Innova Hycross to replace my 15-month-old Crysta: An untimely upgrade!

Until it arrives, I will be using a 2015 Alto K10 for the city, while highway duties are via my 309 BHP Octavia vRS230.

BHPian rbk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Why I sold an almost brand new Crysta

My Innova Crysta 2021 GX Automatic 2.4 Diesel was only 15 months old when I sold it last week. The car was in immaculate condition and I hope the new owner takes care of it just as much as I did. My primary concern with the Crysta was its steering. The reason why I bought the Crysta was for the long highway drives I frequently do. But the only prickle I couldn't get my head around was the hard, truck-like Hydraulic Steering. Though it did not seem much while I test drove the car, it was only later on upon daily usage I realised that it is pretty tough to manoeuvre the big machine with such hard steering. Sometimes after a 2000 km long trip, my arms ache. This is THE BIG reason why I decided I need an untimely upgrade.

Why not think beyond the Hycross

Even after clocking 26,600 km on the ODO and using it for 15 months, I got an extremely impressive price upon selling the Crysta. No other car can hold its value like a Toyota. We even sometimes joke among friends that buying a Toyota can be a better investment than the yellow metal itself! This is something anyone intending to buy the new Hycross should definitely think about. I decided to sell the Crysta much before the Reviews & Price Reveal of the Hycross because I did not want to risk the market for the car going down, once the Hycross starts hitting the Showrooms. After selling the Crysta, needless to say, my mind started wandering towards the Jeep Meridian and Kia Carnival but I didn't require much convincing myself because I just knew the Hycross will hold it's much more, says five years down the lane. My experience with the sale of the Crysta was a huge reason why I did not want to think beyond Toyota.

Booking the Hycross

Given the enthusiasts we all are, sometimes we just can't wait - though that is the sensible way to go about it. I had all faith in Toyota that they would never launch the Hycross with a Hydraulic Steering setup. And the reviews from yesterday were a relief, the Hycross does actually have an Electric Power steering; something I was delighted to hear! I took the plunge the very same day my Crysta left me; call me emotional! Drove straight to the Nippon Toyota (Trivandrum) and booked the Hybrid ZX(O) in Attitude Black Mica. This is the first time I have booked a car without test-driving it, let alone, the prices being revealed! It sounds pretty absurd, but I just needed an easier-to-drive, feature-rich Innova and the Hycross I knew was just that!

I see many of you have paid Rs. 1,00,000 as your booking amount but Nippon Toyota had just taken Rs. 50,000 from me, in line with Toyota's official e-Booking amount. I was told that the prices would be out by December end and Test Drives may start by early January. Also, I was told to expect delivery of my car only by early March 2023. Mine was the 10th Hycross to be booked from this Showroom and I believe after the price reveal, YouTube reviews and test drives the number of bookings will climb considerably higher!

Now the HOLY WAIT begins - will keep you posted on the updates as and when I get them from my dealer.

PS: In the meanwhile, I bought myself an ever-so-humble used 2015 Alto K10 LXi to run my city errands. And for the long highway drives, I take Crysta's absence as an excuse to get my Red Rocket, a Stage 1 309 HP Skoda Octavia vRS 230 out on the highways more often!

Posting Pictures of the Cars in question for your viewing!

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