The new Toyota Etios Cross is the carmaker's attempt at capitalising on the SUV-craze in our market. Volkswagen had ventured down a similar path sometime back and introduced the Cross Polo. While both cars are merely cosmetically butched up versions of the standard hatchbacks, it's these looks that the companies are counting on to attract buyers. But if you had to put your money down for one, which one should it be? This is what we think.
Performance and refinement
The Etios Cross uses a 1.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that makes 68bhp and 17.3kgm of pulling power. The motor is largely vibe-free, but it does sound a bit gravely and gets progressively noisier as you build revs. It delivers power in a smooth fashion and the light clutch makes moving forward a largely trouble-free affair. Overall performance is good and the Etios cross hits the 100kph mark in a decent 15.86 seconds.
The Cross Polo is powered by a smaller 1.2-litre diesel motor that makes 74bhp and 18.3kgm of torque. And even though it uses one cylinder less than the Etios Cross’ motor, it makes about 7bhp more. Power delivery isn’t as immediate as the Etios Cross’ and the response at low revs is poor. However, things improve once you move past the 2500rpm mark. The Cross Polo gets to the 100kph mark in 17.6 seconds, which is a 1.74sec slower than the Etios Cross.
