Jul 13, 2011 11:02 AM
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Before I detail in my short experience with Liva. A limited intro about myself. I’m 5’11” and my experience with cars starts from Ambassador, Padmini, 118NE( One of the two Made in India luxury cars at that time, other one was Contessa). Apart from these I miss a complete almost past 2 decades of new vehicles when it comes to driving them personally but as a passenger experienced them all; under 10 lacs category. Starting from 1000 to Sienna, Swift, i20, City etc… In abroad driven cars(not less than 1800 cc) for a shorter period of 1.5 yrs.
Now back to foremost topic i.e Liva experience.
Went to Nandi Toyota(Hosur Road) where this little master was on display. After looking all around the car and checking it back to back with Etios .Here are my observation.
But I’ve found the 3rd point after careful observation.
- The rear bench .In Liva the cushioning comfort is not the same as in Etios Sedan. Though the recline angle of the seat is same but Liva has got a thin and slightly short height seat. The headrest is positioned lower because of the roof which tapers down exactly at that position hence difficult to accommodate the genius Indian head comfortably while in resting state.
I’ll not get into other details as the interiors like dashboard, seats.are exactly the same as in Etios with availability of space inside.
Now moving away differentiating from Elder Brother Etios - will jump into the overall package war in hatchback category. The test car was doing rounds of test drive with prospective customers eagerly waiting for their call from the salesperson . Finally after a short wait my turn came and as expected the cabin was already in super cool state. So left largely to conclude upon the ride characteristics for urban as well as highway needs.
Ignition on …Engine noise is very well in acceptable range for a petrol car. The previous week took a test drive of Etios and observed a slight amount of vibration in doors with somewhat higher engine noise(read sporty) intruding inside the cabin. In Liva didn’t experience the same. It appeared normal to me like in other 1200 cc cars.
Ride dynamics is superb for car weighted below a ton, even at 140KM/HR SPEED. Gear shifting was a breeze with fun in maneuvering the steering. Clutch engagement was also light and precise. More than 4-5 times tested the initial pickup from standstill to good speed(which in my opinion is the need of many). Ahaa.It delighted me considering the engine capacity.
For almost more than a year I use to travel along with my Boss in his car(U-VA) and while commuting I always used to mutely recollect Sunny Deol’s punch dialogue(the one where he exhibits his anger behind the bars) from movie Ghayal. This was the situation every time the need was to pull the vehicle in a pleased manner in stop and go traffic. Although a sturdy well build car but I never got impressed with it for city driving despite a generous space and comfortable seating in particular.
Liva scores high in this aspect when compared to all 1200 cc hatchback except Swift. But for me the Maruti gem does not fulfill one of my major requirement; for every family member to hold a comfortable seating position in rear seat(Everyone in family is close to 6 feet). After evaluating limited options(Swift, i20)and seeing the pictures of Honda Brio with those falling rear windshield. I think I would settle down for this small Toyota despite the dated / bland interiors but since it fulfills my criteria of
Mileage(Not aware but since Etios feedback in Bangalore city is for 11-12 .Assuming Liva’s mileage would definetly be 1.5 kms more)
Seating for 5 tall build persons
Perfect combination of Engine, Transmission and bit of fun factor while driving.
Lot of accessories from company available to make it near to higher variant offerings.(of course not a defogger and wiper)
After convincing myself to live with this kind of interiors the only design deficiency found was with AC vents.
Cannot completely close the vent, still a good amount of air flows even after closing the vent properly.
I think for the kind of packaging and pricing done for all variants. G(sp) appears practical.
For this variant we can get the additional crome rings on AC vents with crome Toyota logo on steering wheel as spare part. Otherwise the interior appears very uninspiring to look everyday. Also for extra comfort some more padding is required in rear seat with wide headrest through aftermarket solution.
Showroom staff indicated on max waiting of 45 days but they sounded unconfident when asked for waiting period by colors. So thinking this could well be upto 3 months during initial period or may be it is possible to get early at least in Bangalore. Will purchase after 2-3 months.
