There is no need to read the rest of this review – the Toyota Etios is the best value for money in the country and if the dealers are able to get enough supplies, it will be the best-selling car before the end of this year.
There is no need to read the rest of this review – the Toyota Etios is the best value for money in the country and if the dealers are able to get enough supplies, it will be the best-selling car before the end of this year.
This might seem like a sweeping statement, but a test drive convinced me that this is the type of affordable car that rental agencies, small families or price-conscious singles will go for – in a big way.
Okay, so you’ve decided to carry on reading, obviously, to find out why we can make such bold statements. In the first place, the Etios has been put onto the market in an obvious attempt to fill in the massive gap left by the Tazz.
As someone who is happily still driving a 10-year-old Tazz, I can understand the logic of wanting to replace such a practical vehicle. Of course they want a replacement – the only mystery is why it took Toyota so long. But it appears that this time they have got it right, very right.
What you see is what you get – it looks like a practical econo-small family car and that’s what it is. Both models have a distinctly Toyota look about them – straightforward and uncomplicated. There are no sweeping sexy lines of a wannabe pocket rocket, and it might even look a little old-fashioned in a handsome sort of way.
We took the hatchback for a drive around town and onto the N2 where the 1.5 litre VVT engine took us up to 120km/h easily. The engine puts out 66kW at 132Nm – respectable figures when combined with a claimed 5.9 litres per kilometre for the sedan model.
The five-speed gear box was smooth enough even if it took a little longer than expected to pick up the revs when changing from first to second. The Etios seats four comfortably in either a hatchback or a sedan version and you could probably get a fifth person to sit in the middle without causing too many problems. (Although I admit to not being tall, there was a surprising amount of legroom for someone sitting in the back, especially when compared to other compacts in the class.)
All round visibility is excellent and the dashboard indicator lights, as well as the large speedometer, are easy to see. The plastic mouldings on the doors and console somehow look more plastic than in some other cars, but unless you are willing to spend over half a million – plastic is what you are going to get.
Arguably the biggest win for the Etios sedan is the incredibly large boot capacity – 595 litres. When I opened the boot of the vehicle at the dealership, I thought that there was something wrong with my glasses because I couldn’t see the end of the space.
Would I buy one of these? Yes, definitely – but there’s absolutely no reason to trade in my Tazz just yet.
