Buying Innova - TD'ed Diesel, Petrol, Safari, CRV Not sure if I should make this a new post, but could not find a place to put it elsewhere.
I have been looking out for a second car - I have a Petra - for sometime. Due to improved financial situation, I was ready to go upto a Camry at a stretch. Sofa like comfort in mumbai traffic was the overriding concern above all else. The car was to be driver-driven most of the time with me chipping in only when the driver is not available. I ended up deciding to buy a Diesel Innova. My experiences are below.
The requirement was for a large spacious vehicle to relax in while being driven on the bad roads and long hours of bombay traffic with an occasional trip to Goa etc.
- Decided that I wanted only a SUV type of large vehicle since I already have a decent Sedan. I'm however planning to sell off the Petra sometime soon due to lack of availability of Fiat spare parts. Anyway, so Camry, Accord etc was off the list for now.
- My first choice from reading TBHP was Tuscon. But the local dealer said they did not have any TD vehicle and he had to get his boss's friend to give his vehicle for TD or something like that. Also, the delivery was apparently straight from Korea and would take 3-4 months. That scared me off and apparently to good reason since Hyundai is phasing out Tuscon.
- Next TD was Safari. I really really like its looks and badly wanted one.
The test drive showed that Safari was the most comfortable of the lot over rough tarmac. BUT, it had more body roll than others. My wife was thrown all over the cabin while riding over bumpy roads in the unloaded Safari and felt car sick. When I took the wheel I found the handling too truck like - very rough gear shifting, vibrating stick, play in the clutch and steering. I definitely won't want to drive it myself into the city when my driver is away. So sadly enough Safari was out.
- Next was Innova Diesel. - I'm still quite bothered by its horrible looks and feel embarrassed to be seen driving one (call me petty). But being driven in the diesel innova was surprisingly comfortable. The body roll was low enough for my wife to be happy, it soaked up the potholes quite well. The only problem was the diesel engine vibrations which are more than one would like. When I took the wheel, i found it less nicer to drive than the Petra. The steering was very good, but shifting and gear ratios (higher torque but lower speeds) is something I don't expect to ever quite enjoy. But the driving experience was OK enough that I can bear to drive it on an emergency.
- Then I TD'ed petrol innova, due to posts in TBHP. Petrol Innova is almost as smooth to drive as my Petra. The only difference being the taller gear shift with a little extra vibration than Petra. But overall its a very very easy vehicle to drive quite like a car. HOWEVER, to my surprise I found the Petrol Innova to have a noticeably harder ride than Diesel. I checked that the TD vehicle was newer than the Diesel one, still the ride was not as soft was Diesel. This I can only attribute to the lower weight of the Petrol. This was a problem since I will mostly be driven around rather than drive myself.
- In an attempt to get both driving and riding comfort I TD'ed CRV AT. It was the greening colour one. Its a posh and beautiful looking vehicle with quite classy interiors. Needless to say it was a breeze to drive with a perfect driver's seat with all those adjustments. BUT, the ride in the back seat was harsher than Diesel Innova !!!. IN fact what I felt was that CRV was quite good in handling pot holes but not small bumps. Its like the suspension is designed to handle tarmac that's broken away but not lumps of tar/mud/stuff sticking out. So when I deliberately drove it over a fairly large pothole it would be barely noticeable, but overall on a broken and badly redone road it was quite bumpy. Also the tire noise in the cabin was higher than Innova - but the engine itself was super quiet. The rear seats were only partially reclinable unlike amazing set of options in Innova including fully reclinable second row seats. Overall, it felt that the money was going to make the driver happy and for the good looks in CRV - not to make the passergers more comfortable.
Considering all the above, I decided (though with a rather heavy heart) to buy Diesel Innova as the most practical and comfortable vehicle to be driven in below 25 lacs - while retaining the option of driving it myself once in a while if requried.
I'm finalizing the deal with Madhuban today evening for a champagne gold V model. I'm not planning to add any cladding or other external accessories to keep the vehicle as sleek looking as possible. Will let you know how it went.
Finally, I'm planning to buy the 8 seater in my company (proprietorship) name. It seems an 8 seater in company name gets a yellow plate. The yearly tax is higher, but Toyota gives a 50,000 rupee discount to cover the additional tax cost for 2 years. Also, I can claim depreciation in company account. I will most likely sell in 3 years. In this context, I want to know if there is any problem in driving around in a yellow plate in city and crossing state limits ? extra harassment etc ?
thanks,
CF |