[amalji]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

1. Is the crysta as reliable as previous gen Innovas?

The previous innova is a very high benchmark to meet. I don't think the current Crysta is close to the old Innova in terms of hassle free ownership. But, coming from brand Toyota, you can trust the brand to iron out the issues. It's just the 1 year into a major upgrade.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

2. What is the typical service cost per service?

• 5,000 kms service will cost you around 2000 INR
• 10,000 kms service will cost you 5000 INR
• For multiples of 30000 kms, you will end up paying 3600 INR extra for the air filter and ac filter
• For multiples of 40,000 kms, you will have to replace brake fluid and rear differential oil the cost of which I'm not sure about. @pridered might be able to comment on this based on his previous experience with the old Innova.
• Engine Coolant replacement is at 1.6 lakh kms.
• Fuel filter used in Toyota Diesels are lifetime filters which means you need to replace it only when it gets clogged and the dashboard shows a warning. It normally lasts 1 lakh kms plus on the Innova. This can vary depending on the quality of fuel used.
• In case you opt for fully synthetic oil instead of the recommended mineral oil, you will end up paying 4000 INR extra per 10000 kms.
• Front Brake pad replacement will cost you 4500 INR. Expect it to last between 30,000 kms to 60,000 kms based on your driving style.
• Rear Brake drums normally last really long. In my old Etios Diesel, I never had to replace the rear brake drums in the 1.25 lakh kms of ownership. Cost should be in the range of 3000 INR.
• And most importantly, unplanned replacements will normally be a rarity on a Toyota once they iron out the initial flaws under warranty.

PS: Wheel alignment, balancing and wheel rotation charges are not included in the above cost.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

3. How much FE do you get with the 2.4 on the highways?

I own a 2.8 auto
I get 9.5 kmpl in Bangalore city and 13-14 kmpl on the highways. Mine has auto start/stop as well. So, that might be helping around 1 kmpl on city traffic mileage.

Expect 2-3 kmpl extra for the 2.4 manual

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

4. Is crysta a better car than Hexa?

That's a very subjective question. Whether a car is best for a person depends on what exactly that person needs from that car. If you can explain your requirements, then we can educate you on the pros/cons of both the cars based on those requirements.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I am shying away from hexa only because of Tata badge(I own a tata and resale is absurd).

The Hexa is the closest I have ever come with regards to buying a TATA. It's a well rounded product. No doubts on that. If the same vehicle was sold under Toyota badge, I might have gone for it.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Hello fellow bhpians who own the Innova crysta, I am looking for a comfortable, reliable 7 seater with decent interiors, for long term use- 5-8 years , 2 lakh km sort of. I have a few questions to you:

1. Is the crysta as reliable as previous gen Innovas?

2. What is the typical service cost per service?

3. How much FE do you get with the 2.4 on the highways?

4. Is crysta a better car than Hexa?


I am shying away from hexa only because of Tata badge(I own a tata and resale is absurd).

I own both generations of Innova and can safely say that Crysta is as reliable as Innova till date(My crysta covered 10K last week). The issues majority have is with 17inch tires and initial batch had some problem with brakes. The brake part is now sorted.

With Innova I don't remember spending more than 7-8K for regular service which involves Oil, Filter changes. One of the service, somewhere close to a lac mark costed about 15K which included brake pad replacement and something else that I am unable to recall.

For 10K in my Crysta I spent 4.4K including 10K service which has oil change and filter change. Next routine service should cost about 5-7K unless you replace any additional parts.

2.4 is quite fuel efficient, with speeds of 90-110 you can expect about 14-15 when driving in Eco mode. In Bangalore traffic I get about 10-11. In super heavy B2B traffic I get around 9.

Hexa is good effort from Tata, comes quite close to Innova. Barring badge I found few other issues
1. The car does not feel as nimble as Innova nor as much fun to drive. On paper Varicor pumps 400NM of torque but once you are behind the wheel you will be searching for those 156 horses and 400NM of torque. Its not slow but Innova 2.4/2.8 feels faster.
2. 2.2 Varicor is quite good, but how it will perform beyond a lac or 2 is questionable. I have already met Crysta owners who have inched close to a lac mark without issues.
3. There were quite a few ergonomic flaws in Hexa, like my dad-who felt passenger seat was too high, access to third row was bad.
When you look at current sales and history, I don't have the courage to spend 20 big ones on a Tata.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Got the wheel alignment done at Nippon Tvm, after getting the wheel alignment once at a reputed tyre shop in Cochin and getting it screwed up I now stick to Nippon for wheel alignment. They did it well and its perfect! Also had the lower glovebox changed as I had cut up the old one to install the unichip kit.

PS: Balancing is done at a reputed shop here in tvm on a roadforce machine.

Yesterday I noticed that the steering again de-centered and when the steering is held straight the vehicle moved left. So had to give take it to Nippon Toyota to get this rectified.

They took it in to fix it, but behind the back they cribbed about it because according to them the steering was not that much de-centered and mockingly said "phayankaram orupad cherivund" (translation: woah! too much off centered). Also complained about having to do the alignment 7 times in the past when I complained about left pulling during early days of my ownership.But then they noticed the camera.

At the reception area they smile and behind the back they mock you. They call customer sir at the front office and as "yeven", "avan" etc inside the workshop. Bad attitude Nippon Toyota.

I should probably put that video also here.

[Sankar]

I have taken this up with Toyota. I am not seeking any solution, but it makes me feel as if i was bothering them.

"High Quality Starts With the Customer"

http://www.toyota-global.com/company..._mar_2011.html

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Yesterday I noticed that the steering again de-centered and when the steering is held straight the vehicle moved left. So had to give take it to Nippon Toyota to get this rectified.

This has happened to me in Crysta, Ecosport and Vento. I get alignment done things would be fine while I take delivery. After I park the overnight or for say 2 days, I notice that the steering is de-centered! I usually see this when the tires are new-say under 20K. Recently I got my Crysta wheel aligned and all was fine while I drove back home. After two days I see steering is de-centered, got it corrected again.
Wondering what the culprit here is? Just a weird thought , does parking a car with wheels tilted for few days affect ?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

This has happened to me in Crysta, Ecosport and Vento. I get alignment done things would be fine while I take delivery. After I park the overnight or for say 2 days, I notice that the steering is de-centered! I usually see this when the tires are new-say under 20K. Recently I got my Crysta wheel aligned and all was fine while I drove back home. After two days I see steering is de-centered, got it corrected again.
Wondering what the culprit here is? Just a weird thought , does parking a car with wheels tilted for few days affect ?

This has not occurred in any of my previous vehicles including a Polo and Vento. I never had to bother with wheel alignment in my ex vehicles because nothing much can be done on them except setting toe and steering (centering) angle and so they are easier to set up unlike vehicles like innova, fortuner and other body on frame vehicles.

I don't understand why the steering should de-center itself unless there is some kind of slack in the steering system. A rack and pinion steering is relatively precise and this is a fairly new vehicle. I think it may not have been tightened properly.

From shop manual
Excessive free play can be caused by:

• Steering system joints (worn)
• Suspension arm ball joints (worn)
• Intermediate shaft sliding yoke (worn)
• Front wheel bearing
• Power steering link assembly

Also the procedure listed in the shop manual for a proper wheel alignment is couple of pages long and a list of values to aim for.

1.INSPECT TIRES
2.INSPECT VEHICLE HEIGHT
3.INSPECT CAMBER, CASTER AND STEERING AXIS INCLINATION
4.ADJUST CAMBER AND CASTER
5.INSPECT TOE-IN
6.ADJUST TOE-IN
7.INSPECT WHEEL ANGLE
8.PLACE FRONT WHEELS FACING STRAIGHT AHEAD
9. PERFORM YAW RATE SENSOR ZERO POINT CALIBRATION

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Bad attitude Nippon Toyota.

They came home this evening, said sorry for what happened. We talked about it and they left. Toyota is still tops in my book and I hope it stays that way.

Its hard for some people to understand why Toyota is at the very top with regard to customer satisfaction. There really is no wizardry happening here, they act very very fast., and they really resolve the issue to their maximum ability. From my experience not even Maruti was this fast or as thorough, but they are good. The incident that happened this time was most likely exception rather than being the norm.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Toyota is still tops in my book and I hope it stays that way.

From my experience not even Maruti was this fast or as thorough, but they are good. The incident that happened this time was most likely exception rather than being the norm.

+1 to that!

What is the sort of solutions that you use for mobile phones on crysta. What I'm interested in the best solution ( as far as mobile holder ) as well as the position where you connect the holder. I have been trying it on several areas and not happy with any of them due to the huge glass area in front and the high dash position.

Photos of how some of us have resolved this would be welcome.

PS: Maybe, I'm spoiled by the Etios dash. Due to its center console, I could place the mobile right in front of me and operate it at a hand's distance while still not losing focus while driving.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Upgraded reflector headlight H11 bulbs to Philips H11LED

A video of the same. The Corolla in the front has factory LED projectors. I am on low beams which are Philips LEDs. Fog is OFF.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdEcgVRB0vc

Originally Posted by amalji

What is the sort of solutions that you use for mobile phones on crysta. What I'm interested in the best solution ( as far as mobile holder ) as well as the position where you connect the holder. I have been trying it on several areas and not happy with any of them due to the huge glass area in front and the high dash position.

You can look at magnetic mounts? They are small and won't take up space. The magnet needs to be stuck on the dash and the thin metal piece that comes with it needs to be stuck on the phone. It is quite strong. I am using this for the scangauge.

[vsun]

3rd Free Service (10,000KM) Report:

Completed 3rd free service yesterday.
Odometer Reading : 9993KM.
Problems Reported : Nil.
Total Cost: Rs.2942.
Engine oil and Oil filter were replaced in the service. Wheel balancing and alignment were done free of cost. Vehicle was water washed and cleaned free of cost.

Opted for Toyota express service (60 minutes quick service). Gave the car for service and opted to wait and take the delivery. While I was waiting, I got a message from Toyota stating that the service will be completed in 60 minutes, and I can ask for discount in the bill, if the service gets late.
It took almost 3 hours to complete the service, and I asked my SA for the discount, as per the message sent by Toyota. My SA asked me to wait and went to his manager, and his manager came to me and told me that he cannot give discount in this bill as it is a free service and thus, he will give me a discount of 10% in labor cost of next service .

Overall, happy with the Toyota service.

Attaching the pic of the bill for reference.

[SPARKled]

Just returned back from a.long trip to MP and my GX 2.8 did a fabulous job. I got about 14.5 kmpl with most drives in Eco mode with Normal mode thrown in at times. The car is powerful enough to be driven in Eco mode most of the time and not once did it bottom out on broken roads.

[geotracks]

Originally Posted by amalji

Update on the auto start stop feature of the Toyota Innova Touring Sport.

When does it kick in ?

• Completely stop the vehicle when on D, and then depress the brakes all the way down or
• Stop the vehicle in D, and then change to P, wait for a few seconds.

When does the engine re-start ?

• If you are in D and holding the brake, the moment you release the brake, the engine restarts without any lag and crawls forward.
• If you are in P mode with your legs off the brake, the moment you depress the brakes to change the gear to D, the engine restarts.

Revisiting the engine start stop feature topic.

Each time after a drive when I park the vehicle and put it in P (with auto start stop function active), every time whether I keep the brake pressed after putting it in P OR immediately remove the leg from the brake after putting it in P; the engine stops automatically.

Is this the way it is designed to function or am I doing something for the 'stop' to kick-in?

What I am trying to understand is that is it possible to keep the engine running after putting the vehicle in P, with auto start stop function in active mode? Unable to find any instructions on this in the owners manual, although the auto start stop feature is mentioned therein with instructions.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

I got about 14.5 kmpl with most drives in Eco mode with Normal mode thrown in at times.

+1 to this. 14.5 kmpl is very much achievable on the crysta for long drives.
But, please be aware that the MID mileage seems to be on the optimistic side. The error seems to be somewhere around 3.5%. I'm doing multiple iterations of tank full to tank full to validate this. Will post the details here once I'm sure about the error.

Originally Posted by SPARKled

The car is powerful enough to be driven in Eco mode most of the time and not once did it bottom out on broken roads.

This is the best part about this engine. Peak torque of 360 Nm is available right from 1200 rpms all the way till 3400 rpms. Literally, what this means is that whenever you tap on the accelerator, you have 360 Nm of torque waiting at your service more often than not. This is one of the best torque curves I have seen.

More than the 176 PS power or 360 Nm torque, what really matters is when that torque is available. Toyota engineers has got it bang on for the crysta.

Originally Posted by geotracks

Revisiting the engine start stop feature topic.
Each time after a drive when I park the vehicle and put it in P (with auto start stop function active), every time whether I keep the brake pressed after putting it in P OR immediately remove the leg from the brake after putting it in P; the engine stops automatically.

Is this the way it is designed to function or am I doing something for the 'stop' to kick-in?

Yes, this is the way it works.

Originally Posted by geotracks

What I am trying to understand is that is it possible to keep the engine running after putting the vehicle in P, with auto start stop function in active mode? Unable to find any instructions on this in the owners manual, although the auto start stop feature is mentioned therein with instructions.

The only way is to switch off the auto start/stop feature just before you are planning to put the vehicle on P. But, why would you want to do this ?

[geotracks]

Originally Posted by amalji

More than the 176 PS power or 360 Nm torque, what really matters is when that torque is available. Toyota engineers has got it bang on for the crysta.

Yes, this is the way it works.

The only way is to switch off the auto start/stop feature just before you are planning to put the vehicle on P. But, why would you want to do this ?

Thanks. Firstly, my question was for academic purpose, just to understand how it works, so your answer helps here.

To your question "why do this", sometimes one could be on a Bluetooth speaker call and pull into a parking lot. Instinctively one could put the vehicle in P and continue talking but the engine auto shuts. The call still continues on Bluetooth, which is positive. However, 2 things here:

i) The AC stops so one has to re-start the vehicle to turn on AC unit - which is an additional step to re-start PLUS starter & battery wear & tear (in the long run, each time this is done)

ii) When the engine auto-stops after putting in P; can one just open the door, lock and walk away? Or else, one has to re-start and then physically shut off the vehicle again, as it is in 'stand-by' mode when put in P (on auto shut) and not completely turned off.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by geotracks

However, 2 things here:

i) The AC stops so one has to re-start the vehicle to turn on AC unit - which is an additional step to re-start PLUS starter & battery wear & tear (in the long run, each time this is done)

Considering the number of stop/starts it does already, 1 additional restart shouldn't cause any extra damage. I'm sure the designers have thought about the durability part.

Originally Posted by geotracks

ii) When the engine auto-stops after putting in P; can one just open the door, lock and walk away? Or else, one has to re-start and then physically shut off the vehicle again, as it is in 'stand-by' mode when put in P (on auto shut) and not completely turned off.

You just need to press the start/stop button once when the vehicle is in P and is already automatically shut down by the auto start/stop. This will completely shut down the engine ( similar to the normal shut down ). You don't need to re-start and then shut down. And make sure that you do it before unbuckling the seatbelt because unbuckling of seat belt will disable auto start/stop and bring the engine back to life.