New Toyota Innova - You know its grumpy



Manufactured by Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Innova is now a 6-year-old MUV in India yet its popularity never seems to cease with the people. Toyota Innova was launched first in 2005 as a replacement to Toyota Qualis and eventually it replaced the ageing and senile (can we say popularity fading) Qualis. The Innova though was launched basically as an MUV it still carries on the elegance of being a big sedan.

When the Innova was launched, it had actually set standards in the MUV segment. Ever since its launch it's being admired for the superior riding as well as top class cabin comfort. If there was one reason it wasn't appreciated, it was the looks and this prompted company to come up with the new Toyota Innova launch in 2008 which more dynamic and stylish than its predecessor. With simple yet significant tweaks in exteriors and interiors, new Innova hopes continues to soar on its popularity wave in the MUV segment giving stiff competition to its adversaries Chevrolet Tavera, Mahindra Xylo and Tata Sumo Grande.

Looks, the exteriors and the interiors:
New Innova has gotten some tweaks as compared to its predecessor; the new Innova has oodles of dynamic style. The new bumper with stylish grille and electrical ORVMs with redesigned rear end with impressive taillights and alloy wheels adds the needed charm to exteriors. The build quality and finish looks unmatched and second to none. Wooden finish glorifies the already beautiful interiors.

As you sit in the driver's seat, you'd feel that its big sedan not an MUV. The dash looks pretty neat and the switches and buttons are notch apart in terms of quality. Dual-tone beige lightens the insides of cabin. Driver's seat is good and gives a fabulous road view. The steering and other controls are so good and other than the long gearshift (which is also easy and good) controls you feel you are driving a car not an MUV.

As regards the space interiors it is good. While the front and the middle rows offer decent leg room, you would feel grumpy in the third row which can strictly accommodate no more than 2 people. The seats are supportive and good for long journeys and the AC is surprisingly fast cooling actually, thanks to the dedicated vents to all rows.

Boot with all rows of seats too is still good but the folding of last row of seats opens up to a bigger boot, sadly the seats cannot be removed as we see in Sumo Grande; you may actually dislike the New Innova for the reason it's not as flexible as how any other MUV will be or should be- the boot is not expandable.

However, the top variants of the new Innova come with many glorifying features including multi-function display and steer wheel mounted controls, automatic AC, and car audio system (offering CD and MP3 support but lacking the Bluetooth support).

Engine performance, ride quality and handling
The new Innova is top seller in the MUV segment and comes with two engines - 2.0l petrol fuelled 4-cylinder fuel-injection engine with VVT-i technology, and the second one is the better selling 2.5l 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine with common rail direct injection option.

Both the engines are mated to a 5-speed trany (manual) and the 16-valve DOHC engines are liquid cooled. The 2.5l diesel engine belts out power of 102bhp and a torque of 20.3kgm. The engine is superb in its response to throttle and the light weight implies it can be very quick on the roads.

Innova gives one of the best rides around and the handling of this grumpy vehicle is one of the best in the segment. Direct steering and sedan-like stance coupled with less body roll implies it can be nudged through corners too with as much ease. You wouldn't appreciate the stiff ride at low speeds though but the feel changes as speed picks up. As regards noise, you would feel it's noisier although the vibrations are compromised. The rear suspension is good and suits much to the Indian roads as all road imperfections are soaked in perfectly. You would rate it 8 on 10 when you compare with Tata Sumo Grande.



As regards safety features the new Toyota Innova is built with no compromise on passenger safety. The host of the safety features it boasts reiterates the same: The GOA (Global Outstanding Assessment) body with ABS Technology and SRS airbags, collapsible steering column and load-sensing proportion valve besides child safety locks and rigid frame makes it one tough guy around to tread you with utmost safety. The rear parking sensors ease any pain of parking in tight slots.

As regards the mileage 2.0l petrol engine runs about 8-12 (in city and highway) km per liter but the 2.5l diesel runs comfortably 11-16 km per liter which is very decent considering its grumpy size and the super power AC.

The new Toyota Innova comes in many trims and the base model comes under Rs. 8 lakhs price and the top trim is priced over 11 lakhs.

Innova comes in seven colors:
Champagne Mica Metallic
White and Super White
Silver Mica Metallic
Light Blue Metallic
Grey Mica Metallic
Dark Red Mica Metallic
To sum it up new Innova gives decent ride and handling and a peppy performance and compares with the best in class interiors. I still feel it's not a value-for-money MUV and is expensive compared to its competitors. Also the visibility rearward is not up to mark. It feels very grumpy to maneuver in the traffic and the petrol engine though company says is refined its one thirsty monster and hard on pocket.

Last word:
Why buy? The new Innova sets standards in its class.

Why deny? Not so dynamic styling and needs a room worth parking space.

Written by .
Last updated on 13-07-2011. Published on 13-07-2011.
Published by Carz4Sale in category Reviews
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