TOYOTA did not call this Etios the Sprint for no reason – it definitely is a sprinter on the road!
Driving from Port Alfred to East London to catch a flight put a lot of pressure on the journalists who attended the car’s launch in Eastern Cape.
And boy, it lived up to all expectations! To cut a long story short, the SunWheels team made it back to the airport in time thanks to the speed and handling of the Etios Sprint displayed on the open road.
Since hitting our shores for the first time in 2014, the Etios has won many hearts – not only among individual buyers but companies that are quickly grabbing it for their pool cars.
But what makes it as popular?
According to Toyota, it is because the Etios is affordable, practical and reliable. And thanks to demand, the Japanese carmaker has upgraded and launched the Etios Sprint last week.
As seen at the Festival of Motoring, held in October last year, the Sprint is the newest version in the Etios range and it replaces the previous mid-range X with a number of new features.
One major change is the new front bumper design – it incorporates a large, lowered air intake as the front of the car’s main focus point.
The lowered air dam stretches across the entire front and features integrated fog lamps with sculpted insets.
Subtle graining has been applied to lend an air of quality.
The lower grille is fashioned in matching black and utilises sharp horizontal slats to reinforce the vehicle’s strong, muscular appearance.
The upper radiator grille employs a distinctive wing-like design element, with Toyota’s oval brand at its centre and a broad chrome “eyebrow” forming the upper border at the bonnet.
The rear also gets style updates in order to create a connected look. The rear bumper incorporates an smooth lower crease line emphasising the profile – flowing from the outer corners and blending into the number plate recess.
The revised bumper treatment increases the overall length of the hatch by 109mm and the sedan by 104mm.
Adding extra appeal to the appearance are the new twin-spoke, 15-inch alloy wheels fitted with 185/60R15 rubber and a carbon-fibre-inspired Sprint badge.
The 1,5-litre, four-cylinder engine is outstanding with its free-revving nature and good low-speed torque delivery. This makes the Etios a breeze to navigate in and out of heavy city traffic while providing easy motorway cruising – which is particularly rare for a small car.
The fuel consumption hasn’t been forsaken either with the sedan registered as using 5,9 litres of fuel every 100km and the hatchback using 6,0 litres every 100km.
On the passive safety front, passengers are protected by driver and passenger-facing airbags.
The active safety features included are ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, seat-belts with pre-tensioner and force limiter as well as Isofix child-seat anchor points.
All Etios models come with a two-year/30 000 kilometre service plan and a three-year/100 000km warranty.
PRICING
Hatch
- 1.5 Xi – R163 900
- 1.5 Sprint – R172 600
- 1.5 Cross – R194 300
Sedan
- 1.5 Xi – R172 200
- 1.5 Sprint – R180 500
