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-   -   Toyota Innova Crysta : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/177320-toyota-innova-crysta-official-review-15.html)

Your family definitely is spoilt by your altis. :) You should have gone for the test drive with expectations of a D1 segment sedan. IMO a Jetta or another new altis is what will click with you.

Irrespective of the D1 level price tag, large demand, fame and hype, the Innova Crysta is still a van!

Can someone confirm whether there's a G version?

It's only the perspective of the individual the varies. Your family has been spoilt by the luxurious and refined Corolla. :D

The Endy does have better interiors than the Innova. (If you're looking to buy one, that is)

I know senior citizens have some trouble getting into a tall car. But my grandpa (85y) gets into the Innova (1st gen) more easily than any other car(Getz, Tavera, Corolla.)

Toyota diesels have a long way to go before they can be compared to Hyundai Diesels. The 2.4 GX I sat in was a great leap from the 1st gen car, but it's pointless to compare it to an Elite i20 diesel.

I don't know heavy the steering is (compared to the 1st gen which we have at home) as I haven't driven it. But I don't have any complaints at all. My mom isn't the strongest, but she does drive the car pretty comfortably in the city.

A matter of couple of days to get used to it. I still remember my parents were annoyed with the steering after using the Qualis for 7 years, but nobody complained after a few weeks.

Nope, no alignment issues whatsoever. As for the ICE, FIL was a bit paranoid about getting things done from outside so got the unit and reverse camera installed from the showroom itself.

Looking at the reactions in this thread, it can be safely assumed that it sits somewhere between the super refined and light sedans and the SUVs. From the perspective of Safari etc, it's a very good package. But sedans at this price point like the corolla would be a different ball game all together.

What is this some kind of automotive casteism. So what it is called a van by
some people. It is the merit of the vehicle which counts. These classifications
any way have no scientific basis. The Innova may be more close to a
traditional SUV then many of the raised hatchbacks being marketed as
"compact SUVs".

It is a van, no matter what fancy name you want to call it with. Coming to compact SUVs, they dont make any sense.

True, merit of the vehicle matters.

If I were to buy a car with 24 lakh budget, I would not even look at the Innova unless I need to transport 7 people all the time. For that kind of money, D segment sedans make more sense. Better dynamics, ride & handling, plusher interiors, fit & finish, better build, better performance & aesthetics, way more refined engine and comparative ease of driving. Add to it the "politician" image the crysta has, not many would like that.

But again, that is my personal opinion. If a large family needs a good quality reliable car, and if they dont have a secondary/beater car, Innova crysta is a no brainer.

Good Evening,

Did a quick PDI of Innova Crysta, everything looked pretty good except that the spare Tyre was hanging too low with a lot of play (Read: swinging like its nobody’s business)lol:. The sales officer (Without even checking) said its like that in all the Innovas but I ignored him and met the Showroom manager. I told him that I am a Team-BHP member and not some average customer. He assured me that It will be resolved before the delivery tomorrow. Let’s see how it pans out.

But Can Innova owners confirm that? is the spare wheel like that only? I checked out other Crystas in the stockyard, some of them had play some of them were ‘okay’

Secondly, while doing PDI I also checked the ICE setup. While the HU looks awesome, the speakers are below average. They surely needs replacement, my next project it seems.:)

drive_angry

Spare is not loose in mine, the chain may have to be wound a little more after opening hatch. Not an issue.

The speakers tend to get better after broken in, im on stock speakers and they are now better than when bought new. Still not as good as a component or coaxial, but its ok for casual listening.

All class of vehicles have their own set of takers, while others just don't understand them. You can see the trend for compact sedan (looks) , compact SUVs (pricing, added value over premium hatchbacks), SUVs (features, handling, city usability), sedans (GC for Indian roads, suspension), MUV (taxi image, looks) etc.

Nevertheless, there are best sellers across all these segments and Innova is one that totally nailed it when it comes to the people mover segment. Have seen many rich families buy Innova as the beater car without caring for the taxi image. Have seen many families buying one only for occasional possibility of using seven seats, but otherwise as a regular reliable car. Personally I know two people who bought new Innova again, not for their needs, but mainly because their old ones performed without the slightest of hiccups and fetched almost the same value in resale as what they paid years ago for purchase.

A friend working in the Toyota showroom was commenting on the cross shipping happening for Innova from Altis, reminding me of the early days when Corolla was cannibalized with the launch of Innova. Whatever it be, the sales figures and the bookings for the top end automatic variant in particular confirm that the market doesnt care about the 'politician' image of this car. :thumbs up

In fact, it's the D segment that's dying and not making sense to the market anymore. :D

Test drove both the Auto as well as manual versions yesterday. While the Auto is a welcome addition, it is no comparison to the manual whose engine is much more refined, peppy and responsive.

As rightly pointed out by GTO and others, the steering is extremely heavy at lower speeds and while parking. Does anyone have an update whether this can be rectified at the workshop? Also the earlier innova was very car like due to the height of the vehicle as well as the driving comfort - the crysta now has a distinct SUV feel. Entry and exit into the third row is also slightly more challenging as the space between the middle row and the door seems to have narrowed a bit. Also the extra height may prove more difficult for the elderly passengers.

Considering all challenges and the huge cost difference, I am really torn between a pre-owned 8 seater vs the new GX/VX crysta. Anyone else in a similar dilemma?

I also found the seating to be slightly compressed depthwise in the middle row and widthwise in the last row. Not sure why this is so. In summary, what I'm trying to get at is this - is the Innova Crysta technically a better product than the outgoing model, leaving apart the cosmetics and engine? The old model had so many check boxes it ticked right that just replacing the engine and adding cosmetic changes would have been sufficient I guess.

I had owned a pre-worshipped Innova for a year. I had gone for the pre-worshipped route as a make shift arrangement, till the time this new Innova got launched. You can get the older model at huge discounts, so why go for a used Innova. If you are going to use the Innova mainly for city runabouts or occasional highway drives, then the older model will suit you more. However if you are looking forward to interstate long drives (covering 1000 kms in a day), then you will beg for more power, refined engine, less noise, more features. Only in that case the new gen Innova Crysta would make sense.

Example? Me! In fact the funny story is that I went into the showroom to give a deposit amount for the Corolla but was shepherded to the Innova without as much as a single problem. Now the fact of the matter is, the Corolla isn't the same - the rants for some other thread, but the crux is the Innova was plusher, quieter and smoother to drive, added with a Diesel engine benefit. It was a no-brainer once wife gave a go ahead.

After 2000 kms on the new car, I can safely vouch for the choice. On 6 different occasions, I had absolute strangers initiating discussions how that choice I made was fantastic and the car looked the part. Besides, the ride on the broken excuse of roads in Mumbai have made the car a daily beater for me. I would not want to keep reiterating how great the car is, chances are you will not be reading this post, if you had not liked it. But just for the benefit of some here, I would like to summarise my humble observations (read: dislikes) after clocking 2000 kms;

a. The build is not the same. Period. You open up the interior plastic panels, you clunk on the exterior metals - you won't be getting that rock hard and steady feel from the previous generation. I have a palm size dent from a minor shunt to prove that.

b. It has been discussed to death on the Safari Storme thread, and time to get it over here. The steering position w.r.t the height of the seat is weird to say the least. Now I am on the heavier side, and every time I get into the car, steering bottom happily scrapes the top of my thighs. My wife, whilst testing the variants, adjusted the seat to able to see the bonnet and road ahead, but found the steering fouling with her legs. It would have been impossible to get both and be able to drive. Not difficult, impossible!

c. This is a work in progress, but the gear shifts and aesthetics are dumbfounding for a car at this price. Yes, it dances. And yes, it's grubby whilst shifting. Thanks to the traffic, I have enough experience in playing with it.

d. Steering heavy? Hell yeah, but that's fine by me, what I don't like is the unnecessary height on the clutch and the absolutely useless dead pedal. Ankles will be in for a showdown after navigating through 4 hours of insane bumper to bumper traffic.

e. Sorely missed 6th gear. I can't magnify this point more than saying that the 2.4 140 horses feel greatly tamed, and so much so that beyond 110/120, the engine sounds strained. The 2.8 will be better at this, but the manual hits 2000rpm at 90kph and anything after that will keep the engine noise reaching higher decibels. Not good.

f. The service interval of 5000 kms/ 6 months is ridiculous. Honda, Toyota - please note, it's bordering fleecing customers.

g. The car is purported to be low in maintenance, which is fine. However, I am not very sure if the same applies to the parts. Hence, the car may stay reliable and low on maintenance, but if one needs to replace anything - they'll be reminded why this car is expensive. It's after all a 20 L car!



I completely agree! The Innova has taken the garb of a heavier, taller car and no more as easily manoeuvrable as it was. People, please get your priorities right before purchasing. It's still as good as as it ever was, if not better, at being that mile muncher but if your primary requirement a daily city beater, you might just want to be driven in it.

I owned an 8 seater VX Innova for 4 years before it got damaged in the Chennai floods. So I am extremely comfortable and well versed with the previous models. Hence this dilemma while planning to buy a replacement!!

Also the outgoing Innova is no longer available for sale - production has been stopped and dealers are saying they don't have any inventory left.

Then it is a no brainer for you.

I clearly remember receiving a call from the local Toyota dealer in Pune one month after the launch of Crysta, in which I was offered straightaway 1.5 lakh discount on all the models of the previous generation Innova. It might be too late for you now, but then try inquiring with other dealers in nearby cities/towns. You might be just lucky to grab that last piece.:thumbs up

Check with NCR dealers as they might have an old piece lying which they couldn't sell due to the NGT ruling.

Thanks for the detailed review GTO & Rehaan

With Innova moving to D segment, its really a great opportunity for Maruti to fill the old innova's position with a Grand Ertiga on Ciaz platform with 1.6 DDiS.