When I first had a glimpse of the Innova , I thought it looked like a white Elephant. The closure of Qaulis meant that Customers had to pick from Scorpio, Tavera and Innova in this segment.
Having bought the Tavera just before Innova’s launch, I have been eagerly waiting for driving the new Toyota as it is one of my favourite Car companies. I got the chance to drive this beauty for around 600 kms and Scorpio for around 350 kms, in the last couple of weeks. From the ride I found the Innova simply ahead of Scorpio in driving pleasure.
“The Beast-Body shape, design and power”
The company has intelligently placed this vehicle as IMV (Innovative International multipurpose Vehicle) and for sure this will be a totally new segment for coming years.
“Innova simply means Innovation and this is necessarily in Marketing & Strategy than Technology at least for India”
The higher chassis, the front grill, reflector lamps and rear lamps all give you a great semblance with the Corolla. But the bigger body definitely will take some time for Indians to accept as elegant.
The two forms Diesel 2494 cc & Petrol 1998 cc in the form of E, G & V as variants are just right for a high speed drive on Indian roads. I could get consistent segments of 140 kmph on highway without much trouble and the drive was smooth and effortless and stability awesome.
It definitely cannot match the Big Bull Scorpio in terms of power but with smaller overall body weight, scores great points.
For driving in City in Chennai in busy traffic, it was very comfortable for gear shifts and maneuvering at low speeds where Scorpio did not find great impact on me.
“The Beauty-Comfort and Interiors “
I happened to ride in Toyota models Camry and Corolla in US and to my surprise, the interiors and styling that they have in their Indian ones were truly global, though the price in India was way higher. Toyota has just beautifully packaged an extinct Qualis re-orient into beautiful new Car to impress one and all and not just those who can pay above 10 lakhs. The leg space that you could have was just the same as its predecessors just that the height has been increased marginally to give better comfort. The third row still is a discomfort.
The AC effect was pretty good, but you definitely need dual AC for same effect in three rows. The vehicle has much better quietness inside compared to Tavera and Scorpio.
The Beans-Fuel efficiency
I was told it gives 13 kmpl on Diesel but I am not sure that it could cross 12 based on my filling for this distance, but still far ahead of the Scorpio with 10 for the raising prices. Tavera scored the best with 16 kmpl of the three
The lags
For the driver, the front view is not so great with raised up Dash board.Sacorpio gives you that Macho experience Also as an MUV, I found the Tavera far more utility Vehicle than this for big luggage space
My reflection
Innova is the ideal car for Family, Scorpio the ideal SUV for the younger ones and Tavera the ideal MUV for Business men and Traders presently. Let’s wait for more IMVa to come to India