The sales of compact SUVs and crossovers have shoot up considerably in the country. Considering the affordable price, impressive efficiency and immense style of these cars, it is not surprising to see why people are attracted towards this vehicle segment. Manufacturers also find it easier to build crossovers on a car platform than a fully boxed off-road truck frame, which is what traditional SUVs were built on.
The beefed up Liva
Toyota Motors, following the market trend, converted its hatchback Etios Liva into the Toyota Etios Cross just by adding some stylish elements here and there.Unveiled at the Auto Expo 2014 in New Delhi, Etios Cross is a hatchback blended with SUV features. In fact, it is just an enlarged version of the Liva with added features and better interiors.But Etios Cross gets a lot more attitude and presence.
More on the design
The Etios Cross gets matte-finished black plastic cladding all around which makes it 120 mm longer, 40 mm wider and 45 mm taller than the Etios Liva. It is also looks more muscular by a bold front grille with grille guard and fog lamps, tough front and rear bumpers, sturdy roof rails, diamond cut ten spoke alloy wheels, ORVMs with turn indicators and a rear roof spoiler.
Interiors
Etios Cross gets a glossy piano black finish which looks much better than the boring interiors of the Liva. The Cross gets new seat fabrics and a restyled dash board as well. The cabin is very spacious and both front and rear seats are comfortable with the driver seat being height adjustable. 5 adults can sit in comfortably and a luggage up to 251 litres can be piled in.
Features
In addition to a strong collision absorbing body, the car is also packed with other standard safety features like ABS, dual airbags, central locking, keyless entry, immobilizer, seat belt and door ajar warning, child safety locks, fog lights and rear defogger.
Engine
There are absolutely no changes in the powertrains and driving dynamics of the new car from the original Liva, except that the Etios Cross is a heavier car. The Etios Cross is available with three engine options – a 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engine producing 79 bhp and 89 bhp of power respectively and a 1.4-litre diesel unit giving out 67 bhp of power.
Sales
People loved the Etios Cross for its new looks and the car received 5400 bookings during its launch period. Although there was a lot of initial buzz regarding the styling, Cross failed to get the most out of it with good sales figures. It currently makes only a monthly sale of 800 units on an average. It is pricedbetween Rs 6-7 lakhs approximately.
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