Toyota Etios Cross vs Renault Sandero Stepway Plus vs VW Polo Vivo Maxx: which one is the best value

Each of these three plastic-clad and butched-up small hatchbacks will give you some of the rugged appeal of a real crossover but without too significant a price penalty, and with the same low running costs as their more mundane siblings. We selected our three contenders based on the fact that they’re all aimed at the same price point, and sit at (or near) the top of their respective ranges.

Doing battle today, we have the Toyota Etios Cross taking on the Renault Sandero Stepway Plus and Volkswagen Polo Vivo Maxx. There’s a price difference of R 26 300 between the least- and most expensive contenders, but they all have some things in common, such as front-wheel drive, petrol engines, and a manual transmission. They’re also all adorned with plastic add-ons to make them look more rugged. But which one really gives you the most car for your money?

Facts and figures:

First, let’s look at the numbers:

	Toyota Etios Cross 1.5 Xs	Renault Sandero 66kW Stepway Plus	Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.6 Maxx
Engine size (cyl/size)	4-cyl, 1.5-litre petrol	3-cyl, 0.9-litre turbopetrol	4-cyl, 1.6-litre petrol
Power/Torque	66 kW/132 Nm	66 kW/135 Nm	77 kW/153 Nm
Kerb Weight	920 kg	1055 kg	1117 kg
Length (mm)	3 893	4 072	3 972
Boot volume (litres)	251	292	280
Airbag count	2	4	2
Top Speed (km/h) *	165	168	188
Ave Consumption *	6.0 ℓ/100 km	5.4 ℓ/100 km	6.5 ℓ/100 km
Warranty	3 yr/100 000 km	5 yr/150 000 km	3 yr/120 000 km
Price	R 212 900	R 218 900	R 239 200

* Manufacturer's official claimed figures.

 

Analysis

Power, performance, and drivetrains

Both the Etios Cross and the Vivo Maxx use (relatively large) naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engines for their motive power, but the Sandero Stepway takes a different approach to achieve similar outputs to those of the Etios. Thanks to its turbocharger, the Renault’s 0.9-litre engine actually beats the Toyota’s 1.5-litre unit in terms of torque output (135 Nm vs 132 Nm), and matches it on peak power (66 kW). 

With its power- and torque advantages of 11 kW and about 20 Nm, the Vivo Maxx (with 77 kW/153 Nm) pulls ahead of its competitors right out of the starting blocks – in theory, at least. It has the largest engine in this group, after all, and in the absence of a turbocharger, that makes a big difference. 

But, when we compare the power to weight ratios of these three cars, a different trend emerges. With only 69 W/kg, the heaviest-in-group Vivo Maxx suffers against the lightest car here, because the lower-powered Etios presents a superior power to weight ratio of 72 W/kg on account of its featherweight construction. Meanwhile, the (second heaviest) Sandero Stepway Plus gets with a bloody nose in the performance stakes, because it can only muster 63 W/kg in spite of its power output being near-identical to that of the Etios. 

This means that the Etios Cross should be able to match (or even beat) the Vivo Maxx in lightly-laden conditions, in spite of its lower power output, and both will outrun the Stepway without too much effort. Loading these cars will change the picture somewhat, however, and the Vivo’s torque advantage should also make for useful extra oomph in overtaking situations. 

Overall, the Polo Vivo Maxx takes the performance crown, with the Etios Cross coming in a close second, and the Sandero Stepway settling for a distant third place.

 

Economy

Because it’s the heaviest car here, and has the largest engine with the most power at its disposal, the Vivo Maxx has to pay a penalty at the fuel pumps. Its official average fuel consumption is quoted as a realistic 6.5 ℓ/100 km, closely followed by the Etios Cross at 6.0 ℓ/100 km. The Renault’s diminutive engine should however pay dividends when it’s time to fill up, because its average consumption is quoted as only 5.4 ℓ/100 km. On paper, this category hands the Sandero Stepway a convincing victory, then.

In the real world, the picture changes somewhat. Thanks to its superior torque output, the driver of a Vivo Maxx will be able to shift into a higher gear sooner, while the other two will need to work a lot harder to achieve the same pace. This means that the Maxx’s claimed figure should be closer to reality than those of its opponents, although they’ll all achieve mid-6 ℓ/100 km figures in normal driving conditions. 

It’s only at steady speeds on the open road where the Sandero will show its consumption advantage, because cruising duties will allow that little engine to stay away from fuel-guzzling boosted operation. Nonetheless, this victory has to go to the Stepway, purely based on its potential to be extremely frugal under ideal conditions. The lightweight Etios Cross takes second place, with the heftier and more powerful Vivo Maxx ending up in third position.

 

Practicality

This department sees the Sandero Stepway score another victory, because it has just that little bit more available space all round. This is mainly thanks to its larger overall dimensions, which liberates extra space both in the luggage compartment and inside the cabin. It has the largest boot, with 292 litres available behind the rear seats, which trumps the Vivo Maxx by 12 litres and the Etios Cross by 41 litres. 

Inside the cabin, the Sandero’s larger size allows for more rear seat space, although the Vivo runs it close in this regards. In contrast, the little Etios (the shortest car here, by quite a margin) suffers in terms of luggage capacity, cabin space both front and rear, and maximum load volume. As a result, the Etios Cross comes a distant third, with the second-placed Vivo Maxx coming close to matching the winning Sandero on overall practicality.

 

Equipment and safety

The largest consideration when considering value for money is the amount of stuff you get for your hard-earned Rands? All three cars are equipped to top-level specifications (for their respective ranges), and have many features in common. Standard in all of them are alloy wheels, air conditioning, power steering, and audio systems with Bluetooth- and USB compatibility. 

The Etios starts out with a disadvantage, however, because its audio system lacks any form of touch input (colour items are standard on both opponents), and there are no remote controls on the steering wheel for audio system. It also lacks cruise control (standard in the Sandero, optional in the Vivo), electric side mirror adjustment (standard only in the Sandero), and a rear-view camera/parking sensor setup (also fitted only to the Sandero). 

By comparison, the Vivo has a very nice colour touchscreen infotainment system and sports seats, but is the only car here to offer electric windows only for the front doors. Apart from the infotainment setup and steering wheel remote controls, the Vivo actually barely matches the standard specification of the Etios, which is disappointing when its price premium is considered. 

In contrast, the Sandero Stepway Plus has a lot more comfort- and convenience items on its specification sheet, and all for a price that almost matches the Etios. Score one for the Sandero on the toy count, then.

All three contenders score well on the safety front, with the Etios getting a 4-star rating in Global NCAP crash testing, the Sandero getting 4 stars from Euro NCAP, and the Polo Vivo getting a 5-star rating in Euro NCAP testing. Basic safety equipment common to all three include ABS and ISOFIX child seat anchors in the rear. 

However, the Sandero and Vivo also receives stability control, while the Renault has 4 airbags (front and side) instead of the 2 (front) airbags on offer in the other cars. This more comprehensive safety spec, along with its longer standard equipment list, ensures that the Sandero Stepway Plus easily walks away with the “features and safety” victory, thanks to its airbag count putting it ahead of the Vivo Maxx. Meanwhile, the Etios Cross has to settle for third place in this department.

 

Verdict

The Etios Cross’s main drawcard has to be the fact that it’s the least expensive car in this trio. However, its sparse safety- and convenience equipment counts as a major drawback, and its compromised practicality relegates it to third place. It may have a good balance between performance and economy, but it’s rather outclassed by its newer competition, so the Etios Cross has to be the first to be eliminated here.

Separating the Vivo Maxx and the Stepway Plus is a bit more difficult. Yes, the Vivo has the overall performance advantage, but it’s also thirstier and has a surprisingly vacant spec sheet. Adding those downsides to its significantly higher price means that second place is the best result a Vivo Maxx could hope for.

This leaves us with the Sandero. Yes, it’s the slowest car here, but that will probably not matter too much for value-conscious shoppers. Instead, they’ll appreciate its practicality, consumption advantage (under ideal conditions), comparatively loaded spec sheet, and more comprehensive safety package. With a pricetag that’s only R 6 000 dearer than the Etios Cross (and more than R 20 000 cheaper than the Vivo Maxx), the Sandero Stepway Plus strikes the best balance between features, safety, and practicality. It emerges as our value for money champion today.

 

* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without prior notice. 

 

Related Reading:

The Sandero Stepway Plus impressed us in road testing, as well as on paper.

It's easy to figure why the Vivo is such a strong seller, as we did in our road test.

The Etios Cross is really only mildly annoyed, but nowhere near really cross...

Find out more about NCAP safety ratings here.