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My 8-seater Innova Hycross hybrid: Detailed observations after 2000 km

31st May 2023, 09:32 by Rahul Nagaraj

The MPV has never given a fuel efficiency lower than 14 km/l at any stage.

BHPian manofinfinity recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Buying Process/Dealer Experience

When we set out in the market there was honestly only the XUV700 that we were considering apart from Innova, others were simply not that appealing. We almost bought a 2022 Innova Crysta GX automatic but due to some problem it never came into our hands and after that, Toyota stopped Crysta altogether.

We very much looking forward to the new Innova launch and when it launched it seemed the best and the most value for money MPV under 30 lacs when compared with XUV700 and others in the price range.

We booked hycross on the launch date itself in November, and then by January end we first got to see the Hycross in person. We liked everything about it and decided to go ahead and then waited patiently our SA assured us that by March we will get the car allotted. The SA knew us very well and knew that we were serious about getting the car he also warned us and was pushing us to get it as soon as possible, he was also warning us about price hikes, but our car never got allocated before March.

In March after the 85k price hike, we got our Innova Hycross Hybrid VX 8-seater allocated and on 15 March we took delivery it was indeed a very special moment taking delivery felt very special.

This was our very first experience with the Toyota dealership and have to say it was very pleasant they are very professional and understanding, have a no-nonsense attitude and are very down to earth. The only gripe we had was that our SA forced us to take insurance, extended warranty and all the accessories. After much arguing and drama, we finally gave in and took insurance and extended the warranty as they were not ready to move forward without them.

Coming to the compulsory accessories SA was forcing us to take all accessories with 50k but we liked and wanted only 3,4 items on the list, after much arguing and negotiation SA finally agreed on the accessories front, the accessories we got were:

Fog lamps
Front and rear underrun
Chrome door handles
Chrome window beading

Coming to the Actual Review after 2000 km...

Recently last week crossed the 2000 km mark and wanted to write a brief summary of all my observations and experiences till now.

I have been following this thread from the beginning and gained much more information and insights which also helped me in our purchase decision.

My close relatives have the Crysta (2018) and had an earlier Innova (2012) and I have travelled quite a lot in them and I appreciate that car very much even more now after getting the hycross, but getting the newest Innova and especially our first hybrid car this early was indeed very exciting and special.

I will divide my overall experience and observations into the following parts:

Design, Exterior, and overall build quality
Interiors
Comfort and ride quality
Performance and handling, mileage
Other observations

Design, Exterior, and overall build quality

It looks fresh and modern, I love the way it looks, It feels more like an SUV, and has a very commanding presence.
Overall design and styling feel more like an evolution from Crysta.
Doors, boot, and Bombay felt heavy and had proper heft to them it's the same level as Crysta.
Solid Build quality overall, built like a tank, gives you a very secure feeling once inside similar to Germans.
Our family also has Crysta and when I compared both hycross felt bigger overall, but in terms of design and how the car will age I think Crysta will age better and Crysta overall looks more understated compared to Hycross
Crysta has a more timeless design.
Hycross feels like a mini Velfire in some way.

Interiors

The design of the dashboard is good, simple without any fussy styling, and will age well.
Big physical buttons for everything make everything easy, including climate control and other settings. It's a big positive.
The overall interior quality level feels on par with Crysta but in some areas like plastics used on doors and in lower parts felt very cheap.
One touch up and down for all windows it's a nice premium touch.
MID quality and quality of graphics are excellent, it's very simple and easy to use. Dials are also excellent.
Steering wheel leather quality is strictly average.
I have read in the older posts someone mentioned that clip that holds the sun blinds came off, similar thing happened to me too, it felt 2 -3 times need to get it fixed.
Toyota should have provided illuminated switches for all power windows, it's just a stupid cost-cutting, and it's very difficult to find power windows switches at night, I am thinking to change the switches to one with illumination if that's possible in the future.

Comfort and Ride Quality

The ride feels plush and compliant with a full load it soaks bumps and potholes very well.
Cvt gearbox results in an extremely smooth ride from the start, with no jerks or anything which is a big positive and adds to the overall comfort.
When the 2nd-row seat is pushed all the way back is just enormous and gives you a proper understanding of how much space flexibility and overall space inside the cabin.
Hycross just creates a new benchmark for comfort and ride quality for its segment and maybe other segments above.
AC performance was very good, blower fan speed control range is also good. Ac is a chiller and very effective, cools the cabin very quickly.
The implementation of a step on the running board between the 2nd and 3rd-row seat makes it easier in getting in and out of the 3rd row as it creates a cavity and you know where exactly to place your feet, nice and thoughtful design implementation, running board itself is wide.
Suspension is amazing on both low and high speeds it feels like the car is just gliding.
it's my first time driving and experiencing CVT and CVT very much suits the purpose and personality of Innova.
Window insulation is very effective, it cuts out engine noise and outside noise very well, engine and motor operation sound can be heard if you hear from outside, from outside it sounds like any other petrol engine if it turns on, but once inside the cabin, it feels very silent.
In the 2nd-row seat width felt a bit less for 3 adults to sit comfortably but the amount of legroom is just mind-blowing.
The 2nd-row seat is placed somewhere lower to the floor which affects under-thigh support compared to Crysta.
Also, 3rd seats are good for adults but I hate the rails for 2nd-row seat adjustment on the floor, it does not lead to comfortable positioning of feet for 3rd-row passengers and it feels confusing where to place your feet.
In Crysta, there was no such problem in the 3rd row as the rails were underneath the floor and the floor was flat.
Also, the positioning of the rails of the 2nd-row seat and the way it is open to dust and debris does make me think of how reliable and problem free this mechanism will be, Toyota should have implemented this in a better way or just leave it as it was in Crysta as it was so perfect.
3rd-row seating was definitely better in Crysta.

Performance/Driving experience and handling, mileage

It feels very car-like to drive, and confidence-inspiring, and very communicative, Steering feedback is also good and driving dynamics are sorted and predictable.
High-speed stability is excellent, in terms of stability and overall handling it feels sort of more like the Germans maybe it's due to a stiffer suspension setup.
Acceleration is more than adequate and very linear.
Braking is also very confidence inspiring, one needs to get accustomed to hybrid braking as it is different from conventional cars and takes some time to get used to.
Headlight illumination was good and adequate at night, but there should be an option to turn off the headlight completely.
Steering is very light at low speeds and makes it very easy while parking, and weighs up very well as speed increases.
One thing I realized as my first time driving a hybrid is you can't drive it like a regular automatic car you have to change your driving style to get maximum mileage.
There is some push and power assisted from the electric motor always even at higher speeds and in ghats regularly depending on the position of the pedal and speed and it changes quite frequently if the battery has enough charge left.
If driven carefully and with control over the acceleration the car can be run in ev mode alone for 2 to 3 km if speed is kept low, it works and I have tried it 2 -3 times
I got between 15-20 km/l in mixed usage, never got less than 14 km/l
One needs to lower the seat a bit to get a more comfortable and confident driving position
I also did some travelling in the ghats section with a full load with steep hills and Hycross performed brilliantly, I was also very keen as to how it will perform and I must say it passed with flying colours
It felt effortless to drive on ghats and I didn't need to accelerate more for more pickup just light acceleration was enough to keep it going upwards, pick up was more than enough At first, I felt the engine is straining a bit but it was just CVT way of delivering power in a very linear manner.
The transition from battery power to engine and back is seamless, it's very hard to pick when it happens.
The engine starts automatically if the battery is 3 bars or less or if the battery is depleting or if the engine needs to warm up.

Other Points and Observations

Front and rear parking sensors and 360 degrees cameras help a lot in positioning and Maneuvering.
The auto-hold function is such a boon and works perfectly.
The silence of the car while starting and at low speeds never fails to amaze us.
Keyless entry and locking work well, its implementation is similar to Camry, one of the better implementations compared to others.
The audio system and speaker quality in vx are good.
Plenty of charging options (3 type c) is a very thoughtful addition
After getting a bit accustomed to the hybrid driving style I try to coast as much as possible to recharge the battery
Also, one can feel the difference when the car is running on battery alone or with the engine combined through the feel and vibration of the accelerator pedal itself.
Just a few days ago on the Mumbai Pune expressway and near Thane I saw more than 10 Vellfire, on the same day, I was shocked by its popularity,velfire is doing well in its segment it might be the selling luxury limousine van in its segment, and I have seen many actors also have Vellfire, seems like the already high Toyota brand value is going to increase even more than before with the introduction of Vellfire, and hybrid tech adoption is also not a problem. My dealer said that there is six months waiting period on Velfire