[RSimonS]

It is more than an year since I picked up the Innova. It has clocked only 15K+ kilometers in the last one year, I know it is very low by Innova standards. My daily commute is only about 12Kms, I had few long trips as well (4 times to Kerala, to Chitradurga, Bheemeswari, couple of trips to Mysore etc).

I had an Ikon prior to buying the Innova, I was looking for a reasonably good highway cruiser which will not scrap the bottom every now and then. I had to stretch my budget for accommodating the innova. Overall I am very satisfied with the vehicle, below are the details

Vehicle - Innova Vx (Silver) 8 Seater
Accessories
Headlight Upgrade (50/60 to 100/130)
Seat Covers (Cloth)
Spoiler
Rear Crash guard
Sun Film (Only for back and side)
Mats (Rubber one was given free, picked up the Beige one as well)
GPS - Garmin 205W + Satguide

I Liked
• Space, Space and Space
• Elevated Driving position
• Moves and behaves like a car. Though the vehicle looks big, it is very easy to drive it in the city traffic, it gives a sedan like driving pleasure even in congested Bangalore traffic. The steering wheel feedback is also very good
• Climate Control. I just love it, no need to bother about switching on and off the AC while driving (just concentrate on the drive)
• Very Good AC, 2nd and 3rd row vents helps with this
• Some safety features - ABS, Dual Airbags, Immobilizer
• A good enough music system - Like my wife complaints, I do not even increase the volume. So it is more or less sufficient for me. But a CD changer or USB support is surely missed.
• Audio Controls on steering wheel, it is on the convex side(?) - Very easy to use
• Rear seat comfort, I see wife and kid sleeping at the back seat during the long drives
• Quality and Reliability
• Rear AC vents work in isolation from the front ones, no dependency on the front ones for using the rear vents/speed (I am not sure about the temperature part)

I do not like
• Heater only in the front. Rear vents blow only cold air.
• No bluetooth/Phone support with the audio system
• No USB support for the music system
• No extended warranty - Smiles program of Toyota is a waste of money, it is not an extended warranty either
• No Dead pedal
• Lot of blind spots, A pillar is a real obstruction on curves also while parking
• No Alarm for the central locking
• No Auto locking or unlocking of the doors when the engine is started or stopped or based on speed. Also opening the driver door does not unlock all doors, it unlocks only the driver side door
• No disk brakes for rear wheel
• No ignition keyhole illumination
• No electric folding of ORVM or heated ORVM, I know I am asking too much, but I think even i20 has this
• No Cruise control - I always thought this feature is useless in Indian conditions, but sorely missed this during the last few highway drives
• Antenna - Looks like it was picked straight from a Omni
• No power outlet for the rear seats/boot
• Window auto down only for the driver side, no auto up
• Some niggling sounds sometimes - usually it is because of a mislocated seat belt or something of that sort
• The glovebox is really small and useless, but there are plenty of bottle and magazine holders around. There is no light inside the glovebox, but the ashtray in front has one
• Back bench for kids and not so tall adults only
• Last row widow glasses could have been openable, it was so in Qualis
• Engine noise above speeds of 100+, it is really noisy inside the cabin, especially on the front row
• Mileage - about 11 in the city and 14 - 16 on the highway based on the driving style. Press the accelerator a bit and you will see the average going down. One will defenitly expect a better milage and power from a 2.5 L diesel

Thanks
RS

[GTO]

Very transparent report, RS. Thanks for sharing. To me, the Innova remains the best MUV in India.

Originally Posted by RSimonS

Moves and behaves like a car.

Truly. The Innova's on-road behaviour is closest to a regular car, from all the MUVs & SUVs in the price range.

The steering wheel feedback is also very good

Li'l known fact is that the Innova has one of the best calibrated steerings in India. It's 5X better than even the one in the Altis.

Rear seat comfort, I see wife and kid sleeping at the back seat during the long drives

Beats the Fortuner too. Believe it or not...

Lot of blind spots, A pillar is a real obstruction on curves also while parking

Agreed. The A-Pillar design is a huge annoyance.

What are your comments on ride quality in the city?

Toyota & Honda, both, need a wake up call on their equipment levels. The last 3 years, in particular, have seen things like bluetooth, USB / iPod support, height adjustable driver seat, electric mirrors etc. becoming standard fare.

[RSimonS]

Originally Posted by GTO

What are your comments on ride quality in the city?

Toyota & Honda, both, need a wake up call on their equipment levels. The last 3 years, in particular, have seen things like bluetooth, USB / iPod support, height adjustable driver seat, electric mirrors etc. becoming standard fare.

I feel slightly uncomfortable sometimes in the start and stop traffic in the city (gets a feeling of the movement getting in to the head). But it is very rare, happened twice or so with me. Otherwise, the ride is comfortable, vehicle has a decent suspension and minor potholes etc are not a problem. Initially during the long drives I used to get sleepy because of the comfirtable ride it gives. As you might know, the ground clearance of the vehicle is only 176mm, one need to be little careful with uneven surfaces.

I also gets little more respect from Autos and Cabs on the road, it might also because of the fact that they might be thinking I am one among them (a taxi) .

On the equipment list, some features which are there in the Corolla is omitted in Innova (like the folding mirrors, dual glove boxes, light for the vanity mirror, printed antenna, Leather seats, CD changer etc). Though the price gap between G and V models of the Innova is over 2L, not many features are added between the two, I went for V mainly because of ABS and Airbags. Hope Toyota will become not so stingy with the features in future.

[mooza]

@Simon, good to know you are enjoying your diesel Innova !

Some pics of the interiors please, if possible

I always used to wonder regarding the FE figures for the petrol Innova within city & highways ? And the performance ? Looks like there are no petrol Innovas on TBHP !

Drive safe