can be assure to make a swift getaway as and when required. Featuring MacPherson strut in front and Torsion Beam at its rear, the suspension is well cushioned as it absorbs broken roads with ease.