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-   -   Review: 2013 Toyota Innova Facelift (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/143298-review-2013-toyota-innova-facelift-2.html)

Excellent review @parrys!

I have only two issues with the car -
a) Short 5th gear, or a 6th gear. The car has enough and more grunt to go much faster than it is now. I think it might be intentional to force people to keep speeds low, since I have seen Innova's flying even with this constraint. I have not faced any noise issues at 110-120kmph (probably because of music volume inside), not gone beyond that.
b) Poor FE beyond 100. Till about 100kmph, I get 14-15 consistently, provided I accelerate gradually. But beyond that, its just above 13.

I think if Toyota puts in a taller 5th gear or a 6th gear both issues will be resolved.
Otherwise, I love this machine.
I'm no fan of its looks, but I accept it with the kind of fit and finish, comfort and reliability it offers. Even the last row was comfortable, with my 2 year old sleeping comfortably over a 600km drive without waking up once! This was with one adult along, with either me or my wife (both are 5'8"+).

The rear looks so much like those Chinese station wagons and MUVs out there.
Agreed, the front "Drooping Moustache" look sucks but it isn't as bad in real as it was seen in pics in earlier discussions on the forum.
@parrys- The Inorbit parking lot is quite empty during afternoons, ain't it? :D

-Bhargav

Excellent report Parrys.
The Innova is still going strong and Toyota is milking it!

However, like everyone else on the forum, the price for me simply does not justify the kit. I am not gonna blame Toyota for the price hike because they are here to make money. There is no samaj-seva here.

But what about the competition?
I mean what if one were to pick up a Evalia or an Aria?
With the Evalia you are taking a shot at the sketchy dealer network and with the Aria at the build quality. I think by taking this leap of faith you are not losing out on much.
The Evalia platform is a well established product abroad. So really there is no great risk here.
In the case of the Aria by buying a cheaper car you can save a bit of money which could be used later on in case of fixing the niggles. I know this sounds really stupid but we all know that a car ownership runs on for atleast five years. So the costs should also be seen over the 5 year ownership period.
There are a few cases of the Aria having proud owners too. I agree it's a small club though.

A similar case can also be made for the Innova's other major competitor. The Ertiga. Well it is a Maruti. So no reliability issues, the dealer network is top notch and the price isn't too steep. The space with all the seats up is an issue but realistically how many times is the boot really needed. For the commercial segment there is always the option of installing a luggage rack on the roof (which most of them already do, even on the Innova).

Innova is a cool car for sure but i never like mainly 3 things about it.

1 Cost !!! Its costly by at least 2-3 lacs for what it offers.
2 3rd Row comfort. It is a very good car but not for 3rd row passengers. Xylo is much better here for sure. I am telling this after experiencing both cars for 10 days when hired as a taxi.
3 Luggage space. You hardly fit any luggage inside the car. You have to have carrier for the car if you are travelling with 4-5 people for more than 1 day.

BTW, new model looks really ugly from front. Chrome they added is really yucks ... Previous models were much better to look ;)

Toyota is just not letting the Innova age gracefully. Instead, they are applying some seriously gaudy make-up and the latest iteration is the worst! To me, the Innova now looks like it is based on the Ssangyong Rodius!







Good job with the interiors though.

For a family looking for a utility vehicle, I guess the Ertiga is now a very VFM option.

Relibility as a cab and for those having heavy usage is understandable, but why a family with average running would plonk such money on the Innova is beyond me (discounting the resale factor of course).

Great review Parrys. Had the good fortune of enjoying the captain seats over a 6 hour journey after a long flight, now I know what the fuss is all about :)

agree:

The new Innova is seriously overpriced. It is only because of the Toyota reliability that even the cabbies are willing to pay such a hefty premium over other Indian brand MUVs. A lot of potential Corolla buyers move to the Innova only for its resale value. Second hand Innovas are in very high demand by the cabbies. Toyota should launch its global strategic models so it could do well in the car segment also. The good quality but outdated entry level Toyotas did not do well in the market only because they looked dated with the market leaned towards fluidic design or any overdone competition.

Nice review, very comprehensive. But I am seriously surprised at the price. With the Innova priced like this, I thought buyers might seriously consider the Aria instead - newer vehicle, larger (a little too large maybe) and not too common either. I am not a big fan of the Aria's styling, but it doesn't look bad either.

Toyota is planning to launch the Innova replacement by 2015 end / 2016 start. By gauging the trend I guess they will price the new model higher than Innova.
I since there are no other vehicles in this price bracket which offers the reliability of Innova and so they don't have to worry much about the market share.
The Chrome treatment of current face-lift is bit too cheesy for my like. Similar to the Fortuner face-lift.

I wish Toyota had taken this opportunity to launch an auto- maybe mating the 5-speed auto seen in the Fortuner? That said, it is their cash cow, I am sure a lot of thought has gone into the upgrade. As a satisfied Innova owner, I wish them luck. Any news of the next gen Innova? I am frustrated there isn't even a leak anywhere.

Cost: Surely its expensive, but it sells. People are seeing value, and its real.

3rd Row comfort: Space is at premium on 3rd row, but overall comfort-wise, its quite good for me. I have traveled 4 trips of 300-400km in the 3rd row. For 2 adults, I found it good, since there is no bounciness of competitors.

Luggage space: We went for a 3 day 2 night trip, for 4 adults and 4 kids, it was all accommodated in the luggage space. We carried 2 medium sized suitcases, along with bags for snacks, chappals and other accessories. Just that the rear visibility was just enough for the driver - it doesn't matter too much on highways. I didn't keep camera bag in the dicky during onward trip, but on return, even that was on top of everything else in the dicky.

Forgot about water bottles - carried almost 10-12 liters of water (drinking and windshield cleaning) in bottles below front seats and door pockets!

Seriously, is it pricing itself out of the market? From being VFM once (Camry sized engine, corolla prices, oodles of space, etc) to where its today - super arrogance!!

Though there is no real competition and it will continue to sell well. I doubt the 6k numbers though..

Excellent, detailed review of the Innova. Fully agree about the absence of a taller 5'th gear or 6'th gear. The engine feels relaxed upto 90kmph, beyond that the noise is much higher than other diesel SUV's. Toyota could have used this facelift to better the Innova in this aspect. Apart from that Toyota could have provided -
1. Auto folding ORVMs
2. Rear center armrests for bench seats (the Thailand/Malaysian Innova has them)
3. Dual Glove boxes (available in Thai/Malaysian versions)
4. Softer material for Front and door armrests.(Innova owners, particularly the self-driven, would vouch for this need, I usually keep a small Terry towel to rest my elbows on long drives)
5. Dead pedal missed out as indicated in the review.
6. Smaller yet 'feel-good' things like puddle lamps, red door lights, Ignition key-barrel light, etc
7. Shorter gear lever, (Always thought of cutting the gear lever by about 4 inches)

Excellent review Parrys!
Comfort and Reliablity, 2 things that make Innova the class leading vehicle.
I remember, my first travel in company's cab,it was a silver car and upon reaching home i asked the driver how much did you pay for this new car, he showed me the odo, it was 1.3 lakhs kms :p
Now i have a question to be cleared, technical guys please respond if you can, few months back i read in ACI magazine about the new Innova and it said Toyota Engineers won't increase the power as they feel it will stress the engine, after 8 long yrs, Innova still produces some 101 bhp.Now cars with 2500cc engines, now produces 200+bhp, or say atleast 170 is the norm.Doesn't those engines from Merc , Bmw or Audi reliable? or why Toyota want to keep it as it is..i am confused here.

Nothing to do with reliability. Consider the Fortuner: It makes 56.33 BHP / Liter (169 BHP from a 3.0L engine) and is just as reliable. The Innova's BHP / Liter output is merely 40.4.

And remember, for the same driving situation, you won't need to revv a high-powered engine as high as you would one with a lower power spec. Lesser rpm = lesser wear & tear.