My friend has booked the MPV, hence I decided to tag along with him for a showroom visit.

BHPian amalji recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I got a chance to see the Hycross in real since I accompanied my friend who had booked the Innova Hycross. Some of my observations are mentioned below.

I am 172 cm in height. I tried adjusting the seat for my comfortable position on the 1st row (top) and 2nd row (bottom left) and this is what I ended up on the 3rd row (bottom right).

Things to note.

1. On the 1st row (top), I could get comfort even after having my knees very close to the dashboard. This is because the footwell is reasonably big and the angles are very comfortable.
2. On the 2nd row (bottom left) as you can see, I had to leave a significant gap between my knee and the front seats for me to feel comfortable. This is due to the Hybrid battery placement under the front seats which block my foot from going underneath the front seats.
3. What the above point means is that I touch the 2nd-row seats when I sit on the 3rd row. But, the fact that I could push my feet under the 2nd-row seats and the fact that the floor on the 3rd row is lower which prevents the knees up position is a welcome change.

The business class seating arrangement available on the old Innova Crysta is still possible on both the 7-seater and 8-seater versions of the Innova Hycross.

Ottoman coming up fully was a useless feature for a person of my height since the foot will get locked! But, the ottoman position in. this photo (middle position) felt very comfortable for a relaxing drive even for my height. The 2nd-row seats are moved to the extreme back position with a comfortable recline angle as well. What this means is that 3rd-row seats are unusable in this position. The subtle support on the calf by the ottoman felt good even after sitting in this position for some time. One another bonus was that the armrest for the captain seats can be adjusted to a horizontal position regardless of the recline angle of the captain seats. I am keeping my feet at an angle on the ground with the top part resting on top of the hybrid battery protection. It is a footrest-like position and felt comfortable when the seat is moved back to the extreme (making 3rd row useless at this position).

3rd-row headroom felt borderline due to the slanting roofline and slanting glass. Priority on external aesthetics and aerodynamics seems to have impacted the practicality inside here.

This is how the 3rd room legroom felt like. Just enough for me to scrape through. The fact that I had to bring back the 2nd-row seat for a comfortable position regardless of the huge knee room in the 2nd-row due to the hybrid battery intruding into the footwell of the 2nd-row passenger.

The profile on the 17-inch tyres available on the VX variant felt very adequate to the naked eye. At the same time, the sidewall height of the top-end variant felt scary thin! This can be a possible opportunity for another alloy and sidewall damage thread of the Innova Hycross (much like the Innova Crysta).

The ambient light cover looks like a cheap led tube light! The ambient light on the Innova Crysta felt classy compared to this.

Overall Feedback (from the perspective of a 2017 Innova Crysta Touring Sport Diesel AT owner)

Positives

• The front seats felt comfortable similar to the Innova Crysta
• The armrests of the front seats felt very comfortable.
• The ability to bring the armrests of the 2nd-row captain seats parallel to the ground regardless of the recline angle of the seats is a welcome change. This is not the case on the Crysta where the armrest position stays static and hence is dependent on the recline angle of the seat.
• The low floor in the 3rd-row seats means knees up sitting position on 3rd row is almost solved. It also aids the hiding of feet under the 2nd-row seats which were impossible with the Crysta.
• The fact that the business class seating position of the 2nd row is still possible.
• Airy feeling in the cabin.
• Positioning of armrests on all seats felt very comfortable.
• Ottoman at the middle position does give subtle support to the calf and feels comfortable.
• Boot space with all 3 rows up continues to be practical.
• Retractable curtains are a welcome addition.

Concerns

• The additional space freed up on the Hycross is kind of lost in reality due to that Hybrid battery positioning under the front seats. The 2nd-row seats have to be moved much more to the rear than on the Crysta because of this one change.
• The Ottoman effort felt half-baked. At a fully lifted position, a person with reasonable height will find it unusable.
• The 18" low-profile tyres on the top-end variant are going to be a hassle to take care of. It's going to damage both the alloys as well as the tyres on pothole-filled Indian roads.
• The panoramic sunroof felt very hot! Even after closing the sunroof, the sunroof cover itself was feeling very warm. And the AC was not compensating for it at idle. And this was at 30 degrees outside temperature. The summer has not even started.
• Given an option, I would have preferred a top-end variant without the sunroof. For the same reason, the VX variant felt like a better choice for me if I ever consider the Hycross. Once the mandatory 6 airbags rule forces Toyota to equip the VX variant with 6 airbags, that variant will feel very attractive to me.
• The ambient light cover felt very cheap!
• The fact that 6 airbags are not available on the VX variant even as an option. I find this a racist and classist mindset from the brand - Toyota. They could have given it at least as an option similar to the way they offered an optional safety pack to all variants of Etios when it was first released in India.
• The audio quality of the top-end Hycross version with the JBL sound system felt very ordinary to me. I prefer the inferior audio system on the Innova Crysta to this. It at least sounds more natural. Disclaimer: I haven't tried tuning the audio system. Maybe, the tuning is badly done by someone on the test drive car.
• Gear lever positioning felt odd to me. I like to access the gear from the comfortable armrest position of my hands. This is no longer possible now.
• The lack of tumbling seats. My wife was very disappointed that this feature is no longer there. She generally arranges our luggage well on a fully loaded trip ( like from IKEA ). The tumbling seats help her to arrange things better without worrying about any damage to the seats.

Overall, I am not bowled over by the Hycross. I would rate it a 7/10 in terms of the practicality of the interiors. But, if you ask me what is the other alternative for this vehicle, all I can give is a blank look. There are no other alternatives that satisfy all my requirements for an MPV.

Thank you to my friend Sharath who invited me while he was visiting the Toyota showroom and for helping me with the photos.

Note: I have not done a test drive of the vehicle. Whenever I do it, I will surely pen down my thoughts on the hybrid drivetrain.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The car has run 52,000 km and we are planning to buy a new Innova Crysta diesel AT.

A Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) drops in a query via this Team-BHP share page.

We have an Innova Touring Sport 2.4 diesel MT 2017 (5-speed transmission) in the family which was purchased in August 2017. We are looking to upgrade and have decided to sell this car before going ahead. We went ahead with ‘ABC’ company for the evaluation process and got a quote of Rs.17,92,000 for the car. We had purchased the car at a price of Rs. 18,32,000 (ex-showroom).

Is this a good deal considering the car is 5 years old? Can I go ahead with the sale, or should I get it valued elsewhere?

Update:

Hello all,

The car has an ODO reading of around 52,000 km.

We are planning to upgrade to an Innova Crysta only (Variant - Z AT diesel) and have not thought of any other car. The car is primarily driven by my dad and is used mostly in the city, that is the reason to switch to an automatic.

Thank you for your valuable input!

Here's what BHPian Iyencar had to say on the matter:

Quite straightforward. What’s stopping him from getting a few other people to give him a quote? It only costs him time and even then can get it done in a day or two max. If it exceeds the price he has then he can go ahead and sell it to them, if not then sell to this ABC co. Is there something else we don’t know about this car?

Here's what BHPian jkrishnakj had to say on the matter:

I don’t think he’ll get a price equal to the price he paid OTR.

The real challenge will be to find an equally comforting car. Though I do read that an upgrade is planned, it isn’t clear what the next car plan is. No other car, even an upgraded one can fetch this sort of resale price. If there isn’t a compelling reason to upgrade, this car itself can run another 5 more years and still can fetch a similar price. Who knows what a new Innova costs 5 years from now?

Here's what BHPian sunilch had to say on the matter:

If this is the plan then there is no point in doing so. In the next 5 years, if you buy a new Crysta now (approx Rs 29L on-road, without discount) is unlikely to fetch you anything more than Rs 20-21 Lakh in resale - unless something unusual happens in the market.

So it is a lose-lose situation w.r.t money unless there is something wrong with your car which has made it unsafe.

If you plan to upgrade or downgrade (change segment due to non-usage - after all 52,000 km for Crysta is actually quite low), then it makes sense to close the deal.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

I can’t comment on the used prices per se except that take 2-3 quotes from different dealers, negotiate hard and close with whoever gives you the best deal.

On the decision to upgrade itself, in my view, moving from Manual to Automatic is a BIG upgrade and is actually (for some) perhaps even more valuable than a segment upgrade because it translates to a huge shift in driving comfort. If financially you have the funds now, I’d say do the deal. Why drive a manual for another 3 - 5 years if you can upgrade to an automatic today?

Used prices are at a high so use this opportunity to get the best price for your 2017 end vehicle and upgrade to the Z Crysta. It is really quite a plush car and in automatic guise should serve you well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Touring Sport was launched in 2017, a year after the Innova Crysta.

Toyota has removed the Innova Crysta Touring Sport from the brand's Indian website. Earlier, the Innova Crysta and the Touring Sport were listed as two separate models.

The Touring Sport was launched in 2017 to mark the first anniversary of the new-gen Innova Crysta. It came with cosmetic updates which included a new front grille finished in gloss black, along with some smoked chrome inserts, black 16-inch alloy wheels, and a black strip at the rear. It was offered in two colour options - Wildfire (Red) and White Pearl Crystal Shine.

The Innova Crysta is powered by a 2.4-litre diesel engine that produces 148 BHP @ 3,400 rpm and 360 Nm @ 1,400-2,600 rpm. In the manual variants, the engine makes 343 Nm @ 1,400-2,800 rpm. The engine is mated to either a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. The MPV is also available with a 2.7-litre petrol engine that makes 164 BHP @ 5,200 rpm and 245 Nm @ 4,000 rpm.

Thanks to BHPian CEF_Beasts for sharing this with other enthusiasts.

The brochures of the Toyota Innova Crysta facelift and the Innova Touring Sport have been leaked.

The brochures of the Toyota Innova Crysta facelift and the Toyota Innova Touring Sport facelift have been leaked.

The Innova Crysta facelift gets a redesigned front fascia with a chrome frame. While the shape of the headlamp clusters seems unchanged, it gets new internals. The front bumper has also been redesigned. The MPV rides on 16-inch alloy wheels. At the rear, the car gets L-shaped tail lamp clusters just like the current model. However, the internals have been updated. On the inside, it comes with an air purifier, ambient lighting, captain seats, a 9-inch touchscreen head unit, and rear-seat entertainment. Safety features include rear-view camera, dual airbags, curtain airbags, knee airbags, and side airbags. It also gets vehicle stability control and hill start assist.

The Touring Sport variant gets new front and rear bumpers, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lamps and rear spoiler.

In international markets, the Innova will be offered in 6 airbags.

The Innova Crysta facelift has been spotted next to the current Innova.

Thanks to BHPian CEF_Beasts for sharing this with other enthusiasts.

Toyota has updated the Innova Crysta and Fortuner with new features. Prices for the Innova Crysta start at Rs. 14.93 lakh, while those for the Fortuner start from Rs. 27.83 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Innova Crysta is now available with optional new ivory leather upholstery, perforated leather seats, heat rejection glass, USB fast charging port and embossed "Crysta" badges. These features are only available in the diesel version in V and Z trims. Heat rejection glass and USB fast charging port is also available in the Innova Touring Sport.

The Fortuner is available with an optional chamois upholstery, perforated seats and heat rejection glass. These features are only offered in the diesel 4X2 AT, 4X4 MT and 4X4 AT variants.

Toyota has not made any mechanical changes to the Innova Crysta or Fortuner. The former is powered by a 2.7-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol engine and gets 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine options. The Fortuner comes with a 2.8-litre, 4-cylinder diesel and 2.7-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engines.

Toyota has introduced new safety features on the Innova Crysta, Innova Touring Sport and the Fortuner. The updated models are priced from Rs. 14.65 lakh, Rs. 18.59 lakh and Rs. 22.27 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively.

The Innova Crysta and Touring Sport models now come with anti-theft alarm with glass break and ultrasonic sensor, emergency brake signal, front LED fog lamp and rear fog lamp. Additionally, the GX variant gets a touchscreen infotainment system, multi-function steering wheel, retractable ORVM as well as speed and impact sensing door lock and unlock.

The Innova Crysta is offered with a 2.7-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine which produces 164 BHP @ 5,200 rpm and 245 Nm of torque @ 4,000 rpm. It is mated to a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder diesel makes 148 BHP @ 3,400 rpm and 343 Nm @ 1,400-2,800 rpm and is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. The 2.8-litre diesel unit makes 172 BHP @ 3,400 rpm and 360 Nm @ 1,200-3,400 rpm and is offered with a 6-speed automatic. The Touring Sport is offered with the same set of engine and transmission options.

The updated Fortuner gets features like passenger side power seat, anti-theft alarm with glass break and ultrasonic sensor, emergency brake signal, rear fog lamp and electrochromatic IRVM. The SUV is available with a choice of a 2.7-litre petrol engine with 164 BHP / 245 Nm paired with a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic and a 2.8-litre diesel unit which makes 174 BHP and 420 / 450 Nm depending on the gearbox option which includes a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic.

The 2.4-litre diesel version of the Innova Touring Sport now gets a 6-speed manual instead of a 5-speed manual transmission. Toyota has also updated some of its features. The updated variant is priced at Rs. 19.60 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The diesel 6-speed MT version of the Innova Touring Sport comes with a black grille with smoked chrome accents and ORVM housings, automatic LED projector headlamps with integrated LED DRLs, LED fog lamps with smoked bezel, black bumper and wheel arch cladding and black 17-inch alloy wheels. 

Inside, the MPV gets black interiors with wood inserts and contrast red stitching. Toyota has updated the touchscreen infotainment with a navigation function and has added an idle start/stop function which cuts off the engine during idling. Other standard features include a multi-function steering wheel, automatic climate control, smart key, etc. Toyota does not offer an 8-way adjustable driver's seat, speed sensing auto door locks and cruise control on this variant.

Besides this, the Touring Sport diesel 6-speed MT variant gets a host of safety features including ABS with EBD and brake assist and 3 airbags (driver /passenger /driver side knee), stability control and hill start assist.

The 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine offered on the Innova Touring Sport stays unchanged. It produces 148 BHP @ 3,400 rpm and 343 Nm @ 1,400-2,800 rpm and is now paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. A 2.8-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that makes 172 BHP @ 3,400 rpm and 360 Nm @ 1,200-3,400 rpm is paired with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The petrol variant is powered by a 2.7-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine making 164 BHP @ 5,200 rpm and 245 Nm @ 4,000 rpm, which continues to get a choice of the 5-speed manual or the 6-speed automatic transmission.