Toyota Innova

Overview

The Toyota Innova is one hugely famed MUV which has gained popularity not only in the Philippines, but in every car market where it has a presence. This seven-seater MUV from Toyota promises comfortable mobility for seven people with ease. In the Philippines, the Toyota Innova is being offered in three petrol and four diesel variants, and five colour options – Red Mica, Freedom White, Black, Blackish Red Mica, Alumina Jade, and White Pearl.

Interior & Features

The interior cabin of the Toyota Innova feels airy and plushly designed for a MUV of this category. However, there are a couple of minor issues – it lacks some key and modern features and the fit and finish is iffy at some places with hard plastics.

The dashboard has a unique design, with a four-spoke multi-functional steering wheel as well as simply laid instrument console from the Fortuner. However, the centre console looks different with its swooping design up and down. It does sport a touchscreen infotainment system, which though is dated in terms of layout, fonds, and response.

The cabin is a mix of black and walnut brown, with faux wood inserts, which does make the cabin feel premium. The large windows do give it an airy feel on the inside, and at the same time, all the seven seats provide ample amount of space and support.

Exterior

The Toyota Innova doesn’t break any new ground when it comes to design, but it surely is one handsome looking vehicle. Every design aspect of the Toyota Innova looks contemporary and proportionate.

At the front, the Toyota Innova has a wide stance, thanks to the large inverted trapezoidal grille with rounded edges at the bottom, with thick chrome slats above. The large headlamps adjacent to the grille do incorporate LED projector headlamps and daytime running LEDs as well. However, the small fog lamps look quite simple.

The side profile of the Toyota Innova looks very smart, which only gets more functional with large side glasses, straight lines, sharply raking rear quarter glass and large doors. However, the vehicle would have looked more attractive had it got bigger and more stylish diamond-cut alloy wheels.

The rear of the Toyota Innova looks much proportionate and very MUV like, with saber tooth-shaped big tail lamps, large and almost flat rear windscreen. However, the roof spoiler adds some sportiness to the otherwise plainly designed rear. The Innova is available in 5 color options - Freedom White, Red Mica,  Black, Blackish Red Mica, Alumina Jade, and White Pearl.

Ride & Handling

The Toyota Innova might have a not so modern chassis setup of a body on frame architecture. However, such is the pliancy of suspension setup that it feels very comfortable for prolonged hours of driving. Being a large vehicle, the Innova’s soft steering setup does not make the driving dynamics quite enjoyable, with lack of feedback from steering at higher speeds. But then, the cushy ride quality lets you forget everything else.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

For the Innova, Toyota has put two four-cylinder engines on the duty. The petrol engine is a 2.0-litre unit which puts up 136 PS of power and 183 Nm of torque. On the other hand, the 2.8-litre diesel engine is available in two states of tune – 167 PS of power and 343 Nm of torque and 171 PS of power and 360 Nm of torque. All these engines get the options of a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox to choose from.

Braking & Safety

The Toyota Innova is one of the safest vehicles in its segment, with decent features like front, side, curtain and knee airbags, vehicle stability control, hill start assist, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist and reverse parking sensors with camera.

Verdict

The Toyota Innova might not be a hardcore modern vehicle like most of the new generation Toyotas out there. But then, it is one finely engineered product with smartly done exterior as well as interiors and excellent ride quality. The MUV could have been equipped with few more contemporary features on board to make it appealable to the younger audience, but for a mature set of minds, it makes up for a very practical choice.