[icyspikey]

Hello All,

Background : We currently own a 2010 V Model, 7 Seater Innova on our company name which has served us brilliantly till date. The car has run about 1.97L Kms till now and has needed no special care while i still take a day off from work for the regular services of my Punto :P

The 1.95L Service : We changed the tyres to brand new Michelin XM2+, clutch assembly was also replaced for the first time.

The car still performs splendidly but we wanted to go for a change since the Innova currently has good resale value now & 6 years is probably the longest we've ever held a car! All depreciation benefits Etc. have been claimed and if the 10 Year car ban becomes effective in TN in 2 years we'd lose the resale value substantially.

Hence we went last saturday to TD the cars in the market. It's almost a customary ritual where everyone in the family takes a day off work and *ALL* the cars in the range are driven. The whole process is meticulously done and enjoyed by everyone.

Cars TDed :

1) Isuzu Mu-7

The floor was too high for a comfortable seating posture & the interiors were a bit barebone.But finally it's the seating position that made us walk out immediately to our Innova. Once we hopped into it, we really did love it a bit more that day

2) Ford Endeavour

Dad took the car (3.2AT) out of the showroom and already had a smile plastered across his face . To quote him verbatim " This puts our Jetta (2015 HL AT) to shame . This is a proper Ford (reminiscing from his 1.6 Ikon days)". I drove the car for a short distance and felt it had the best ride quality & performance amongst all the cars we had driven that day. Ever since we are going from pillar to post to get a feel of the more practical 2.2L engine since all the dealers only have the 3.2L for TD.No one has any visibility about the 2.2L TD Car either.

3) Hyundai Santa Fe

Probably the most expensive car we've TDed but it really failed to impress us on any front. The interior trims were very similar to the i20 on the door pillars and that theme in itself put us off. The ride wasn't too good, engine noise filtered through to the cabin. To sum it up in a nut shell - Most disappointing.

4) Innova Crysta ( Just a look around . No TD had begun then )

Ticks all the boxes. The power figures looked really mighty on the paper. The interiors seemed upmarket. There wasn't one good reason why we shouldn't buy it except for the fact that we already have an Innova and it's not really us to repeat a product.(We are the bunch who have a unique car - the Innova is the only exception in the stable).

5) XUV 500 (Had a look at the Rexton too)

It looked pretty good on the paper but the refinement levels aren't really great.The dash lacks some flair. The major irritant was the AT gearbox whining every time you gunned the A pedal.Overall at that price point, XUV500 W10 wasn't really attractive for us.

Finally it all boiled down to two cars : The Innova Crysta ZX 2.4 MT 7Str Vs the Endeavour 2.2 (Probably will go for the AT since dad loves driving the car).

We haven't driven either of the cars ,hence requesting views & advice from the forum!

Additional Info :
-> The SUV/MUV will be used mostly on Highways.
-> We are a family of four so the 3rd row will be sparingly used.
-> The car will be primarily used by dad who prefers to sit in the front to keep an eye on the chauffeur. He will only drive it during the Sunday hometown/farm runs.
-> There will be almost nil off roading and the car will mostly just see the tarmac for 85% of the time.

[AWD]

Im almost in the same boat as you! Till the time I had not checked out the new Endy, Crysta was the natural choice. Initial launch euphoria played a big part in this. After I tried both out & out, Endy 2.2L Auto made the cut for me.

Like you I don't require the 3rd row, so people hauling is not a requirement. Then the new Endy is a fantastic package, great looks, stance, appeal, Interiors, Ride & handling & features. Park both side by side & you wouldn't want to take home Crysta.

Buying Crysta felt like almost celebrating the "Van", on the road its not a looker, slab sided, square ended, its a typical MUV/Van. While Endy on the other hand is like a breath of fresh air. Plonking a 24L on Crysta simply doesn't go down my throat. Its a great vehicle in its own regard & will do its work the best & that is people hauling. But for an enthusiast who loves cars, Endy wins.

[landcruiser123]

I expected this question to come soon. I already suggested someone to look at the Endy 2.2 as an alternative to the Innova Crysta.

I'll tell you one thing: The Endeavor is simply a great car, better than the Innova.

Since you need a 2WD, why spend extra to lug around more weight and get worse FE? I think you should buy the Innova Crysta 2.4 ZX or 2.8 ZX if you need an automatic. Also, maintaining Endeavor might be slightly more expensive than the Innova which will share parts with the Fortuner.

That being said, there's a exclusivity factor associated with buying an Endeavor.

[GrammarNazi]

IMHO beyond VX, Innova Crysta makes very little (almost zilch) sense.

I don't want to repeat the advantage of the Endeavors dimensions & the specs here, but there's no doubt that the Ford is definitely a superior creature altogether.

The design itself makes it look like a 30L product. Comparatively IMO the Crysta doesn't enjoy the street presence that an Endeavor would.

Even price wise, it's more car per car. Given you can afford it, I see NO reason to miss out on the Endeavor.

Do Let us know which one was finalised eventually.

[icyspikey]

Originally Posted by AWD

Im almost in the same boat as you! Till the time I had not checked out the new Endy, Crysta was the natural choice. Initial launch euphoria played a big part in this. After I tried both out & out, Endy 2.2L Auto made the cut for me.

Like you I don't require the 3rd row, so people hauling is not a requirement. Then the new Endy is a fantastic package, great looks, stance, appeal, Interiors, Ride & handling & features. Park both side by side & you wouldn't want to take home Crysta.

Buying Crysta felt like almost celebrating the "Van", on the road its not a looker, slab sided, square ended, its a typical MUV/Van. While Endy on the other hand is like a breath of fresh air. Plonking a 24L on Crysta simply doesn't go down my throat. Its a great vehicle in its own regard & will do its work the best & that is people hauling. But for an enthusiast who loves cars, Endy wins.

Where did you TD the Endy 2.2 btw ? Would you be able to elaborate on the ride quality of both ? Haha ! That's true.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I expected this question to come soon. I already suggested someone to look at the Endy 2.2 as an alternative to the Innova Crysta.

I'll tell you one thing: The Endeavor is simply a great car, better than the Innova.

Since you need a 2WD, why spend extra to lug around more weight and get worse FE? I think you should buy the Innova Crysta 2.4 ZX or 2.8 ZX if you need an automatic. Also, maintaining Endeavor might be slightly more expensive than the Innova which will share parts with the Fortuner.

That being said, there's a exclusivity factor associated with buying an Endeavor.

It's only natural I believe that this question arises. Any ballpark on what would be the real world mileage of the 2.2L ? No two ways about the aura the Endy offers !

During the Endy 3.2 TD , I felt the car's ride quality to be slightly better than our current Innova. Ofcourse, this is just the initial perception from a 5 Km drive.Would love some opinions from the new Endy owners.

[AWD]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

Where did you TD the Endy 2.2 btw ? Would you be able to elaborate on the ride quality of both ?

I TDed both Crysta & Endy over the same track & the track I'd chosen is no ordinary track, its a mix of fully mettled road, potholed, gravel, stone layer, muddy, steep inclines & declines, big craters, fields & proper ofroad. I must say both Endy & Crysta performed exceptionally good. There's little to choose between the two when it comes to ride quality, but still I'd prefer Endys ride(marginally better than Crysta though).

You sit high on the Endy, much higher than in the Crysta, so the view of the road ahead is superb. Oncoming traffic respects the gigantic vehicle. Innova was good at the earlier prices but the new pricing has placed it bang in the Endy territory & it makes Endy look very well priced now. Its essentially a choice between features(Crysta ZX) & a bigger vehicle(Endy), doesn't mean base Endy lacks features. Personally I'd prefer the higher category vehicle over some features.

Road presence of the Endeavour is in a class of its own while Crysta is a practical vehicle for hauling passengers. I'd suggest, don't base your choice on what peeps around are buying, as such Indian consumers follow herd mentality & we see many nuclear families ending up buying Innova. Try both again & feel for yourself which is comfier of the two, which is a better looker & which will suit our needs better.

Crysta looks way overpriced in front of the Endeavour. I've heard people saying buy Crysta before Toyota increases its price, I think its Endeavour which needs a hike more than anything now!

[createrkid]

Why not consider the fortuner AT? It has superb reliability and decent highway manners and being a fuss free Toyota is an added bonus.

[noopster]

Interesting thread. Ever since the new Endeavour launched I have had my eye on it. The 2.2 AT is definitely the VFM option since the 3.2 is a bit of an overkill. 36 or so on the road is BMW/Audi territory however butch and feature-loaded a vehicle is. The Crysta ZX AT thus becomes a relatively attractive option. Though most would balk at paying 25 big ones for a nicer Innova, the feature list is insane considering how bare bones the current one is. You have already experienced the peace of mind associated with a Toyota purchase so I need not go there!

Eagerly awaiting further updates and your final decision- good luck!

Originally Posted by createrkid

Why not consider the fortuner AT? It has superb reliability and decent highway manners and being a fuss free Toyota is an added bonus.

Do you mean the new one (yet to hit the roads)? The current Fortuner lacks the features that Endeavour and Santa Fe possess- heck even the Crysta is positively loaded in comparison!

[dean5545]

Hey there!
I remember you asking on my thread about selling your Innova. If I was in your shoes I would have gone for the Endeavour may be not the 2.2 but definitely not the Innova.
I test drove the Crysta 2.4 as well as 2.8 and honestly I find the 2.8 to be an overkill. The automatic gearbox spoils the fun. The 2.4 is good and pretty fast too. But after finishing the test drive and sitting in my own Innova I didn't feel like I am missing something apart from the new 2.4 engine even the new gearbox is way notchy, may it will get alright after couple of thousand kilometres.
Yes the new Crysta has lot of features but I can't convince myself to spend 25+ lakhs for it. I have 50% of the car at 40% price.
The Endeavour was different especially the 3.2 titanium. It feels special. I being a Toyota fan would bluntly agree that the upcoming Fortuner will not be as good as the Endeavour.
When you buy the Endeavour you get an added advantage of 4x4.
So my suggestion is to test drive the 2.2 and see whether it's good enough for such a large car. If not then try the 3.2 trend.

[icyspikey]

Originally Posted by createrkid

Why not consider the fortuner AT? It has superb reliability and decent highway manners and being a fuss free Toyota is an added bonus.

I completely forgot to add the Fortuner AT to the list of cars i TDed. We did try out the range topping 3.0 AT and found the car to be a bit spartan in relative comparison to the competitors as noopster pointed out.Ride quality is really important to us and I haven't heard a lot of good things on that front either.

I should add that the showroom guys themselves weren't too keen about the Fortuner since they kept saying how the Innova is better in every way.Can't say they are crazy either

Originally Posted by dean5545

Hey there!
I remember you asking on my thread about selling your Innova. If I was in your shoes I would have gone for the Endeavour may be not the 2.2 but definitely not the Innova.
I test drove the Crysta 2.4 as well as 2.8 and honestly I find the 2.8 to be an overkill. The automatic gearbox spoils the fun. The 2.4 is good and pretty fast too. But after finishing the test drive and sitting in my own Innova I didn't feel like I am missing something apart from the new 2.4 engine even the new gearbox is way notchy, may it will get alright after couple of thousand kilometres.
Yes the new Crysta has lot of features but I can't convince myself to spend 25+ lakhs for it. I have 50% of the car at 40% price.
The Endeavour was different especially the 3.2 titanium. It feels special. I being a Toyota fan would bluntly agree that the upcoming Fortuner will not be as good as the Endeavour.
When you buy the Endeavour you get an added advantage of 4x4.
So my suggestion is to test drive the 2.2 and see whether it's good enough for such a large car. If not then try the 3.2 trend.

Hey Dean! Hope yours is going strong. The Endy 3.2 really has very high running costs involved even if we stretch a bit for the range topping Titanium.Agreed it's special, but i'm sure we'd be regretting the fuel bills right after the initial excitement has died down.I can understand your view though, but do look at everything the car has to offer for that price point.

Hoping to try out the 2.4MT Innova this Monday. Will look out for the notchy gearbox though.

Finding it really hard to TD the 2.2 in Chennai.Wondering if BLR dealers have a TD for 2.2s available.

Originally Posted by AWD

I TDed both Crysta & Endy over the same track & the track I'd chosen is no ordinary track, its a mix of fully mettled road, potholed, gravel, stone layer, muddy, steep inclines & declines, big craters, fields & proper ofroad. I must say both Endy & Crysta performed exceptionally good. There's little to choose between the two when it comes to ride quality, but still I'd prefer Endys ride(marginally better than Crysta though).

Thanks for the quick review. I think it's virtually impossible to decide without TDing the 2.2 then . On the other hand what mileage are you averaging with the 2.2 AT & what's the ODO at ?

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

Finally it all boiled down to two cars : The Innova Crysta ZX 2.4 MT 7Str Vs the Endeavour 2.2 (Probably will go for the AT since dad loves driving the car).

We haven't driven either of the cars ,hence requesting views & advice from the forum!

Additional Info :
-> The SUV/MUV will be used mostly on Highways.
-> We are a family of four so the 3rd row will be sparingly used.
-> The car will be primarily used by dad who prefers to sit in the front to keep an eye on the chauffeur.He will only drive it during the Sunday hometown/farm runs.
-> There will be almost nil off roading and the car will mostly just see the tarmac for 85% of the time.

Considering that there will be no use of 3rd row, why don't you consider more of the compacter cars, which provide you same level of comfort. To my mind, soon to be launched Hyundai Tucson, comes on top of the list.

Tucson, has earned good reputation, for quality, providing more features than its competitors. And as you are considering AT, it comes with 7 speed Dual clutch gearbox too.

[icyspikey]

Originally Posted by autorahul

Considering that there will be no use of 3rd row, why don't you consider more of the compacter cars, which provide you same level of comfort. To my mind, soon to be launched Hyundai Tucson, comes on top of the list.

Tucson, has earned good reputation, for quality, providing more features than its competitors. And as you are considering AT, it comes with 7 speed Dual clutch gearbox too.

Well I can't really say no use, since we'd be doing some farm runs bringing back crates with us. Either way don't think the Hyundai will hold up well after 2L Kms. After seeing the Santa Fe, we aren't too keen on Hyundai SUVs at all. ,Plus my employer is a Korean Company too & there hasn't been a lot of positive reviews for the prev gen as well as the current gen Santa Fe.

I really hadn't considered the Tucson before and the one shown in the global site really looks good.No idea on the price bracket & the amount of equipment that would be carried over though.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by icyspikey

if the 10 Year car ban becomes effective in TN in 2 years we'd lose the resale value substantially.

I personally don't think that 10+ year old cars are going to be taken off the road just like that. The repercussions are too severe.

The ride wasn't too good, engine noise filtered through to the cabin. To sum it up in a nut shell - Most disappointing.

The Santa Fe you drove was perhaps a badly abused example. Try driving a newer one. It's a wonderful, comfortable, refined SUV.

except for the fact that we already have an Innova and it's not really us to repeat a product

But you aren't buying the same model. The new Innova is very different & much improved.

The Innova Crysta ZX 2.4 MT 7Str Vs the Endeavour 2.2

Since you mentioned that your Dad would want an AT, we should compare the Innova 2.8 AT to the Endeavour AT.

A couple of thoughts:

- Both cars are the segment best. You can't go wrong with either.

- In terms of utility, both are evenly matched. You aren't getting more from any one over the other. However, the Endeavour 2.2L Titanium is 8 lakhs more expensive than the Innova ZX AT. That's a lifetime of fuel, maintenance & insurance.

- The Endeavour looks fantastic, an incredibly handsome SUV. The Innova - despite all the design touches - is still a van. No contest in the looks & image department. It's butch SUV vs people-mover MPV.

- The Innova ZX's captain seats will be a LOT more comfortable for rear passengers. I l-o-v-e those chairs!

- At low speeds, the Innova's steering is HEAVY. Unlike the Ford's light & effortless wheel. Don't know if this is a consideration for your Dad.

End of the day, go with whichever your Dad likes more. He deserves it for all the years of work. In fact, if it's the Endeavour, I'd wholeheartedly recommend the 3.2L variant to him. No point buying a 30+ lakh car that runs out of breath beyond 120 kph.

Originally Posted by createrkid

Why not consider the fortuner AT? It has superb reliability and decent highway manners and being a fuss free Toyota is an added bonus.

The only reason to buy a Fortuner today is if you absolutely need that combination of bullet proof reliability + offroad capability. In all other areas, it is destroyed by the Innova Crysta & Endeavour.

[DwarkaDelhiWala]

Originally Posted by GTO

......
A couple of thoughts:

- Both cars are the segment best. You can't go wrong with either.

- The Innova ZX's captain seats will be a LOT more comfortable for rear passengers. I l-o-v-e those chairs!

- At low speeds, the Innova's steering is HEAVY. Unlike the Ford's light & effortless wheel. Don't know if this is a consideration for your Dad.

........

A par-excellence comparison in few words!

Totally agree after having Innova Vx for last one and a half year.

If i've to choose, i'll again go for those chairs ..... and the Toyota after sales service alone. Proven reliability from Delhi to Badrinath to Chanshal Pass to...totally loaded roof rack...

Also the space in between two 'chairs' makes access to 3rd row so easy.

[deetjohn]

The Endeavour all the way if you don't mind the premium over Innova. Its clearly more fun and the AT is much more accomplished. I drove the Crysta today and I didn't like the auto transmission at all.

Please note passengers will find the Innova easier to get in and out of. Especially the second and third rows. The Ford is tall, doors are thick and doesn't open as wide as the Innova.

But the one who drives will be too happy to bother about that.