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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-4.html)

And i just read the whole frigging operations manual for Crysta! with this review :) I am out of words for this review.

A bad idea i feel, few monsoons and rough road patch or even after a nasty pressure wash later the aluminium pipes will go pssssssss. They should atleast give some type of shielding, even plastic is fine.

I think the top part of the weather strip can be popped out to fill the fluid.

I am a fan of Toyota, but was not so much of those Innova's yes they are the best out there but still they always seemed to lack something, especially with those heavy price tag. Now with Crysta the feeling just compounded, first of all the looks are all over the place for me and at this price tag?? But then it is India and people will still line up at the showroom for the vehicle lol:

Once again, brilliant coverage.

cheers
Jaggu

Great review GTO and Rehaan. Rating it 5 stars.

The new Innova is much improved over the old one. The exteriors look modern, while the interiors(of VX and ZX variant) look good enough for the Innova to sit flush in the D-1 segment. Infact the interiors of the Crysta look better than the Altis. A customer willing to spend Rs. 25 lakhs can either go for the fun to drive Germans or the very practical and reliable Innova Crysta which now comes with 7 airbags in the top-end variant. I think that this is the first Toyota to offer more than dual airbags in India. Better late than never. :thumbs up

How I wish Toyota could have done something about these two things-

1. Vibrating gear lever of the manual variants- I saw this in some video reviews and this was confirmed by this review. This may be acceptable on lower priced and spartan SUV's or the Mahindra Jeeps but certainly not in an MPV which costs around Rs. 18-25 lakhs on road.

2. The interiors of the GX variant- Toyota could have given a basic Bluetooth enabled 2-Din infortainment system and steering mounted controls instead of those alloys. This may sound like a small deal but this would have definitely upped the ambience of the GX variant. I am pretty sure that a huge majority of owners would have preferred the convenience of steering mounted controls and OEM Bluetooth enabled stereo system over that of the alloys.

This car is here to sell, period.

Great review there! Rating it 5 stars.

I'm thoroughly impressed with the new Innova. The leap forward in every department can be compared to the gap between XUV 500 and old Scorpio.

Toyota have improved on their weaknesses, and taken the game away. They have killed the current 2WD fortuner too.

Silly that Toyota couldn't offer the 2.7 petrol in India. They could have easily imported the engine and sold a few units with the petrol engine in the NCR.

I would have been happier if the VX trim got the 2.8 AT at launch, not the poorly equipped GX. Also, wish the ZX MT had an 6 speed MT mated to the 2.8 diesel.

Do you want to know what's the major difference between 2WD Fortuner AT and the Innova 2.8 ZX AT?

Answer: Rear Disc Brakes lol:lol:

I think the XUV AT is a fabulous product if you're willing to stretch your budget. I would rate: XUV 500>Innova>BR-V>Scorpio in terms of VFM.
(Third and Fourth are debatable)

Great write up as always. The Innova Crysta has just upped the game for the MPV segment in India. It's got everything going for it except the ban in NCR.
The long equipment list is testament to the fact that just bullet proof reliability and over engineered mechanicals are no more the only requirement of the masses.

I don't think Toyota is positioning the Crysta as a SUV. So, it will indeed be a MUV! :)

Great review, guys. It was fun to read the little details.

For me, I still think it's an overpriced car. But my family is small and I may not realize the utility these vehicles provide until I really need a solution.

I think there will be a tough competition for others as this wipes the floor. But I also don't see individual taxi drivers buying this at this price point. Maybe fleets & hotels will do but individual taxi drivers may not be able to afford this.

Like it was mentioned in the review, almost all of my company guys who come here specifically ask for the Innova. They find it safe and comfortable and its usually two or three folks.

The good thing is, like another TBHPian mentioned, Tata must be breathing a sigh of relief because of the pricing. In a somewhat crowded 10-20L MUV/SUV segment, they sure must be happy not fighting with Toyota when they launch the Hexa.

Excellent review GTO. Thanks.

Quick note re the black colour : Nandi Toyota offered me a black colour as an unlisted option. More importantly I saw a black Crysta in HSR Layout. So I know it is not mythical!

Finally booked the vx 8 seater. The lack of an 8 seater in Z is baffling!

Lack of auto on vx & also 6 speed manual is galling. A 2.8 with 6 speed Mt would be great.

Any words of wisdom on the 'reduced space: debate?

Couple of other cribs :

- touch leather seating. At this price, it should have been all leather
- absence of Android auto / apple carplay
- cheaping put on the Gx bench - no armrest!
- black leather on Zx Mt - recipe for broiled haunches!

Any idea on fitting instructions for the Thule on the Crysta?

Wow, great review, all the details minutely mentioned.

Although a capable product, Crysta will definitely be affected by Tata Hexa and XUV500. Lack of sunroof in the top end variant hurts. Even cars like i10 and Honda City offer one.

Although reliability was never a problem for Toyota, pricing is definitely on the higher side. It will eat away a fair market of the new Fortuner, when the latter is launched later this year.

Made my dad wait for three yearsstupid: for the next gen Innova to come, but now when the Innova Crysta is finally here, priorities changed and am now looking at Tiagos and Figos to replace our 7 yer old WagonR.:Frustrati



I was equally flummoxed when I saw brand new 2015 Innovas in Bengaluru in black colour. AFAIK, the first gen Innova had black option, but they later changed it for inexplicable reasons.

But when I as in Bengaluru for a couple of months, saw brand new Innovas in black, but then I noticed almost all were fleet vehicles. Hotel taxis, Rent a cars and all. So, maybe TKM does the black colour for bulk purchases and offered you a car that may have not been sold.

Still beats me why they can't offer black in the Innova, when all other cars in their line-up, including hatchbacks ( where black is getting rare) has a black colour option.

Nice review, indeed. A much awaited and hyped car of 2016, for sure. Though personally will prefer a true blue body on frame SUV any day over a UV or people mover, but Innova Crysta has made me think otherwise.

The powerful diesel engine with AT, coupled with premium interiors and a long feature list is a delight.

I do not think the Crystal will dent Fortumer's sales just because the engines are similar. Fortuner is in a different segment and true blue SUV lovers would stay away from Crystal, I guess. Also, Crysta cannot match the road presence that Fortuner offers. Expecting 4 WD in Crysta would not be just, as it is a people moving van at the end of the day.

But, Toyota has surely got a winner in its hand with this new Innova. Would love to see the sales figure soaring in the coming months.

Regards

Saubhik

Epic, awesome attention to detail, that's one helluva review there, GTO and Rehaan -> R-o-c-k-i-n-g :thumbs up

Took me two long sittings to read it completely, deserves more than the maximum allowed 5 stars!

Few small things that came to mind:
1. The aero fins on the tail-lamp - I remember FIAT/Premier Padmini had such aero fins on tail lamps several years ago

2. I felt happy that the tail gate did not have the chrome garnish (seems like a national design element these days with almost all manufacturers including it as a feature in their cars!)...till I saw that it is being offered as an accessory lol:

3. Question about the tail gate locking mechanism - can be it locked from inside the car by using the central locking's door lock switch ?

4. Is it only me ? I felt the dashboard (shape and the ICE unit) with all-black interiors bears a good resemblance to the one on the new Honda Jazz

5. Why is there the ability to switch airbags off ? What is the advantage of this and what are the situations when one would use it ?

6. 5000Km service interval is shocking!

No doubt the new Innova Crysta is miles ahead of the previous generation.

I own the previous gen one so I know. the previous one was horrible vehicle, with the space to carry people and luggage being the only redeeming factor. We bought this almost a decade ago when xylo was the only other option and innova at that time was sanely priced.

But Toyota seems to have taken the Indian customers for granted. I am not going to "this car is expensive" debate now. But at close to 20lakhs rupees (on road Bangalore), is it so difficult to give a basic audio system? How much will it cost? 10k (or less - with the cheepo speaker they offer it would not matter how good the HU is anyway) when sourced by manufacturer, which they can always pass on to the customer in final price. Is there any other manufacturer who is arrogant enough to do away with headunit on a 20 lakh rupee car?

Good engine no doubt, but still a 5-speed gearbox? I know toyota is supposed to be old school and low tech. But 6 speed is not something cutting edge. That would have atleast slightly improved the FE. And is it so difficult to stop the gear from dancing around when starting the engine? Even newer products from Mahindra does not do that. I only hope the vibrations on the gear lever while driving is in reduced.

All said this will be a hit with toyota's target customer who will only buy a toyota. After all that target group has been buying the previous gen innova -which as I mentioned above was a horrible vehicle in my opinion- at close to 18 lakhs (on road bangalore) till recently. For them Crysta will be a giant leap from the previous one, and will be happy to spend as much.

I forgot to mention in my previous post one major pain in Innova ownership that I have experienced. it is the 5000km service interval. I am disappointed that they have not increased it in the crysta. few years back I used to travel a lot, and because of the low service interval, I had to visit the service center every 1.5-2 months.

This review is back to the phenomenal standards set previously by TBHP, and an almost exhaustingly exhaustive read. I read it over two days, going through the details. Almost impossible attention to detail. Rated 5*.

The new Innova takes care of most of the shortcomings of the old one. Why a 2.4L engine needs to spin at 2250rpm to cruise at 100kmph is beyond me especially considering the rpm at which peak torque is on offer, but still far better than the old one.

While sorting out the complaints of the past Toyota seem to have forgotten that they were already selling the Innova at an inflated price. Starting from where the old one left off is audacious beyond belief, and I'm of the opinion the time is right for some competition.

The 5k service interval isn't too much of a complaint, because as an owner mentioned on this thread that this is actually a 10k service interval with a wash and checkup in between. Nice way to make some more money off an already overpriced machine.

Overpriced is relative though. If we talk pure numbers, the power, torque, space, engine capacities, and features are directly comparable to the Endeavour, and therefore the vehicle appears to be of good value. The car has me a bit confused, and I've become a confirmed non-believer in Toyotas now. Not a hater, I just don't find their products value for money.

I'm not one to keep my cars for more than 5 years though, so that's one obvious difference between Toyota owners and me. I'd honestly spend a lot less one an equally reliable brand if I need a people mover. Honestly this is serious overkill for a solitary seth to be driven around.

I cannot mention how much grateful I am to that spotting of yours. I still clearly remember the day I saw your post.

Regardless of what people are thinking about the Crysta I feel Toyota has given it enough features. When I first saw the spy pics I thought it will be launched with just a 120HP engine and 4 airbags, rest Nothing changes. But Toyota has provided an awful lot of safety Features that's what amazed me. This is the same company that launched the Global Corolla with just 2 airbags.

Coming to the Car, I did test drive it and I found the manual gearbox to be way notchy than the previous version. Also the clutch is slightly heavier side and has a slightly longer travel too. The fabric on the door armrest will surely be an eyesore 2 years down the line.

Regarding the 5000 km service limit I have never followed in my 2,00,000 kms of the Innova Ownership. I service my car at 6 months/15,000 km and it has not caused any issues to me, I must mention I use only synthetic oil. This may not be possible with the Crysta, I guess it will keep setting an alarm on the MID that the service is due.

The mini Innova on the start up is a delight to watch, we wont get that even in the Fortuner too!

One of the most intricate, exhaustive and well written reviews here with great attention to detail. I read the whole thing even though I wasn't interested in the car at all. Excellent quality photography too, much better than some of the other reviews.