Innova – Amazing Re Defined!

Hi, today we write about the Toyota Innova. This is one vehicle that we have driven loads. Our aunt owns one and we frequently accompany their family to all sorts of trips in this wonder vehicle. Toyota Innova indeed redefines what an MPV should be. It’s the optimum combination of luxury, comfort and utility. Read on..

About the Innova:

Toyota Innova can be best described as a big sedan with ground clearance of an MPV. This vehicle offers excellent ride quality and luxury coupled with enormous space, superior performance, world class safety, advanced styling and durability. Innova's engine is CRDI based. This 2.5L engine has been specially modified to suit Indian conditions. Also, the Innova is really a mini-van, offering practicality instead of a rugged image.

Design and Interiors

As soon as you step into the interiors and you’re in for a shock. You think you’ve walked into a luxury car by mistake — there’s a plushness you don’t associate with cars in this category. The dashboard with its interesting two-tone and geometric design looks and feels better than a Corolla’s, and the plastics, switches and buttons have a tactile feel comparable to a luxury car. Power window switches come from a common parts bin, shared with the Corolla.

Interior space and comfort are world class, and the Innova feels far more spacious than both the Tavera and the Qualis. The front seats are pretty generous, with seat- and steering wheel-height adjustment on some models. The thoughtfully designed middle row is placed quite high off the floor, allowing a comfortable seating posture. Though not quite as comfy as the Safari’s middle-row seats, the Innova has plenty of legroom and width for the central passengers.

The rear seats are economy class but compared to its rivals, the Innova excels. The middle and rear seats flip forward, and tilt in all kinds of permutations, typical of other MUVs in this market. What’s unique is a 50:50 split for the rear seats. It adds to the versatility of the Innova, but limits the rear-most seats to two passengers.

Engine

Innova comes with a 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol. The 16-valve, twin-cam diesel engine produces 102bhp and 20.4 kgm of torque, quite modest for a common-rail unit of this size. However, Toyota has traded power for economy however it’s a fuel efficient vehicle in its class. The immediate impression of the first time rider of this car is silent diesel engine. Noise and vibrations are incredibly low. There isn’t a lack of power either and with a fully loaded close family, the Innova manages to canter effortlessly past the 120kph mark. The suspension clearly lacked the compliance of a regular car though.

Ride and Handling

The Innova rides on a rigid tubular section chassis. It uses double wishbones with coil springs up front and the rear uses a non-independent suspension, with four links and a lateral rod with coil springs. The Innova is not available with a four-wheel drive option; need not be missed unless you wish to go for some serious off-roading.

Innova is quite well behaved on the road. Straight-line stability is of no issue, and lane change characteristics are quite good actually. The rack and pinion steering arrangement appears to give some benefits here. Around corners, the Innova handles well for an MPV. The suspension is tuned to be a lot soft. The rear coil springs help a lot in this department. The ride quality is pretty good.

Our Verdict

We are really blown away! This car really makes us believe that you will never go wrong with a Toyota.

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Shef and Manks