Toyota Kirloskar Motor India has recently launched a new member of the Etios Family in the country. The Etios sedan and the Etios Liva hatchback models were Toyota’s venture into the affordable compact passenger car market of India. However, these models did not become a huge hit. While the Liva looks better than the insipid Etios, it does not stand a chance against the stunning and feature-rich hatchback rivals in India. Toyota got so disappointed with the market performance of the Etios range that it announced its withdrawal from the small car market of India and to focus only on the larger and more expensive cars.
Toyota Etios Cross Orange
Nevertheless, Toyota did come up with the new Etios Cross which is actually a complete revamped version of the Liva. However, the car does look larger than its hatchback counterpart owing to its full body cladding. The new Etios Cross is also Toyota’s venture into an off-beat cross-hatchback segment of India. This segment is a wee bit confusing and the Indian consumers really can’t figure out the difference between these hatchback-turned-crossovers and the regular hatchback models. The segment was started by Volkswagen with its not so popular Cross Polo which is again a overhauled Polo hatch, but the very popular Ford EcoSport compact SUV also has a similar body type. This segment of the Etios Cross can be described best as the Pseudo-SUVs, with the sporty looks of a SUV and the heart of a hatchback.
Japanese car giant Toyota surely gets big thumbs up with the design of the Etios Cross. Though the basic design of the Liva is retained, the superb accessories and the new aggressive face have done a wonderful job in transforming the car into a brilliantly muscular new vehicle.
The new Etios Cross gets a large, aggressively designed bull bar front grille and full body cladding in matt black with silver accents. These do most of the job of giving the Pseudo-SUV an angry yet trendy look. The body cladding is made of reinforced plastic, but looks high quality giving the car a great crossover appeal. The vehicle gets a complete fashionably macho appeal with silver spoiler, silver finished roof rails, fog lamps with vertical indicators, chrome finished door handles, turn indicator integrated external rearview mirrors and 15 inch 10-spoke diamond cut alloy wheels.
The Etios Cross with its new bold looks is aimed at the trendy, young Indians who would love to flaunt a macho car. However, the Etios Cross is made sturdier with its full body cladding, higher wheels and an under-plate facilitating the vehicle with enough rough road performance, if not complete off-road capabilities.
Toyota has done a good job on the inside of the Etios Cross as well by upgrading the Liva’s interiors. The entire cabin looks and feels plusher and the silver embossed Etios Cross seat covers add an exclusive feel. Offered in both petrol and diesel variants, the Etios Cross is expected to be the most popular model in the Etios range with its cool, hunk looks.
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I am into the auto blogs field for quite a long time. Living my passion of reviewing cars.
Tagged: Toyota Etios Cross
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