The 7-seater segment is filled with options. You have the likes of the SUVs that dominate the upper portion of the market and then you have the MPVs and crossovers which lay on the more affordable end of the spectrum. These MPVs and crossovers tend to cater more to those who are on a budget but want a people mover that still has a decent set of features to go around.
Enter the Nissan Livina and the Toyota Veloz, the former is the brand’s newest entry into the seven-seater MPV segment, while the latter is marketed as a 7-seater crossover SUV. Both are similarly priced and similarly equipped as well which makes them perfect candidates for this head-to-head. That being said, we will now compare what these two vehicles have to offer via their spec sheets to see which one will come out on top and to see which one will offer you the better value for money proposition.
Exterior
To put it bluntly, these vehicles are reskinned versions of themselves. The Nissan Livina takes the design of the Mitsubishi Xpander which is its mechanical twin and adds a V-motion grille to it along with other brand-related design changes. The Veloz, on the other hand, takes the chassis and body of its sibling the Avanza and gives it a more SUV-like appearance thanks to a new front end.
As this is a comparison, we have to look further than the designs to see what each vehicle offers. From the get, go the Veloz has more to offer as it comes with 17-inch wheels and LED headlights. This is in contrast to the smaller 16-inch wheels available on the Livina along with its halogen headlights. Where it becomes a toss-up between the two is when you look at their measurements. The Nissan 7-seater is 35mm longer, while the Toyota is 25mm wider than its rival. This makes awarding a winner a bit of a tough task as there are minor differences between the two. With that said and with this boiling down to personal preference, we will award this category as a tie.
Winner: Tie
Interior
On the inside, if you have seen the interiors of the Avanza and Xpander then it's a repeat of what you will see inside the Veloz and Livina respectively. The Nissan 7-seater goes for a sloped dashboard design with a large infotainment system in the middle and analog gauges on the side. It comes with rectangular vents and easy-to-use air conditioning dial controls at the center. Something to note, however, is that there is no AC button available and that there is no rear defogger button as well.
Inside the Veloz, it gives off a slightly more premium look and feels than its Nissan rival. It has a large 9-inch infotainment system in the center and a digital instrument cluster as well. The seats are cloth inside the Toyota 7-seater, while the Livina gets leather which is great.
Overall you can’t go wrong with these two, but we have to decide on a winner. As the Livina utilizes the older layout of the Xpander for its current form, we will have to give the win to the Veloz for the slightly better execution despite utilizing the same interior bits as its brother the Avanza.
Winner: Toyota Veloz
Tech
In terms of technology, the Toyota Veloz comes out on top. It has the bigger infotainment, measuring in at 9-inches, comes with wireless charging, and has support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also comes with automatic air conditioning which is not present in its rival.
In the case of the Livina, these features aren’t available as the vehicle only has a 7-inch touchscreen display that does support screen mirroring capabilities and Bluetooth connectivity. One thing to note is that you will need to download a third-party application in order to make the screen mirroring function work. For this category, we will have to give the win to the Veloz as it comes with more tech available.
Winner: Toyota Veloz
Safety
The Nissan Livina comes with industry standards when it comes to safety technology. This means that it comes with dual front airbags, ABS, a reverse camera, and a hill start assist. It also comes with vehicle dynamic control, traction control, and parking sensors for the back. With its kit, the Nissan 7-seater is on par with the rest of its rivals within its segment.
While the Toyota Veloz gets similar standard safety features to its Nissan rival, it does come with the advantage of getting a few features from the Toyota Safety Sense suite. The V-grade version of the Veloz, gets a pre-collision system, automatic high beam, and lane departure alert. It also comes with a blind spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert. This puts it above the Nissan Livina in terms of safety technology, which makes it the winner of this category.
Winner: Toyota Veloz
Power
Under the hood, both vehicles are powered by a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine. The engine of the Livina produces 103hp and 141 Nm of torque, while the Veloz makes 105hp and 138 Nm of torque. The former uses a traditional four-speed automatic transmission and the latter has a CVT. It is important to note that the Livina does have a five-speed manual transmission option available, however, this is reserved for the lower variants.
On paper, the Veloz has an advantage in terms of raw horsepower, however, in the real world we think more torque would be more useful especially if you plan to utilize the maximum passenger capacity of these vehicles. With that being said, we will give the win for this category to the Nissan Livina.
Winner: Nissan Livina
Verdict and Price
When it comes to the pricing of these two vehicles, they are pretty close, however, we do have to account for the lower variants of the Nissan Livina which lets it reach out to more customers, especially to buyers who are working on a tighter budget. The Nissan Livina has a price range starting from P1,029,000 for its entry-level model and going all the way up to P1,209,000 for its top-of-the-line variant. The Toyota Veloz, on the other hand, is priced from P1,210,000 to 1,265,000.
As far as pricing is concerned, the Veloz is the more expensive vehicle, however, price isn’t everything as we still need to consider the value that they bring to the table. With that said, despite the Toyota being the more expensive option it does give you access to better features within the segment. The technology it offers justifies its slightly more expensive price point and we think makes it the better choice amongst the two despite its slight difference in torque.
Overall winner: Toyota Veloz
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