Toyota Etios facelift spotted on test in India

Toyota's Etios sedan is up for a mid-life cycle refresh and was recently spotted on test in India. The car was masked in a bid to hide the small changes to its exterior and interior.

This revamped Etios doesn't seem to be the exact model that Toyota recently launched in Brazil. However, Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) might take cues from the Brazilian model and bring in changes to the Indian car as well. The pictures hint that the front bumper is reworked and might get new fog lamps. The grille might be tweaked to give the car a different look. Similar is the case with the rear bumper that still houses the registration plate, while the tailgate might get some chrome embellishments.

Some camouflage in the cabin of the Etios also suggests that the carmaker has made some changes in the interior. Though the position of the instrument cluster is still in the centre on the dashboard, we would love to see a semi-digital panel there. The overall layout of the interior remains the same, but the small tweaks are expected to bring about a difference inside. The steering wheel seems to have got a new leather cover and the air-vents get a chrome surround.

On the powertrain front, we expect the engine line-up to continue. This includes a 90bhp 1.5-litre petrol unit and a 68bhp 1.4-litre diesel mill. The transmission duty might continue to be done by the five-speed manual gearbox.

This revamped version of the Etios will be just a mid-life refresh and not a completely overhauled model. Nevertheless, let's hope these new changes are improvements over the existing model and increase the appeal of the car sold in our market since 2010.

Image Courtesy: Motoroids