[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by rovingeye

Just filled a few forms on dealer websites for a test drive of the ZX AT. Been about 3 hours - no call, nothing. Absolute silence.

Is there a lull/slowdown in the auto industry? Nope, if you ask Toyota!!

You should probably call them, websites are given lower priority by most dealers. Best would be to just walkin if there is a showroom nearby.

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by amalji

Now, I've driven the Crysta automatic for an year and 27,000 kms. For the typical hill drive, I'll any day prefer a torque converter automatic over a manual. You have lots of control with the fluid coupling of an AT gearbox.

I have driven extensively in the Himalayas and i would pick a MT over AT for a mountain drive any day. I have two serious issues with AT in the hills.

1. Getting caught in the wrong gear. In hills you can get stuck behind a slow moving truck with very small chances of an overtake with oncoming traffic. on a narrow dual carriage way. Now you get the small window of opportunity to overtake. And then suddenly you find the AT in the wrong gear. This can be dangerous in some scenarios.

2. Engine braking. The older Fortuner would coast as soon as lifted your foot of the accelerator paddle. The brakes would start fading after a spirited run of a quick set of curves downhill. I don't know the behavior of the current crop of Fortuner/Crystas.

1,2 probably can be probably be offset to some extent in cars with manual control of AT, but then most people buy ATs because they don't want to be bothered about gears.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by JediKnight

I have driven extensively in the Himalayas and i would pick a MT over AT for a mountain drive any day. I have two serious issues with AT in the hills.

1. Getting caught in the wrong gear. In hills you can get stuck behind a slow moving truck with very small chances of an overtake with oncoming traffic. on a narrow dual carriage way. Now you get the small window of opportunity to overtake. And then suddenly you find the AT in the wrong gear. This can be dangerous in some scenarios.

2. Engine braking. The older Fortuner would coast as soon as lifted your foot of the accelerator paddle. The brakes would start fading after a spirited run of a quick set of curves downhill. I don't know the behavior of the current crop of Fortuner/Crystas.

1,2 probably can be probably be offset to some extent in cars with manual control of AT, but then most people buy ATs because they don't want to be bothered about gears.

There is an ointment for this...

The manual mode in Crysta AT can be used in these two situations. When in S (manual) mode the GB will hold the gear selected and will not upshift, useful while going uphill, but will downshift as necessary if road speed drop. Similarly when going downhill if we select a gear it will hold it providing some engine braking. When coming down fast on a downhill stretch and we need slow down we can use the gear stick to downshift (in S mode) like a manual transmission. The shift is not as quick as a DSG but still does it under a second. It will downshift as long as the road speed is not too high for the selected gear.

I installed Fortuner's paddle shifter in my Crysta (first Indian Crysta with paddles) and use the paddles in S mode on ghat sections and it is super convenient and offers better control going downhill and hands don't have to come off the steering wheel for gear changes.

...but the fly in the ointment is that since its a fluid coupling controlled by electronics there is a lack of feel, fun and control a manual transmission would offer on mountain roads.

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

However in the hills, this is the problem I face. As you come into a hair-pin bend, you take your foot off the accelerator. The automatic doesn't know that you need to power up as soon as you clear the bend and since your foot is off the accelerator, it assumes that you are are coasting and upshifts. Once you take the bend and power up, the car is in a taller gear than required and then there is the lag before ECM realizes and downshifts. I find this extremely annoying. Whereas with a manual car, I know the gear I need to be in and change before the hair-pin bend, so that I can power out of this situation properly.

I have experienced this situation and there is a solution to this in D mode itself. On downhill as you lift off the throttle start applying some braking consistently and the ECU will downshift the gear to help in the slowing down. This is how the ECU understand that the driver is trying to slow down (and not coasting) and help the situation by selecting lower gear. I have tried this many times and this works reliably.

[jaisha8]

I own a 2017 model Crysta Z model. Today my driver drove around 120 kms and stopped the car for lunch. After lunch, when he tried to start the car it was not starting. After lot of trying, he started the car somehow and returned home.
I have this query here, please.
Has any of the TBHP friends here changed the battery and what is the life recommended by Toyota for the battery & how much is the usual battery life for Innova Crysta?
If so, have you gone for the Company stock battery or from outside. I personally always opt for 'AMARON' batteries for my other vehicles.
Any valuable advise is highly appreciated, please.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Sankar

I have tried this many times and this works reliably.

I don't have a problem downhill as most modern ECM sense downhill and adjust accordingly. The problem I mentioned is when going up hill and need to turn and go up a hair-pin bend.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by jaisha8

I own a 2017 model Crysta Z model. Today my driver drove around 120 kms and stopped the car for lunch. After lunch, when he tried to start the car it was not starting. After lot of trying, he started the car somehow and returned home.
I have this query here, please.
Has any of the TBHP friends here changed the battery and what is the life recommended by Toyota for the battery & how much is the usual battery life for Innova Crysta?
If so, have you gone for the Company stock battery or from outside. I personally always opt for 'AMARON' batteries for my other vehicles.
Any valuable advise is highly appreciated, please.

Replaced the company battery on mine a month ago with Bosch after 2 years and 9 months of service after two instances of requiring jump starts after a week of inactivity or so. The old battery may have soldiered on for a few more months with a trickle charger connected but I changed it anyway.

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I don't have a problem downhill as most modern ECM sense downhill and adjust accordingly. The problem I mentioned is when going up hill and need to turn and go up a hair-pin bend.

I never faced this issue when climbing up, it either holds the same gear or downshifts if the speed drops when i lift off throttle.

[Overlander]

Sorry for a completely unrelated post in this rather interesting discussion on the thread.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Also I had once checked with Topsel Toyota dealer of Kolkata regarding wheel upsizing and they said that they cannot go beyond the Toyota recommended size.

Saikat, we may be dealing with Topsel for our next purchase. Considering the usage and age of occupants, we have shortlisted the Innova Crysta. Will you be able to give me a ball park figure of the ongoing discounts? And maybe even the coordinates of an advisor who you may have found approachable. Thanking you in anticipation.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by Overlander

Sorry for a completely unrelated post in this rather interesting discussion on the thread.



Saikat, we may be dealing with Topsel for our next purchase. Considering the usage and age of occupants, we have shortlisted the Innova Crysta. Will you be able to give me a ball park figure of the ongoing discounts? And maybe even the coordinates of an advisor who you may have found approachable. Thanking you in anticipation.

Your location is navi Mumbai and mine is kolkata, are you looking for topsel contact in Kolkata?

[Overlander]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Your location is navi Mumbai and mine is kolkata, are you looking for topsel contact in Kolkata?

Yes buddy, it is for family back there.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by Overlander

Yes buddy, it is for family back there.

Please send me your email, I am unable to PM yet.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Sankar

I never faced this issue when climbing up, it either holds the same gear or downshifts if the speed drops when i lift off throttle.

I live in the hills and use it the 2.8 Z regularly in the hills. I am not talking about regular uphill usage. You need to understand a hair pin bend first and then how the automatic will behave.



Generally in the hills the road levels off before a hair pin bend. Hence the car upshifts because the driver knows the hair pin bend is coming but the car doesn't. When you are sort of 1/3 in the bend, you need to accellerate as the incline increases. This is when most automatics are in one or two gears taller than they should be in.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I live in the hills and use it the 2.8 Z regularly in the hills. I am not talking about regular uphill usage. You need to understand a hair pin bend first and then how the automatic will behave.

Generally in the hills the road levels off before a hair pin bend. Hence the car upshifts because the driver knows the hair pin bend is coming but the car doesn't. When you are sort of 1/3 in the bend, you need to accellerate as the incline increases. This is when most automatics are in one or two gears taller than they should be in.

I think I have read somewhere here only that you live in the Nilgiris region. I have been to this region on 2 wheels before the crash and since then on 4 wheels; I am familiar with the most used in the region but I never will be as experienced as a daily driver on these hills. I have been to the Nilgiris once in my Crysta AT also, but in mine it never shifted up while on a climb uphill. Maybe it has to do with how shift logic has adapted to a particular style of driving.

[rovingeye]

Originally Posted by GTO

Driving the 2.8L Diesel AT

The Innova AT doesn't use a fancy dual-clutch transmission. Instead, a simple old school torque-converter unit does the job. Knowing Toyota, it'll be very reliable too. The Innova AT isn't going to wow you with lightning fast shifts or super smart logic, yet it will take you from point A to B in extreme convenience. The AT doesn't leave much room for complaint, but it doesn't give you anything to write home about either.

Just took a test drive of the ZX AT. Man you couldn't have said it better. I was not wowed at all. The gear changes felt very vague and all the time I kept thinking and telling myself I'm not driving this thing right. Most times, my inputs to the accelerator produced a lot of engine noise, but somehow the car did not move as fast as I was expecting it to.

Im so utterly confused at this point, it's not even funny. Should I pay 26 lakh or thereabouts to drive this thing everyday for the next 8-10 years?

On the other hand, the inside felt very plush and nice. Rear seats were nice and comfortable too.

PS: I really loved the steering feel. Did not find it heavy at all this time, somehow. I was comparing against the other Crysta I had rented and driven extensively couple of weeks back. So, that worry was put to rest.

PPS: The sales guy had got a very new vehicle which had only 2300 kms on the odo. And he kept saying the first service is due hence all the engine noise.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by rovingeye

I was not wowed at all. The gear changes felt very vague and all the time I kept thinking and telling myself I'm not driving this thing right. Most times, my inputs to the accelerator produced a lot of engine noise, but somehow the car did not move as fast as I was expecting it to.

PPS: The sales guy had got a very new vehicle which had only 2300 kms on the odo. And he kept saying the first service is due hence all the engine noise.

You should consider Innova only if you have a particular set of requirements. If driving pleasure is what you have in mind, look elsewhere Though there are guys who enjoy Innova, not everyone is going to like it for its driveability.

Sometimes it helps taking multiple test drives, for some reasons, our brain also gives different feedback depending on a lot of other external factors. Drive again and don't push the accelerator too much, it's not a sedan

[TSIVTEC]

I have a 2017 crysta 2.8Z which has done more than 30k Kms..Has anyone had an irritating rattling noise coming from either of the rear doors?When the car went for it's last service (February)I had specifically recorded a video and shown it to the SA ..He acknowledged it and after servicing the rattling sound was gone.It turns out they had lubricated the rubber beadings on the right door.The rattling issue was gone for a while and has slowly started again after a 300km trip to Kerala .Can anyone suggest a permanent solution to this ?