The Innova is Qualis’ replacement. It is a multi-purpose vehicle. Front on, the Innova resembles an SUV - tall and handsome. It is a long procession of windows over a very high waistline. There are subtle scalpel strokes to make things a bit interesting if you are into the fascinating occupation of staring at MPVs. Tail on, the Innova looks minimal, except for the loud celebrations in the form of tail lamps. The wheels are larger than those in the Qualis, but still look absolutely inadequate for the mass it has to carry.

 

It’s still two-box rather than mono-volume, with safe but contemporary detailing. There’s a sweeping bonnet and raked windscreen, and the car’s commercial-vehicle proportions and slab sides are disguised under a sloping roof, an irregularly shaped D-pillar and mildly flared wheel arches. The stylised rear with its oversized wraparound tail-lights. Off the line, the Innova is very responsive and tugs you forward from as low as 1200rpm. There’s very little turbo-lag and with peak torque from as low as 1400rpm, the Innova canters effortlessly.

 

Toyota created the IMV platform - International Innovative Multipurpose Vehicle - when they realised that people movers wearing the Toyota badge in many countries were looking rather dated. They had tired engines and had very basic crashworthiness, but people still bought them in large numbers because they were reliable and economical to a fault. The new platform would pave way for a new breed of multi-purpose vehicles, pick-up trucks and even an SUV. And it would be developed and built by various plants of Toyota, resulting in economical cross-sourcing and competitive price tags.

 

Seat height and the seats themselves are top-class, better than even the Safari. Even the tallest drivers can get comfortable behind the wheel, and this seems to have little effect on rear seat comfort. The seats are supportive, well padded and bolstered, and the placement and design of cubby holes and bottle holders is great. The Innova also has the most useable and comfortable rear seats in the class, and the split seat reclines individually. Legroom is tight, but it’s comfortable, even on long drives. With its twin compressors and blowers for every passenger, the Innova is chillier, but the large volume of the cabin meant it took time to cool. You have to keep the length of the Innova in mind, especially when cutting back after overtaking and when taking tight corners. Rear visibility is poor and parking is a problem at the best of times, many spots impossible to squeeze into.

 

Refinement is superb; it’s silent at idle with little vibration filtering through the cabin and impressively quiet at cruising speeds as well. But, push it to the 6100rpm redline and the motor get noisier — this is largely due to the incessant whine from the mechanical fan at high revs. What truly surprised was the top-end performance. Floor the throttle and the Innova don’t let up and goes on to hit a maximum speed of 179kph. Cruising is the Innova’s great strength: it’s effortless, silent, stable and massively comfortable.

 

The Innova comes with a choice of diesel and petrol engines. The diesel, likely to be the most popular choice, is a 2.5-litre common rail turbo-diesel with 102bhp and 20.39kgm of twist, which cope well with the Innova’s relatively low weight. Diesel clatter and vibrations are muted. There are a total of ten models - five diesels and five petrols. The basic E model 8-seater has no power steering, power windows and other luxo-bits - just in case a few fleet operators do want to press the Innova into service. The in-between G1, G2 and G3 models are well equipped and a couple of them even get a rear seat slide mechanism to improve legroom. The top end V variant gets ABS (anti-lock braking system) and airbags for the driver and passenger.

 

This 2.0-litre 136bhp petrol, 18.6kgm four-cylinder motor comes with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder — pure saloon spec, the first use of variable valve timing in an Indian MUV. Performance is generally brisk, once you get the engine on the boil. The petrol engine employs Toyota’s variable valve timing (VVT-i) technology and is as refined as four-cylinder petrol engines get. However, most of this grunt is concentrated high up in the rev-band: peak power is at a fairly low 5600rpm, peak torque at a high 4000. This means the bottom-end isn’t as punchy and urgent as it could be, but it surges forward once you get it above the 4000rpm mark. While cruising around town though, you do need to keep slipping from third into second to get some shove.

 

The relatively short gear ratios are perfectly matched to the engine’s power and torque characteristics, and complement the superb drivability.  The long-throw gearbox is UV-derived but it’s light, direct and better than on many cars. Fuel economy is good in the city, at 10.3kpl, but falters on the highway, with only 12.7kpl.

 

Toyota has positioned the Innova as an MPV that will be bought more for private use and not a replacement for the Qualis. A transport solution that is well built, easy to drive, rides and handles well, is powered by a powerful pair of engines and seats upto seven passengers (or eight, depending on the version) in comfort, the Innova has everything going for it, including the considerable weight exerted by the Toyota badge.

Filed under: Toyota Cars in India