[V12Doc]

Been driving my Innova for the past 6 days. Drove ~700 km and every moment was the most comfortable drive ever. Driving is ok but being chauffeured is an unparalleled experience. I dont usually sleep in a car but slept for the 35km drive and didnt notice a single bump or a turn. Thats probably what makes it sell.
Only negative I could find were the need of a 6th gear and low power. The fifth gear is like an automatic. Goes from 40 to 140. Boon on a highway. City drive ability is great with zero turbo lag. Quality is Top Notch and Fit and Finish i way better than rivals and so is the snob value. No wonder it still sells crazy

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by sureshkishore

I have a lot of respect for the innova, as a car that just muches away lacs of kilometers without breaking into a sweat.

.......................

Will have to wait and see whether they are able to sustain the same volume in the months to come. I seriously have my doubts.

You echoed my feeling about the Innova. We had bought one back in 2006 for Rs. 12 Lacs on-road. It was the 'V' variant and seemed VFM. We used it for a Lac kms and it was in pristine condition.

However, in today's market, things that stand against the Innova are -

1) It is much more expensive than the XUV and Aria
2) It offers a lot less power
3) It offers a lot less creature comforts
4) It offers a lot less safety features
5) It looks like a van or like a taxi now (subjective)

Driving the XUV after the Innova seems like a revelation. The Innova literally screams at 130 kmph whereas the XUV is lazying at 2000 rpm in sixth gear at that speed.

The sheet metal of Innova is like tin foil. The tyres are thin. The facelifted one looks garish.

Finally, the main reason people buy an Innova is because they feel it is reliable. Indeed it is, but that does not always mean it is easier on the pocket. We had, at one point of time, a XUV and Innova at home, until we sold the Innova recently. The Innova has an oil change service every 5k kms (although the manual says 10k!), the XUV has it in every... not in 10k, not in 15k, but in every 20k. Spares and service of Toyota is more expensive too.

I simply see only 3 reasons why Innova should sell in decent numbers -

1) Interior fit and finish - I am not talking about quality, because everything is made of rock hard plastics, unlike soft touch in the competition
2) Utilization of space - Sliding middle row is a boon
3) Ride comfort - Plush at slow speeds and stable at high speeds

But would I spend more money and buy a car which is lesser equipped, lesser powerful, poorer NVH and poorer safety? Personally, No.

[scopriobharath]

one place where Innova scores hands down is the third row seating. It can seat that +2 passengers in decent comfort compared to the XUV. Even GTO has mentioned this in his review.

My personal view is if a 7 seater vehicle cant seat 7 in reasonable comfort, why bother at all.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

one place where Innova scores hands down is the third row seating. It can seat that +2 passengers in decent comfort compared to the XUV. Even GTO has mentioned this in his review. My personal view is if a 7 seater vehicle cant seat 7 in reasonable comfort, why bother at all.

I completely endorse this view. A claim has to be simple, honest and effective.

The last row seating in most of the vehicles which claim to be 7 seaters, is absolutely un-useable except by small children and I personally would not torture small kids by placing them there - they are bound to feel sick, given our road surfaces and need for constant braking in traffic.

The Innova is a great 7 seater. The XUV is not.

[venkat2020]

I have a 2008 Innova and simply love her. The family loves her too. However buying a new one since this one is 5 years + we don't link any other vehicle in this segment, and the new Innova is way to costly.

The G 7 Seater cost me on road 10.3 lakhs in 2008 December (I got a damn good discount then since it was the heights of recession and no one was buying in Bangalore for sure) will now cost me at-least 16 Lakhs if not more. Plus there is nothing exciting. The Silver ICE looks very out of place, the chrome in the back looks very ugly.

I am now thinking of going for a Sedan, maybe a Honda City Diesel.

Venkat

[AutoIndian]

Friends, not sure if this is the right thread to post this query (Moderators please guide me to the correct thread). Is it possible to convert a 7 seater Innova to an eight seater one? I mean can we remove the two captain seats in the second row & replace it with a bench seat. Is it simple? Can it be done at Authorized service centre? If yes, then how much would it cost? Has anyone done such modification earlier & have you faced any issues (rattling, seat movement etc)?

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Friends, not sure if this is the right thread to post this query (Moderators please guide me to the correct thread). Is it possible to convert a 7 seater Innova to an eight seater one? I mean can we remove the two captain seats in the second row & replace it with a bench seat. Is it simple? Can it be done at Authorized service centre? If yes, then how much would it cost? Has anyone done such modification earlier & have you faced any issues (rattling, seat movement etc)?

Yes it is possible, but the process is prone to rattles and finish may not be as good. The two individual sliders on which the captain seat resides would have to be removed and only outer rails needs to be in place for the bench seat.

It is NOT recommended as it NOT a "plug and play". We would need some modifications like grinding the rails etc.

the MOST PAINFUL part will be to get the RTO endorsement from 7 seater to 8 seater in the RC Book.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Friends, not sure if this is the right thread to post this query (Moderators please guide me to the correct thread). Is it possible to convert a 7 seater Innova to an eight seater one? I mean can we remove the two captain seats in the second row & replace it with a bench seat. Is it simple? Can it be done at Authorized service centre? If yes, then how much would it cost? Has anyone done such modification earlier & have you faced any issues (rattling, seat movement etc)?

Hi @AutoIndian

IMO conversion of 7-seater Innova to 8-seater one should not be problem, but what could give you more headache is dealing with RTO to update the same in RC. Yet I feel the pain could be worth if it's a Toyota.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

It is NOT recommended as it NOT a "plug and play". We would need some modifications like grinding the rails etc.

the MOST PAINFUL part will be to get the RTO endorsement from 7 seater to 8 seater in the RC Book.

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

Hi @AutoIndian

IMO conversion of 7-seater Innova to 8-seater one should not be problem, but what could give you more headache is dealing with RTO to update the same in RC. Yet I feel the pain could be worth if it's a Toyota.

Thank you for your inputs scopriobharath & CARDEEP, appreciate them. Good to know that technically it is possible (though with some hassles). I never thought about the RTO endorsement, no doubt this could be a pain. Conclusion, I will keep this as a last resort, if I don't get a 8 seater of my choice & have to settle for a 7 seater.

[mints21]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Thank you for your inputs scopriobharath & CARDEEP, appreciate them. Good to know that technically it is possible (though with some hassles). I never thought about the RTO endorsement, no doubt this could be a pain. Conclusion, I will keep this as a last resort, if I don't get a 8 seater of my choice & have to settle for a 7 seater.

Hi AutoIndian, no harm in checking with the RTO before hand and check on the formalities that need to be done to get this conversion. I think if the new seats have been installed by an authorised service provider, it should not be difficult to get an endorsement from 7 to 8 seater. I have often seen that sometimes the thing that looks most difficult turns out to be easiest.

If I were to do this, I would have started with RTO, then would have approached the company, looked at my budget and thereafter took a decision that would suit my interest.

[samish_g]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Is it possible to convert a 7 seater Innova to an eight seater one? I mean can we remove the two captain seats in the second row & replace it with a bench seat. Is it simple? Can it be done at Authorized service centre? If yes, then how much would it cost? Has anyone done such modification earlier & have you faced any issues (rattling, seat movement etc)?

It is NOT recommended to do that. The floor panel for a 7 seater Innova and an 8 seater Innova is entirely different. The seat mountings too are different. Even the dealerships are not authorised to carry out the conversion.

Regards,

Samish

[V12Doc]

I bought a new Innova around a week and half ago. Around 400km i turned it on there there was engine knocking or sound of loud engine clatter turned it off uptil ignition, turned on again the same sound, lasted for around 10sec max. Then turned off took out the key and turned on again normal. So it has run 1050km uptil now and today morning turned it on noticed increased amount of clatter. Called up my friend who bought a new innova run 250km, very refined engine noise no clatter audible inside cabin. Open the bonnet both sound the same. Inside cabin his sounds like kinda packed sound and mine is like the engine is more free. Have an appointment with Toyota on Wednesday for General Checkup at 1000km.

Does Innova have an Audible clatter inside cabin when idling? Clatter is a lot on cold start in morning, decreases as the engine warms up and while accelerating there is some weird noise which goes away on warming up.

I did test the sound with my fortuner run around 25k Kilometers as they both are the same family of engines and should sound the same, No clatter audible inside cabin of fortuner and when you open the bonnet the clatter is there but to a lesser extent.

I have zeroed down on
1. Engine
2. Fuel Pump
3. Injectors
4. Common Rail

Does anyone know what it could be?

[mints21]

No, this clatter is not something I have heard off. We do have an Innova in the family and have never experienced such a situation. Ideally speaking, you should have taken the car for a check up immediately after noticing the clatter at 400kms. Does not look like a major issue as Toyota is known for its reliability.

I would suggest you to have this checked from your dealer and your location tells me that you are based in Amritsar. I would suggest you to get the initial check up from Amritsar. If something is minor allow Castle Toyota to handle it. If you feel something is major, take it to Ludhiana and do not give Castle Toyota an opportunity to experiment with your car. We have dealt with the dealer in the past and he is quite incompetent.

[CDM]

A clatter at start which goes away after some time indicates a fuel pump / injector issue. At least it did in my Innova (but after a lakh km).

Have the service center guys use the diagnostic tool / scanner and see the error codes for yourself. Do not let them fiddle with the engine without this.

CDM

[V12Doc]

Originally Posted by mints21

No, this clatter is not something I have heard off. We do have an Innova in the family and have never experienced such a situation. Ideally speaking, you should have taken the car for a check up immediately after noticing the clatter at 400kms. Does not look like a major issue as Toyota is known for its reliability.

I would suggest you to have this checked from your dealer and your location tells me that you are based in Amritsar. I would suggest you to get the initial check up from Amritsar. If something is minor allow Castle Toyota to handle it. If you feel something is major, take it to Ludhiana and do not give Castle Toyota an opportunity to experiment with your car. We have dealt with the dealer in the past and he is quite incompetent.

Originally Posted by CDM

A clatter at start which goes away after some time indicates a fuel pump / injector issue. At least it did in my Innova (but after a lakh km).

Have the service center guys use the diagnostic tool / scanner and see the error codes for yourself. Do not let them fiddle with the engine without this.

CDM

The Good Thing
Surprisingly no errors in OBD. Everything Clean and Clear. The clatter turned out to be normal noise from a normal innova that has its engine run in.

The Bad Thing
I cannot idle this poor thing anymore. I cant stand the noise of the car. Idling the car for AC is going to be a pain. Cmon Toyota, Better NVH for a car costing 17 Lakhs