[PrasadS]

Originally Posted by manofinfinity

Innova Hycross Hybrid variant's price increased by 42,000 and the petrol variant by 10,000.

Is there price protection for people who have already booked the car?
I tried searching on the thread regarding this but we've got too many posts. It's trying to find a needle in a haystack.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Is there price protection for people who have already booked the car?
I tried searching on the thread regarding this but we've got too many posts. It's trying to find a needle in a haystack.

No price protection. I booked the car at launch for around 36.5L on-road and I ended up paying 38.5L when taking delivery due to price and tax increases.

[sdasgupta]

My Tale of two Innovas - from Gen 2011 to Hycross - how “Lightning” became “Tony”

Happy New Year 2024 everyone. Since I recently upgraded from my 2012 (pre-facelift) model Innova to the Hycross just before Christmas, I thought I would begin the new year with a post on the experience.

The upgrade dilemma

Well, is there ever any reason to upgrade a Toyota Innova? These machines are indestructible and timeless! By October 2023, my Innova was 11 years old and had crossed the 120K kms mark, but did not look or feel old in any way. The interiors were almost as good as new, and the common remark from my friends was that my car did not seem to age at all. It had never let me down and had needed only periodic maintenance, which was always done at Toyota service centers. So, though I had planned not to keep the car beyond 10 years, from a “head” perspective, there was no reason to change. But what about the “heart” side? I will confess that the Innova had never tugged at my heart, till Toyota unleashed the “Hycross” on us. It immediately appealed to me, and started me thinking - “well, this may be the perfect balance between head and heart” !

One thing that suddenly hit me when I brought up the topic of an upgrade with my family is that a car, when kept long enough, becomes part of the family and creates emotional bonds. Both my daughters had grown from childhood to teenage and adulthood in the capacious interiors of the car, and had innumerable memories of long road trips, the car sometimes accommodating all of their friends. They had even named her “Lightning”. They were both like - “how can you think of selling a member of the family?”. Wifey also chimed in with - “the car has served us faithfully for so long, it feels like betrayal to let it go.” So, you can see that I was in a real quandary.

How Lightning met her twin !

Since I have started telling this story, I have to include an incredible coincidence in 2022 that left me speechless. I had parked the car and gone into a shop and when I stepped out, I stopped and stared at the sight that met me! Wondering what I saw? I will let the picture below do the talking…and, as you will notice, even the number plates of the twins matched except for the last number . I had to immediately click a priceless picture. The nearer one on the left is my car.


How the decision was made

The event that tipped the scales came about in Q3 2023, when my company upgraded the car lease policy with even better terms including fuel reimbursement. This greatly strengthened the “head” factor of the decision. The “heart” had already been won over, so I finally firmed-up my decision and started the paperwork in Sep 2023.

Other options considered

Even though I had almost decided on the Hycross, since I was planning to keep this too for a long time, I wanted to make sure that I looked at other viable alternatives, so that I would not regret my decision later. The other two cars that really looked promising to me were the Skoda Kodiaq and the Hyundai Tucson. So I did take test drives of both before deciding.

Skoda Kodiaq - this had always been a car that I wanted to own, since it provided the equivalent features and luxury of the big three. I had always liked the looks and of course, the 4x4 capability could come in handy, though it was not a must-have for me. I loved how the car felt and drove. It is truly a wonderful car. However, as soon as my wife tried out the rear seat, I realized how difficult it is to replace an Innova - she felt claustrophobic in the back, and also felt it was much less spacious. In addition to that, the fact that no diesel option was available meant that fuel economy would be a concern - an area that the Hycross Hybrid excelled in. Therefore, I had to take Kodiaq off the list.

Hyundai Tucson - I was skeptical about this from the start, since I knew it was only a 5 seater and was not a real replacement for an Innova, but since it was a CKD and I had read good things about it, I wanted to try it out. Again, the car felt really nice though it was not as fast on the pick-up as I had expected. However, I just could not ignore the fact that after sitting in the captain seats of an Innova, there was no way my family would be happy in the back of the Tucson. And then, when I tried the rear seat myself, I realized that the rear seat was directly over the rear wheel, and hence the ride there was nowhere near the comfort of an Innova. So, Tucson was also struck off the list.

Which model?

I had the 7 seater Innova, and loved it, so that part was settled. I had taken the test drive in the top-end ZXO model, and loved everything except the thin profile tyres, which made the ride feel slightly harsher than my current innova. Also, the Toyota was not taking any fresh bookings for ZXO by this time, and though the leasing company told me they could get my booking upgraded to ZXO later, I knew that the wait time would be higher. Therefore I carefully looked at the options and realized two things. Firstly, I did not really think I would be able to use the Driver Assist systems much in India. I frequently use rental cars with these features during my official travels to the US, and yes, I do find them very handy on the highways there, but I did not think that the experience would be the same in India. Also, I do not want to get out of habits like checking my blind spots, since I often drive my wife’s 2016 grand i10, which does not have any of this tech. Secondly - I felt the need to use the power switch to incline the ottoman seats to move to the rear bench was not very practical, manually moving them would be much faster. I felt that the higher sidewall with the 17 inchers of the VXO were more important since they would improve the ride and reduce anxiety about tire and alloy damage. So that was the model I chose, in the blackish ageha color.

Delivery experience

I received the car on 23 Dec, 2023, and the experience was wonderful, with everything going smoothly. The car was ready before the promised time, they showed me that all the accessories I had asked for were in place, and gave a quick demo of the main features (which I did not really need, thanks to all the information I had already gleaned from the tbhp thread !).
My daughters have promptly decided that this one is a “he” and have named him “Tony”. So I now have it from the best authorities that the Hycross looks more butch than the old innova


Driving impressions so far

Well, the first thing I will say is that all doubts about the upgrade have disappeared! The two cars feel poles apart - for good reason. One was a diesel and the other is petrol. One was zero tech and the other is full of tech (even without driver assist). The older one used to start with the characteristic big-diesel growl and turbo whine, while this one starts completely silently in electric mode. I have done a couple of 70+ km rides including city and highways, and I can say that driving this car is much more stress-free than my earlier Innova.

The car has amazing road-presence. One interesting thing that I noticed is that some Crysta, XUV and ScorpioN drivers seem to get a bit agitated on seeing this car, and make haste to overtake. Have other owners felt the same? The good part is that I have bought the hybrid for its energy efficiency, and the fact that the display keeps telling me my current and average fuel consumption makes me drive sedately with a light foot, which is what this car needs. Have driven around 500 kms so far, and am already getting an average of around 18 kmpl, which I am hoping will improve over time. By the way, could not find any instructions or references to a running-in period. Do I not need to worry about running-in with these modern engines?

I find that the owners manual is not very helpful for some of the intricate steps for a few settings. The instrument cluster interface is also not very intuitive. I had some trouble figuring out how to get the TPMS to work, and had to resort to some online videos. The wireless Apple carplay system is still a bit confusing when I try to register two phones. The moment I registered the second phone, wireless carplay stopped working for the first phone. I will need some more experimentation to figure that out. Also, could not set the “auto lock doors based on position of gear lever” feature even after following all steps in the manual.

And finally, a couple of photos to end the post:

Here’s Tony, the day after he came home. I have now started turning back for a peek at his profile while walking away, never did that with Lightning.


And, the tbhp COTY has to wear the tbhp badge, right?

[subbarp]

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

Happy New Year 2024 everyone. Since I recently upgraded from my 2012 (pre-facelift) model Innova to the Hycross just before Christmas, I thought I would begin the new year with a post on the experience.

Wish you a very happy new year. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

I had parked the car and gone into a shop and when I stepped out, I stopped and stared at the sight that met me! Wondering what I saw? I will let the picture below do the talking…and, as you will notice, even the number plates of the twins matched except for the last number . I had to immediately click a priceless picture. The nearer one on the left is my car.

Thanks for clarifying. Was confused for a few moments before I read the text in entirety. But a really unique situation

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

Which model?
I felt that the higher sidewall with the 17 inchers of the VXO were more important since they would improve the ride and reduce anxiety about tire and alloy damage. So that was the model I chose, in the blackish ageha color.

Great summary of the decision-making process. You could be right; you may not lose too much on a VXO compared to a ZXO. On the ZXO, it could be more like, features are present, so let us use them.

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

By the way, could not find any instructions or references to a running-in period. Do I not need to worry about running-in with these modern engines?

Did not receive any instructions myself. Sales advisor stated there isn't any. To be on the safe side, just followed basic rules for the first thousand like limiting speed to a lower number, not accelerating/ decelerating fast, not loading the car much. That's about it.

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

I will need some more experimentation to figure that out.

Yes, it is a bit time consuming to learn all the features and online videos are the best bet. Soon enough one would get used to all the features that matter and may not need the book.
Please do try out the spare wheel lowering tools, may be a bit different than your current vehicle and could be important. I realized that it helps to have 2 individuals for this than one. Those from Toyota sedans are used to pulling out the spare from the boot in under a minute. Here it could be a bit time consuming.
But then, you may be used to this already upgrading from an older Innova.

You did not mention about PPF or ceramic coating. Please take a measured call on this. Blackish Ageha glass flake is a beautiful color but slightly challenging to maintain and could gather swirl marks / micros scratches visible only in a few angles and under certain light fairly quickly.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

My Tale of two Innovas - from Gen 2011 to Hycross - how “Lightning” became “Tony”

Hey, Congratulations on your HyCross !!

I wanted to ask did the dealership fit the plastic wheel cladding as an accessory or was the part ordered and then fitted separately ?

And how did you manage to get the car so fast ?

I have also booked the exact same spec right down to the same colour, at the beginning of Sept 2023 and I still don’t know when will it be delivered…

[santosh.s]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

No price protection. I booked the car at launch for around 36.5L on-road and I ended up paying 38.5L when taking delivery due to price and tax increases.

Yes. I had booked a day before the official launch, but no price protection at all. I had to pay the prevailing price as in June/July. I saved a lot though in insurance, accessories and by going with BH registration.

[sdasgupta]

Originally Posted by subbarp

Did not receive any instructions myself. Sales advisor stated there isn't any. To be on the safe side, just followed basic rules for the first thousand like limiting speed to a lower number, not accelerating/ decelerating fast, not loading the car much. That's about it.

Thanks, will keep these in mind.

Originally Posted by subbarp

Please do try out the spare wheel lowering tools, may be a bit different than your current vehicle and could be important. I realized that it helps to have 2 individuals for this than one. Those from Toyota sedans are used to pulling out the spare from the boot in under a minute. Here it could be a bit time consuming.
But then, you may be used to this already upgrading from an older Innova.

Good point, better to familiarize oneself before actually needing to use it. Actually, the old Innova had an elaborate chain and pulley system that had to be wound down to get to the wheel. I think in Hycross it is just a nut that needs to be unscrewed from the boot area and the tire can then be pulled out.

Originally Posted by subbarp

You did not mention about PPF or ceramic coating. Please take a measured call on this. Blackish Ageha glass flake is a beautiful color but slightly challenging to maintain and could gather swirl marks / micros scratches visible only in a few angles and under certain light fairly quickly.

Yes, I did get a ceramic coating done from the dealership.

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

I wanted to ask did the dealership fit the plastic wheel cladding as an accessory or was the part ordered and then fitted separately ?

Yes, it is an official accessory now, and can be ordered at the dealership.

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

And how did you manage to get the car so fast ?

I have also booked the exact same spec right down to the same colour, at the beginning of Sept 2023 and I still don’t know when will it be delivered…

Not sure, but I was told that the big leasing companies have a different queue with the manufacturer since they buy directly and not through dealers. The official delivery date was close to 2 years when I booked, but the leasing company had assured me they were getting the cars in 3 months on average, and they kept that promise somehow.

[manofinfinity]

Originally Posted by sdasgupta

Yes, it is an official accessory now, and can be ordered at the dealership.

Congratulations on getting your second Innova, regarding the side cladding how much does it cost, and if it was pasted or drilled?
Surprisingly, they are providing it now officially back then in March they did not offer side cladding.

[sdasgupta]

Originally Posted by manofinfinity

Congratulations on getting your second Innova, regarding the side cladding how much does it cost, and if it was pasted or drilled?
Surprisingly, they are providing it now officially back then in March they did not offer side cladding.

Yes, I was also surprised when they told me that it was available.
It is pasted. Cost was 17,500.

[car_guy1998]

Originally Posted by manofinfinity

regarding the side cladding how much does it cost, and if it was pasted or drilled?
Surprisingly, they are providing it now officially back then in March they did not offer side cladding.

Yes, this part is available with the dealer and I was supposed to get it installed on our Hycross VX Hybrid during its purchase in July but backed off for some reason. But, will be getting it installed during my visit to India in the summer.

Also, planning to get the speakers replaced during my visit as I found OE speakers are crap and will get the doors damped along with the speakers.

There are a lot of things, which I'll be getting done on our Hycross.

OTOH, our Hycross Hybrid has completed 15k Kms in 5 months of ownership.

[sleepyk]

Originally Posted by manofinfinity

Is this normal to accumulate rust on the lower parts, this is the lower part of the second row, actually there is a plastic panel that covers this area but it got snapped out when moving the seat forward I don’t know how.

This is absolutely not normal, in a car that is essentially brand new.
This should be covered by the warranty. Kindly bring it to the attention of your Toyota dealer and ensure that they do the needful. They should remove the surface rust and apply a coat of paint/anti rust coating on the metal.
As per my observation, in other cars, the steel used in these parts is painted at the factory itself to avoid rust.

[samaspire]

Hello guys, I am helping a cousin with his Hycross Hybrid purchase. He will be getting the 7 seater VX(O) in Silver. I need advice on the accessories.
I made a rough list of the accessories and compared the OEM prices with amazon prices and Toyota is 4 times more expensive.

What are the "good to have" accessories and where do you guys suggest we buy them from - Toyota, Amazon, some other portal or local accessories shops?

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Hello guys, I am helping a cousin with his Hycross Hybrid purchase. He will be getting the 7 seater VX(O) in Silver. I need advice on the accessories.
I made a rough list of the accessories and compared the OEM prices with amazon prices and Toyota is 4 times more expensive.

What are the "good to have" accessories and where do you guys suggest we buy them from - Toyota, Amazon, some other portal or local accessories shops?

Get that floor ambient lighting from the dealership since it involves wiring and drilling holes.

Everything else, you can buy from elsewhere and it will be the same quality.

[mohilspectrum]

Hello guys i am taking delivery of Hycross VX(O) 8 seater on 15th January. Wanted some opinion on which brand of seat cover to choose from. Have shortlisted Dolphin and Topgear. Saddles is quoting 40000 plus so that is out of question. I have ruled out autofoam as i have had very average experience with that brand in my nexon EV. Did not like design in elegant seat covers. Can anybody help me choosing brand of seat covers, whether to go for topgear - costing around 23000 or should i go for dolphin - costing around 18000. Any new suggestion also welcome. If any team member have installed seat covers of either dolphin or topgear seat covers in their hycross then request them to post few pics. Thank you.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by mohilspectrum

Hello guys i am taking delivery of Hycross VX(O) 8 seater on 15th January. Wanted some opinion on which brand of seat cover to choose from.

Please do NOT go for seat covers since the car has 6 airbags out of which 2 are present on the outer sides of the front seats (side airbags).

In case you install seat covers, and god-forbid there is an accident causing the airbags to open, the seat covers will foul with the airbag functioning…