[stallmaster]

Meet the 800000 km or 500000 miles driven Qualis. Crazy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUeRpbhZ6XA

[v12]

Amazing thread. Bought back a lot of memories of our Qualis. The Qualis was truly a game changer in the MUV segment 2 decades ago, when the market was dominated by the Mahindra Armada and Tata Sumo.

I see many Qualis' still running today with ahrrost 2-3 lakh on the odo and still running strong. How I wish Toyota would launch a real Toyota MPV/MUV in the 10-15 lakh bracket. And not a re-badged Ertiga.

[Dhillon]

Originally Posted by stallmaster

Meet the 800000 km or 500000 miles driven Qualis. Crazy

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=rUeRpbhZ6XA

Though I could not understand the language, but I am amazed by how much KMs Mr. Mathew has covered

I remember going to a nearby Toyota ASC in Gurgaon around 2008. They had a picture of Red Qualis on their wall which covered 700,000 KMs without any engine work done (except 1 time clutch plate change).

[srh]

I used to work with M&M when the Qualis was launched. Prior to the launch, most of us were intrigued about what would Toyota launch and I should say feared that M&M UV business was staring at imminent doom. All relevant global Toyota models were in the factory for benchmarking process for the IDAM project. Rumours were abound that Anand M was more interested in new age businesses like MBT & Club Mahindra with no interest in running an old age UV manufacturing (assembly) company.

And then the Qualis was launched. And we just chuckled and moved on! ��

[veedub89]

Originally Posted by v12

How I wish Toyota would launch a real Toyota MPV/MUV in the 10-15 lakh bracket. And not a re-badged Ertiga.

But they can't right?
Not with the safety requirements and emission requirements in place.

Certainly not with the quality levels expected these days.

I am sure your Qualis had basic interiors with no bells and whistles. Even the features available back then are not even called features now. They are expected in every car.

I understand your sentiment of a cut price model with mechanically sound equipment but then the market for it is so so small. Consider the market segment that the Gurkha caters to as an example.

Certain cars have tremendous nostalgic value but from a practical perspective no one would buy these cars again given the expectations we have today from an automobile.

[DonHyd]

Beautiful thread but I don't agree that it's among the ugliest cars ever sold in India. The prime contenders for that tag are Verito vibe, Evalia, Quanto, Nuvosport etc. Qualis is ungainly no doubt but not ugly.

[KebabBoi]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

The cluster above used to be my fav as a kid, especially on the green shade.

The nostalgia hit hard with this line.

I used to ogle at Qualis and Taveras on the road as a kid and then had the privilege of having a gen-I Innova to cruise on the highways.

To me, that car holds such a value as cannot be expressed

[Neversaygbye]

About 22 years back, the bestselling car in India was the Tata Sumo. Then all out of left field the Qualis came and knocked out the Sumo. Here was a car with comparatively better fit and finish which was smoother and bigger and more luxurious than the Sumo.

Anyone who travelled in the Qualis once was a convert to it - it was just so much better than competition in space, comfort and feel. The Qualis single handedly changed Toyota's fortune in India just like the Seltos has done for Kia. Leveraging that success, Toyota moved in with the Innova which was again an upgrade in every possible way.

I have fond memories of a Delhi - Dehradun trip in a Qualis circa 2003. I suppose it would sell even today since there would still be a market with fleet operators.

On another note, I hope Toyota goes back to their earlier strategy of launching a better car once every few years. The Hi-Ace would be a good upgrade to the Innova, for example and could slot in between the Crysta and Fortuner.

The tie-up with Maruti is a step backward and does nothing for their brand, imho.

[anandavinash]

Wonderful thread Shreyfiesta.

It is indeed a pity to see a company that did so much research and rolled out an iconic car now withering away against competition. The Corolla which is a global icon has been discontinued and Toyota just seem disinterested to do anything new in India.

[Excommunicado]

I remember doing a 400km trip from Nasik to Mumbai and back for my maternal uncle's wedding in 2003. When I read this post's title, it brought back some slightly painful memories from back then. I pronounced the name as Kwaalis instead of how we pronounce Quality - Qualis. 2 girls kept on mocking 10 year old me for the same and naive me with my continuous blabbering of Kwaalis-Kwaalis thought I have impressed them since my father booked the vehicle. Later my brother told me silently how it is pronounced and that I was being mocked. Heart break moment for sensitive me. Sorry for the long post. Here is a potato.

The vehicle itself was best vehicle I ever sat until then.

[Brumby]

An awesome tribute to a great car, thank you.

Originally Posted by Shreyfiesta

UPDATES/FACELIFTS/SPECIAL EDITIONS

The Innova brand which came as a replacement for Qualis is still ferrying many Indian families in comfort through long journeys since 2005. Taxi operators are very fond of the first-gen Innova and base variants are the best fit for their budget. Within few months of launch, Innova was rated by Indians as the best MPV in the market. The first and foremost reason for its success was the reliability factor, same was the case with Qualis as well. Being a luxurious MPV, most of the filmstars, politicians and entrepreneurs used to have one in their garage till the Crysta came as a replacement in 2016. Also, many automobile designers including DC used to customize Innova's interiors with limousine-like facilities.To be truthful, nowadays it is quite difficult to see an original looking Type-1 Innova as most of the owners are facelifting to Type-4 looks.

Some Toyota Innova advertisments from early-2005. Aamir Khan was endorsed as the brand ambassador in August 2006.
Attachment 2229355

THE END.

Here's mine in the stock form. She is going to be 13 this December.

Mileage is just over 44000kms and I really feel bad about it. Professional commitments kept me busy but I tried to keep her in the best possible condition. Out of those 44000kms about 35000 was covered in initial 4 years of ownership.

Thought about selling her off many times, but family loves her so much that they didn't let me do that.

Cheers.

[car_guy1998]

Ah! One lovely car and we were lucky enough to own this car until we had downgraded to Swift VDI in 2010. At the time of selling, the car had run more than 4L Kms and had to sell it off due to its age and had an engine overhaul (yes, we had to get it done as the engine got seized due to the mistake of our previous driver, who is no more now, didn't check whether the engine oil level is low or not) as well just few months before selling it off.

Qualis is one car which made Toyota stay in India and this made the owners become loyal to Toyota. Even after the release of Innova, I felt Toyota could've retained the Qualis within the price range of 10-12L. Hope Toyota will launch this gem instead of Toyota rebadged Ertiga.

BTW, ours was a 2000 model Qualis FS in Maroon colour. And, presently we have an type-2 2011 Innova, which was bought preowned in 2016 and will be selling it off soon due to some circumstances.

[Asoon]

It was an iconic vehicle which set up base for Innova and established Toyota Brand in India. It was responsible for the reliability, trust positioning which Toyota and its products enjoy till date (Innova & Fortuner justified this tag)

They killed a successful brand paving way for Innova, but now Innova operates at a very different segment and old Qualis segment is available. Basically someone with budget cap looking for 3 row car.

UV (M/S) is toyota's forte and they should not dilute their brand perception by having Ertiga v2 in their lineup. They should come up with a 7 seater in 8-13L range. This will help us penetrate mass market segment which they have been trying with Yaris, Etios etc.

[ArTigor]

Back in the 90s Toyota was a big deal in India! I remember somewhere around 1997 one of our building members had a Toyota Corola, he was an embassy professional and had the special embassy registration. As a 9 year old kid I was just amused by the different indicators and bling on the dashboard, the domestic help of that house(unfortunately child labour back then) had made friends with me and sometimes on sundays when he used to clean the car from inside, used to allow me to sit in the car. My dad owned a 1962 fiat, so to me it was like freddy flintstone looking into a tesla.
Having a Toyota in your garage meant its an import and you have made it in your life. So when the Qualis was launched although not an import, another friends family which had bought the Qualis suddenly became the gossip topic of the building residents. Having a Qualis became a high status symbol, remember back in 2000, having a Maruti 800 also had status in tier 2 and 3 towns.
My dad used to share a Sumo from his friend whenever needed for outstation drives, so when I once got to sit in my friends Qualis while being dropped to school in 2001, I was amused by the dashboard, it felt different certainly something premium.
I always liked the version which had Qualis written all over the side of the car.

On a different note, what if the Qualis would be given a TRD Sport treatment visually. Tried the thing on Centy Qualis 1:36 scale model.

[car_guy1998]

Was surprised to see a well maintained Qualis in this video. It's quite rare to see a Qualis in almost stock condition despite the product got discontinued in 2005.

https://youtu.be/rGBr82j66wE