[GoSlow]

I purchased the facelifted Toyota Innova at the end of May 2012.

It has been 1 year and 25K Kms and it is time to post an ownership thread - first on Tbhp on the facelift Innova!?

Some Background -

I was an avid offroader and owned a Gypsy for 14 years. I sold my Gypsy in 2010 as I wanted to travel all over India by Road and had done enough of offroading. My wife is also a keen traveller and we have a 5 year old son.

I started at looking for 2WD SUV/MUV for a 10L (ex-Showroom) price range. Our other car is a 2006 Ford Fusion 1.6 Duratec, so that was the benchmark for us.

Our requirements were as follows:

• Had to be Diesel as we were planning high mileage
• My office is a 100km roundtrip commute, however I carpool so have to drive only twice a week
• Had to be spacious as we travel with a lot of stuff for our roadtrips
• Must have ABS + Airbags
• Good Ride quality
• High Reliability
• Decent Resale value (after owning the Fusion this was a "new" requirement)

So I started looking at prices of vehicles and very soon realised that I had to up my Budget to 12L (ex-showroom).

Then started the test drives -

Mahindra Scorpio

Like:
Good drivability & Power
Good Features (VLX)
Service Network
Resale
Dislike:
Ride Quality was horrible
Quality of Interiors could have been better

Tata Safari

Like:
The Feel of drivings a SUV
Spacious
Decent Ride quality
Dislike:
Poor Quality interiors
No Features
After Sales Service
Resale

Tata Aria

Like:
Good Ride quality
Decent Features
Excellent Space
Dislike:
Poor Quality interiors - on my 1 yr old test drive car there were plastic bits missing
Poor after Sales Service
Horrendous Re-sale

Maruti Ertiga
I did not take a test drive as I was too narrow and the last/middle row were at contention for space, leaving no space for luggage with all rows up.
However, I voted for the Ertiga in the TBhp Car of the Year.

Like:
Good Looks
Decent Interior quility
Decent features list
VFM
Dislike:
Too Narrow - 3 people cant sit comfortably in the middle row
Long waiting period

XUV 500

Like:
Good drivability & Power
Excellent Features
Best Safety Features
Good Service Network
Good VFM
Dislike:
Un-tested Product
Problem threads on T-bhp
Bookings were closed
Resale?

TOYOTA INNOVA

Like:
Good drivability
Decent Features
Basic Safety Features
Good Service Network
Excellent Ride Quality
Good Quality interiors
Good Resale
Dislike:
Expensive
Low power compared to competition
Low Features compared to competition
Engine Noisy above 100kmph

I did not drive the Xylo as I was not interested in it. The Storme and Duster were not available at that point.

After all the test drives we norrowed down our serach to the Toyota Innova. It was quite expensive but had the best ride quality, reliability and resale value.

Preferred Dealer was MGF Toyota Gurgaon. Booking the vehicle was a breeze and we decided on the Platinum color. There were no discounts available at that point as the new Innova had only come out a couple of months back and the demand was good. However, I did manage to negotiate Mats, Mud Flaps, Window visors and Rear Spoiler.



2 Weeks later we got the call from the Dealership that our vehicle had arrived. I went for the PDC and as expected with Toyota, everyting was in order!



Took delivery with my wife towards the end of May 2012 and have loved every minute of it.

Now for the overall ownership

Toyota Authorised Service (MGF toyota , Gurgaon)-
I had taken the Toyota Smile Care Package costing Rs.5,800 (maintenance package) which covered all service costs for the first 20K Kms so have incurred no costs so far.

I have mostly availed the pick/drop serice as I do not have time to sit and wait at the service centre. Also this serive only costs Rs.200, can you beat that! The downside is that when they drop the vehicle back, the guy is always in a hurry and dosent take time to talk me through what all was done.

I have only been to the service centre once. Took an appointment and got there at 8.30am. The vehicle was promptly attended to. The Service manager checked the vehicle over and took it in to the workshop. I waited in the waiting lounge and there is a monitor where you can track your vehicles progress. 3 Hours later, I got the vehicle back and since I did not have to pay anything (due to the smile care package), I was promply given a gate pass. This is where the issue started. Since it was a weekend, the entire service centre was crammed with vehciles coming in and I couldnt get out for the next 20 mins! I was not impressed!! There was no one there to manage the flow of the vehicles and the security guard was helpless.

On the last service the vehicle came back without the warning triangle. I called up the service manager and he assured me that he would find it and send it to me the next day. Next day, no call came. I called him again and he told me to give him till the end of the day. Thankfully he did call me back later and told me that he had found it and would have it delivered it to my residence. It was delivered the next day.

The 25K kms service is due this week and I am not expecting much costs as it is only an intermediate service. No Oil change etc. Pick and Drop service booked for Next week.

Fuel Consumption -
The question which everyone must be thinking of next is "kitna deti hai" i.e. what is the fuel consumption?

• City Drive with AC full time - 11kmpl (worst) to 13kmpl (best)
• City Drive without AC - 12.5kmpl (worst) to 15 kmpl (best)
• Highway - No answer (no point calculating when you drive an innova at 120+ on highways)

Drivability -

• The Vehicle produces 105bhp @ 3600rpm and 200Nm of Torque from 1400-3400 Rpm. At a Kerb weight of 1680kgs, it isnt exactly light.
• The power may seem low on paper but drivability in the city is very good. However, you are not going to win any races in this one. Sometimes I am temped to get a performance box!!
• The Gear ratios are tuned more for city drive and good mileage. You dont have to down shift often and the power is very linear. The downside is the engine is at high rpm even at 100kmph and sounds noisy. Toyota should give a 6th Gear.
• Gear shift is smooth but the throw is long.
• The clutch is very soft and the brake has decent bite.
• The Steering is fairly light for city drive and parking.
• View of the road is good and the large wing mirrors offer good view of what is behind/beside you.
• The Vehicle is very car like to drive and finding a good driving position is easy with the heigh adjustable driver seat and the rake adjustable steering
• The ride quality is very good but not comparable to a Sedan. I would say best in any other 7 seater SUV/MUV.

Style & Quality -

Exterior:

• I personally like the new facelift innova with the sleek headlamps (compared to previous innova)
• The front bonnet feels more tapered and flat and gives a car like view
• Lots of chrome around all round looks upmarket
• The overall vehicle is very propotionate in design and looks classy specially how the roof rises from the front and then falls towards the rear (side view)
• However, it is an MPV and and looks like a box from the rear
• I feel the sheet metal used is very thin and you dont get the solid THUD when doors are closed
• The paint quality is good, however I think the layer is very thin and the paint gets scratched very easily. I have used sealent polish to keep the paint protected.

Interior:

• The design of the dash is slightly different than the previous version
• The dark shade fake wood trim looks good and there is chrome on the door handles
• The Switchgear have a soft but solid feel which I really like (specially over the scorpios and safaris)
• There is good quality materials used and feel long lasting (no rough edges), however they are hard to touch.
• The roof mounted AC vents in all rows has seperate controls from the main unit on the dash and the cooling is very good
• In some areas you can see exposed screw heads. Even my 1/3 costing Ford Fusion has screw caps over all screws!!
• The light colored interiors need to be dry cleaned from time to time, specially if you have a youngster running around the car!
• The Cloth seats are comfortable and offer good support (sometimes I think I should not have covered them with lertherite covers)

Space & Seating -

• I bought the 7 seater variant and the captain seats in the rear are excellent.
• The Front Row and the Mid Row (captain seats) can all be adjusted for recline and moved back/forth.
• The driver seat is height adjustable as well but does not have lumbar support.
• The Last row can be adjusted for recline only and also completely folded away when not required.
• With all rows up you have just enough space to fit 2 small suitcases and some sky bags.

Features -
The Top Variant comes with the following additional features which are user friendly specially in case of a self driven vehicle:

• Touchscreen Music System with Aux in, USB port, CD player, DVD player(only when hand brake engaged), Reverse Camera, Bluetooth connectivity
• Steering Monted controls for Audio, Mobile phone and MID
• MID shows Time, Outside Temp, Direction (East, West...), Avg Fuel Economy, Real Time Fuel Economy, Avg Speed, Elapsed Time... did I miss any thing
• Climate Control
• Passenger Airbag (GX variant has only Driver Side Airbag and ABS)
• Fog Lamps
• Illumation control for the dials
• There are some other additional features on the Top variant as well but does not add value to me (personal choice) so not mentioning here

DVD player only works when the hand brake is engaged


There is some basic features missing which I had taken for granted as some of these are available even on my 7 year old Ford Fusion.

Basic Features missing -

• No indicator units on either side (the ones on the wing mirrors is not visible from the side if you are behind them). I think this is a BIG and DANGEROUS omission specially on indian roads!
• Auto dimming interior lights - interior lights automatically go off after a few minutes of closing all doors (when the interior light switch is on Door mode)
• Follow Me home headlights
• Backlit power window switches - in the Innova you have to king of feel for them in the dark, specially inconvenient while driving

Other Features which a car of this price (specialy top end) should have -

• Dead pedal - not missed too much as there is ample space to rest your left foot
• Adjustable Lumbar support on driver seat
• Electric Fold Wing mirrors
• Better Speakers - OE are very poor quality
• 6th Gear for easy highway cruising
• Better Tyres - I got goodyear GT3s
• Cruise control - there were times on the highway I wished I had this feature
• 6 airbags - pretty standard at this price point

Life of the Highway
The Vehicle really excels on the Highway. Feels like you are travelling in your living room. Long drives are a breeze. Bad roads/Good Roads are all taken in its stride. This was my primary reason for buying this vehicle. I have done all kinds of speeds on highways and the vehicle was always steady. I wish the engine noise could be reduced (past 100kmph). Funny thing is that the engine noise is constant after 100kmph i.e. it does not go up with increase in speed/rpm!

It is worth mentioning here that I had an misforture of a tyre puncture on the highway. Actually I think it was a badly patched puncture which popped out when I was doing steady 140kmph. By the time I came to t stop the tyre was smoking and damaged.



To make matters worse, the spare (never touched before) was STUCK!! I hope Toyota comes up with a better mechanism to lower/pull-up the spare. The current system is really fiddly and inconvenient.



No other issues so far.

Upgrades Done So Far -
These are in order in which they were done

• Changed the spakers to Focal components in front and normal in rear Rs.12,000 - OE speaker were quite poor in sound quality
• Rear crash guard Rs.1,500
• Letherite seat covers Rs.7,500
• Sound damping on front doors Rs.3,000 - made a big difference, specially to reducing the engine sound at high speeds
• Headlights changed to Phillips 90/100 with relay Rs.1,700 - OE were good but I did this more for highway driving

The Vehicle had done 25K Kms in last year. Long distance drives:-

1. Gurgaon-Amritsar-Gurgaon 1,100 kms approx
2. Gurgaon-Mumbai-Gurgaon 3,500kms approx
3. Gurgaon-Bikaner-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Gurgaon 2,000kms approx
4. Gurgaon-Kolkata-Gurgaon 3,100 kms approx
5. Gurgaon-Rishikesh-Gurgaon 600kms approx

Now for some pictures.

Mumbai Roadtrip


Rajasthan Roadtrip




Kolkata Roadtrip - Kalighat


Rishikesh Roadtrip


Finally - LIVE TO DRIVE!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[bigron]

I picked up the re-fresh ed innova in November 2012 and have covered around 25,000 kms. Frankly , to me its a van which is comfortable enough to get you from point A to B and makes most sense if you sitting in the middle row specially if you have the captain seats and the driver is doing his bit.
Its a good thing that the vehicle carries a few usable features like the ACC , Airbags , Abs and few more and comes with the Toyota reliability and fantastic A.S.S. But largely speaking its a van and there is only this much you can expect or like in it.
Having said all this , I think it was a breakthrough product which TOYOTA now needs to build on and make it more premium.

[sandeepmohan]

The Innova is without doubt the best MUV you can buy. There is nothing that can touch it in terms of quality and reliability. The engine may be underpowered and a little noisy when pushed but refinement is excellent for a 2.4l diesel.

[rrsteer]

to each and every point mentioned by you. I bought the new look Innova GX in Aug 2012 ( 24k kms). I was about to put up a review of my own. But I feel there is no need, because your review echoes my thoughts.

The Innova just suits my requirements to a 'T'. Btw, the tyre in the same position got punctured in my car too, under almost similar conditions.

[Fullrevs]

Picked up the face-lifted Innova around July 2012. Overall it is a huge improvement over the previous version. Whether we like the car or not, it is going to sell like hot cakes. I had to wait roughly 3 months for the delivery of my vehicle.

Things to further improve:

1. The seat isnt too comfortable for large sized individuals. Under thigh support is extremely poor.
2. The vibrating gear knob hasnt gone away. On start and engine switch off, I sometime fear the gear knob may just leave the gate and land in the back seat.
3. The noise as everyone has pointed out, it seems the engine is running out of air once 100km/hr is crossed on the speedo.
4. Highly annoying method to get the spare wheel out. I hope they integrate it in the boot next time.

[bbhavan]

Originally Posted by GoSlow

I purchased the facelifted Toyota Innova at the end of May 2012.


Basic Features missing - [indent][list]
[*]Auto dimming interior lights - interior lights automatically go off after a few minutes of closing all doors (when the interior light switch is on Door mode)

I think you have covered all the main aspects of this vehicle.
Good effort.


But I have not understood about the Auto dimming of interior light. Are you saying that this facility is not in the current model?

bbhavan

[GoSlow]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

to each and every point mentioned by you. I bought the new look Innova GX in Aug 2012 ( 24k kms). I was about to put up a review of my own. But I feel there is no need, because your review echoes my thoughts.

The Innova just suits my requirements to a 'T'. Btw, the tyre in the same position got punctured in my car too, under almost similar conditions.

Thanks rrsteer. please share more about your puncture incident.

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

Picked up the face-lifted Innova around July 2012. Overall it is a huge improvement over the previous version. Whether we like the car or not, it is going to sell like hot cakes. I had to wait roughly 3 months for the delivery of my vehicle.

Things to further improve:

1. The seat isnt too comfortable for large sized individuals. Under thigh support is extremely poor.
2. The vibrating gear knob hasnt gone away. On start and engine switch off, I sometime fear the gear knob may just leave the gate and land in the back seat.
3. The noise as everyone has pointed out, it seems the engine is running out of air once 100km/hr is crossed on the speedo.
4. Highly annoying method to get the spare wheel out. I hope they integrate it in the boot next time.

Thanks Fullrevs. Totally agree with your points!

Originally Posted by bbhavan

I think you have covered all the main aspects of this vehicle.
Good effort.


But I have not understood about the Auto dimming of interior light. Are you saying that this facility is not in the current model?

bbhavan

bbhavan

You are right. This facility is not there in the current model. The minute you shut the door, its pitch dark. Give you no time to settle in.


25K Kms Service Update

Innova has a 5,000km service interval. There is a Major Service at every 10,000kms which includes oil change, etc. and there is a Minor Service at every 5,000kms which is a general check-up and wash.

I had called MGF toyota, Gurgaon and requested a pick/drop service - early pick by 10am and drop back by 4pm on whichever day convenient to them. Got an appointment for Monday 20th May.

Monday 20th May - 10.30am nothing. Called the Service centre, either engaged or no answer. Tried a few different numbers, no luck. 11am I went to Toyota website and registered a complaint. 12pm, get call from the service center that the pickup will be at 1pm and drop back by 6-7pm. I politely decline and ask for another date when they CAN do an early pick and drop back by 4pm. Reason given for delay in pick was non-availability of driver and next appointment set for Friday 24th May.
Same Day, at 1pm I get a call from Toyota Bangalore enquiring about the complaint I had made. I narrate my story. BTW - this has happened once previously as well, which made this incident even more irritating thus leading to a need for complaint. They assure me that it will be sorted out and apologise. Get a Call from MGF Toyota at 3pm enquiring about the complaint. Narrate the story again and request for a better service on Friday.

Friday 24th May - Get a call at 9.15am for vehicle pick up. Vehicle collected at 10am. Service estimate Rs.850 + Rs.200 for pick and drop. Vehicle delivered at 3pm - Total Bill Rs.719

I was very impressed by the service this time. They even removed some scratches and touched up the front bumper for free. Here is a copy of the bill.



Look forward to the next 5,000kms!

The insurance is up for renewal and I have got a quote for Rs.29K for a Zero Dep Policy at a IDV of Rs.11.5L
Have shopped around and this sems to be the best. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by GoSlow

The insurance is up for renewal and I have got a quote for Rs.29K for a Zero Dep Policy at a IDV of Rs.11.5L
Have shopped around and this sems to be the best. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

Isn't the IDV too low? At the maximum you can calculate the IDV at 20% depreciation although 15% should be more correct.

[GoSlow]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Isn't the IDV too low? At the maximum you can calculate the IDV at 20% depreciation although 15% should be more correct.

drmohitg - The IDV in the last cover note says Rs.12.86L, depreciate that by 10% the amount is Rs.11.58L.

This leads me to think, what should have been the IDV of the new vehicle? It was Rs.13.5L Ex-showrrom when new so was the IDV of Rs.12.86L (approx. 95% of the ex-showroom value) for the brand new vehicle correct?

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by GoSlow

drmohitg - The IDV in the last cover note says Rs.12.86L, depreciate that by 10% the amount is Rs.11.58L.

This leads me to think, what should have been the IDV of the new vehicle? It was Rs.13.5L Ex-showrrom when new so was the IDV of Rs.12.86L (approx. 95% of the ex-showroom value) for the brand new vehicle correct?

My mistake. I took the OTR price as the ex-showroom price in my calculation. Yes 1st year- 95%
2nd year- 80-85%.
I would prefer 85% IDV even if it means paying a few thousand extra as premium.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by GoSlow

drmohitg - The IDV in the last cover note says Rs.12.86L, depreciate that by 10% the amount is Rs.11.58L.

This leads me to think, what should have been the IDV of the new vehicle? It was Rs.13.5L Ex-showrrom when new so was the IDV of Rs.12.86L (approx. 95% of the ex-showroom value) for the brand new vehicle correct?

Congrats on your Innova.

Always go in for the Maximum IDV, even if it means couple of 10o0s more. Insurance companies have a habit of quoting low premium amounts by lowering the IDV. Insist on a higher IDV and it would be granted for sure. I would thing of something close to 13 lac figure.

[girimajiananth]

Nice to read an ownership review man. I too own one and its been an year with this machine , must say it is a real pleasure . Nothing can beat Innova's comfort .

What variant did you buy ? A seven seater or an 8 seater ?

I have a 7 seater back home and its really awesome . I am facing some trouble with the seat arm rest on the middle row . I think the arm rest is broken . Any inputs on this ? Anyone ?

[bbhavan]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

My mistake. I took the OTR price as the ex-showroom price in my calculation. Yes 1st year- 95%
2nd year- 80-85%.
I would prefer 85% IDV even if it means paying a few thousand extra as premium.

Yes, it is 95% of the Ex-showroom value for the first year.

For the Oct-2012 innova, the IDV is 13.71L,

[GoSlow]

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

Nice to read an ownership review man. I too own one and its been an year with this machine , must say it is a real pleasure . Nothing can beat Innova's comfort .

What variant did you buy ? A seven seater or an 8 seater ?

I have a 7 seater back home and its really awesome . I am facing some trouble with the seat arm rest on the middle row . I think the arm rest is broken . Any inputs on this ? Anyone ?

Thanks girimajiananth!

Mine is a 7 seater. The Captain seats are really worth it if you dont actually need all 8 seats.

No idea about the arm rest. What year make is your innova? What do the A.S.S. have to say about the arm rest?