Developed alongside its bigger sedan brother (read our first drive on p 48), the hatch shares a lot in common, including the front half of the car up to the B-pillar. The cabin is similarly spacious too, although the wheelbase is 90 mm less than the sedan’s. In fact, Toyota claim the Etios hatch will be a revelation when it hits the market later next year and claim it has more interior space than any other car in the segment, save for the far more expensive Honda Jazz.
It’ll be powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder version of the same DOHC engine found in the sedan, but with a smaller bore. The reduced engine capacity will allow it to take advantage of the excise relaxation. It even shares the same gear ratios as the sedan and it is this rationalisation of components which has helped Toyota to achieve such an aggressive price with this car. Power is expected to be about 80PS, while torque about 12 to 15 per cent less than the larger engine, but Toyota claim the hatch will also set a new fuel-efficiency benchmark.
Going forward, Toyota might even offer the 1.5-litre engine for those wanting a sportier drive. The big news, though, is on the diesel front; both the Etios hatch and sedan could get a 1.4-litre oil-burner from 2012. This will be a cheaper variant of the 1.4-litre diesel recently launched in the Corolla Altis, but without a variable-geometry turbo; instead, a fixed geometry turbine will be used. Don’t forget that Toyota have recently invested huge sums of money in a vendor development exercise, some of which could be for the diesel motor.
The prices for the petrol Etios hatch could start at just over Rs 4 lakh, at which it’ll be shattering value. The pull of the Toyota badge will be the icing on the cake. Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Ford, Nissan etc have all been warned!
