Cross The Gap - 2014 Toyota Etios Cross (Part 2)

At the preview we got the opportunity to drive both the petrol and diesel versions of the vehicle. Toyota are actually offering the Etios Cross with three engines to choose from. There’s the top-end 1.5-litre petrol engine with 90 PS and 132 Nm on tap, the more economical 1.2-litre petrol engine with 80PS and 104 Nm, and finallythe diesel workhorse with the 1.4-litre D-4D engine that churns out 68 PS and 170 Nm. We got behind the wheels of the top-end petrol and diesel variants of the Cross.

Toyota Etios Cross Interior front cabin

As expected of a company like Toyota, both the petrol and diesel engines are smooth running and feel refined. The fire-speed gearboxes each of these is mated to also return a positive feel and slot in quite nicely. The Etios Cross is a light vehicle tipping the scales at just 950 kilos for the petrol and 1,030 kilogrammes for the top-of-the-line diesel variant. As a result, in both cases the car picks up pace very quickly and can reach a good top speed. On the diesel version, though, you will experience a turbo lag till about 1,500 RPM before the car shoots off.

Toyota’s 1.4-litre D-4D diesel engine is time tested and has proven itself a reliable performer in pretty much all conditions

On the ride quality front, the Cross has the same sorted ride that the Etios Liva or the Etios boasts of. It is capable of ironing out most of the road irregularities, including potholes and bumps, which makes for a comfy ride for passengers. As for handling, it is extremely similar to the Etios Liva and feels planted in a straight line and through bends as well at moderate speeds. Compared to the petrol the diesel feels more lively since the heavier engine means the car feels as if it turns in a bit quicker. Being set up on the softer side to return a more pliant ride on bad Indian roads, we suspect the Cross, like most of its brethren, ends up sacrificing same of its dynamic abilityes not by a whole lot. What does mar the experience, though, is the steering, which has an incredibly long lock-to-lock. Braking too is as sorted as on the cars the Cross is based on.

Toyota Etios Cross  Rear

Eventually it all boils down to a question of whether people will take to the looks of the Etios Cross and, far more importantly in a price-conscious country like ours, how Toyota are going to price the vehicle. While we wait for the answer to the second part of that statement, the Etios Cross does look a couple of shades (maybe even three) better than the hatchback that spawned it. As to its success, if Toyota price the vehicle right then it should do well. After all, the Cross, like all other Toyotas, also boasts of the company’s legendary reliability, not to mention a growing service network and the Toyota brand appeal.