Introduction

In a small car market like India there isn’t much scope for product innovation, the competition is high and the margins are ever decreasing. In such a scenario, you would stick to the tried and tested success formula, albeit with improvisation. A few such products born from improvisation are the hatchback-based crossovers like the Volkswagen Cross Polo, the upcoming Toyota Etios Cross and the Fiat Avventura.

These products evolved from a hatchback cannot be called proper crossovers as neither are they big nor do they look like SUVs; rather they can be called pseudo crossovers. It makes a lot of sense to own a small car with the ever-worsening traffic conditions and hard to find parking spots. But, it makes even more sense to own a compact pseudo crossover in India. As the vehicle is the same size as a big hatchback and looks like a shrunken SUV, so do we have a winner in hand? Well, maybe.

The Cross Polo is already on sale in India, and has no competition, but not anymore. There are two soon-to-be launched pseudo crossovers, the Toyota Etios Cross and the Fiat Avventura. The Avventura concept made its debut at the 2014 Auto Expo and hasn’t been launched anywhere, however, the Etios Cross is already on sale in international markets. We compare the two upcoming pseudo crossovers to see what’s cooking in this segment.

Exterior

The Etios Cross looks a lot different that the Etios Liva, the car it’s based on. At first look it makes an impression of a pseudo crossover with plastic cladding all around, an aggressive grille, elongated headlamps with fog lamp inserts in the front bumper. The Cross gets roof rails that are non-cosmetic and can hold up to 50kgs of luggage. The rear gets a spoiler and new diamond cut alloy-wheels that add to the aggressive looks of the car. The body cladding carries the Etios Cross name, which looks impressive.

The Avventura with its body cladding much like the Etios Cross and a tail-mounted spare wheel (the Etios Cross doesn’t get this) looks more like an SUV in comparison. The front gets long and sleek headlamps that seem to branch out of the side of the bonnet, running along the fender line ending at the front axles. The front bumper looks distinct with a one piece mesh grille and a front bash plate with inserts for fog lamps which is a single piece downward extending LED unit. The tail-lamps are all-new with clear-lens cover. The Avventura also gets a tow hook to complete the rugged look of the crossover.

Interior

The Avventura’s cabin looks the most impressive. The concept car shown at the Auto Expo had its interiors designed to match the exterior colour with an orange theme on the dials, AC vents, leather on the gear knob and the seats. The concept car also had a compass, pitch and a roll gauge over the AC vents.

The Etios Cross in comparison has a decently laid out cabin but looks a little dull and doesn’t feature too many sharp details. It sports a black theme all around with the instrument cluster placed in the centre much like the vehicle it is based on. The flat base steering wheel, rotary dials and aluminium inserts on the gear knob look decent. But, it does lose out on some equipment as even the top-end variants don’t get climate control even as optional. There are no electric ORVMs, a good audio system but only two speakers.

Engine

The Etios Cross will use the same engines powering the hatchback variant and will get a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel mill. Buyers looking out for petrol versions can opt for the 1.2-litre petrol producing 79bhp and 104Nm which will power the base variant and the top-end variant gets the 1.5-litre engine producing 89bhp and 132Nm of torque. The diesel variants will be powered by the 1.4-litre D-4D unit producing 67bhp and 170Nm of torque. A five-speed transmission will be common across the range and the car will be front-wheel driven.

The Avventura, like the Etios Cross might be available with two petrol and one diesel engine. The 1.2-litre engine producing 67bhp and 96Nm might power the lower-end variants while the top-end ones might get the 1.4-litre mill producing 89bhp 115Nm. Fiat could even surprise us by offering the turbocharged petrol engine and these engines will be mated to a five-speed gearbox powering the front wheels. The diesel variant will be powered by the 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engine producing 90bhp and 209Nm and will get a six-speed manual gearbox.

Price and comparison

The Etios Cross and the Avventura are yet to be launched and being hatchback-based crossovers they have the advantage of being under four-metres which might make them significantly cheaper. The Etios Cross with a high level of localisation can be priced very competitively and we expect it to start from Rs 5 lakh for the base variant.

The Avventura on the other hand might be a little pricier in comparison and could start at Rs 5.75 lakh onwards. The cars do compare really well in terms of offerings and people looking out for other options can look at Ford EcoSport and Volkswagen Cross Polo.