Last month was hectic. What with 10 members of my family shooting off their individual preferences for a family vehicle. Yes, it was time to get a 8-seater in my family and we were all at odds as to what the ultimate choice should be. We had narrowed down our choices to Mahendra Scorpio, Chevy Tavera & Toyota innova. I had test driven all three and came to the following conclusions.
Mahendra Scorpio beats the other two hands down when it comes to style & looks
Chevy is ok on the looks front and compares favorably on the performance front
Toyota was the worst when it came to looks but was unbeatable when it came to performance.
I admit that I was slightly biased towards the Toyota after having driven the Corolla for about 4 years while I was in the US. When it came to engineering and precision, Toyota spends an inordinate amount of time in minimizing even the slightest of noise and it invests a lot in precision engineering of their engines. Bottom line, when it came to reliability & technology, I would rather trust a Toyota than a Chevy or Mahendra. Guess what, I went ahead and booked the G-4 Innova Diesel.
The great day came and we went to collect the vehicle. The dealer, Nandi Toyota, Hosur Road, Bangalore, had done a good job in making sure that the test drives and everything went smooth but when it came to after sales service, there is much to be desired. Their excuse for providing poor service is that the volumes are very high. This is a laughable matter when I am seeing Maruti dealers (Pratham Motors) from whom I had purchased a Wagon R a year back providing excellent service. Maruthi obviously has more volume sales when compared to Toyota but they had put in their best foot forward when it comes to dealing customers with a smile. It’s been a month since I purchased the vehicle and I am yet to get the RC book. I had asked for the Roof Carrier and they seem to be uninterested in selling such accessories. My experience with the dealer was pathetic.
Coming back to the vehicle. After much deliberation, we settled on the metallic silver color over the metallic red. We made this decision due to the fact that dust & scratches are camoflauged in the metallic silver and it gives better visibililty at nights in the highways. Performance-wise, it’s wonderful. The vehicle is as smooth as the Corolla and despite it’s size is very maneuverable.
Good luck with the Toyota Innova. It delivers what it promises but be wary of the dealer.