Toyota Etios Liva TRD Sportivo review, test drive

Toyota had launched the Liva with sporty body kit some time back as a limited edition version. However, the Liva TRD Sportivo isn’t just about the cosmetic add ons. What the carmaker has done this time around is plonk the Etios saloon’s more powerful 89bhp 1.5-litre petrol motor in the hatch. But is that enough to make it a proper enthusiast’s car?

The Sportivo has been launched with the sole purpose of injecting some spice into the Liva’s rather dull image and going by looks alone, you can’t miss the sporting pretensions. However, the motor is rather meek by hot hatch standards and the 1.5-litre’s 89bhp power output is the same as the Brio 1.2-litre’s. The Liva’s 925kg kerb weight is the saving grace as it translates into a power to weight ratio of 96.2bhp per tonne, just shy of the Polo’s 96.3bhp per tonne.