[AutoIndian]

The new car bug had bit me almost 5 years back in 2010-11. My Indica had completed 5.5 years that time and though I was in no hurry to replace my Indica, albiet whenever I would do so, I wanted to make sure that I go for a vehicle, which would be absolutely trouble free, reliable & would address all the pain points that I had with Indica. Cars that were considered are listed below.

Verna:
It all started with the launch of New Verna in 2011. I took a test drive very shortly after the launch. Though I was impressed with the specs and loved the drivers seat and cockpit, the rear seat was a deal breaker. Very poor under-thigh support and it was a bit claustrophobic though it had the gem of an engine under the hood.

Duster:
Then was the turn of Renault Duster. Though it was a soft roader with very good ride and ground clearance, it had very little to offer inside when compared to its exteriors. It never even aroused that kind interest in me so as to compel me to take a test drive.

Ford Ecosport:
This was the other vehicle, which I was keenly interested in. You won't believe for almost a year I had the red Ecosport as a wallpaper on my desktop at home. Ford had launched the Ecosport with their revolutionary petrol engine, the 1.0L Ecoboost. Had heard & read a lot about this little wonder. This engine had won the International Engine of the Year award & three other awards when the new Focus was launched with this engine in UK & other European countries.
All the above said and done, this car too had very little to offer inside the cabin in terms of space. Moreever Ford's high headedness (in terms of long waiting periods) really put me off. It was not at all satisfying my requirement of a spacious 5 seater.

Meanwhile in April-2013 there was a new addition in my family and we were now six of us, 4 adults and 2 kids.

XUV:
The Mahindra XUV5OO was also a very strong contender initially. People had gone crazy by looking at the VFM proposition of this car, they thronged the showrooms & had to depend on their destiny to have their names shortlisted in the lucky draw. But then hardly anyone who was joining the mad rush of booking was aware of the teething troubles the initial owners were experiencing. Clutch failures, grinding noise of brakes, electronics malfunctioning etc and the list was increasing by the day. So I waited for 3 long years for all the initial niggles to settle down, however the XUV niggles thread went on growing like Hanumanji's tail and with that my affinity for XUV kept on diminishing. My elder sister who was one of the earlier adopters of the XUV had to deal with Power Steering failure in a crowded marketplace and even the gear box replacement. That was enough to dent her confidence and even mine. She sold off her XUV within one and a half year of ownership and I lost all the appetite to go for one after going through the horror stories.

Innova: The test drive of the Innova made me fall for it. This car had so good driveability even when fully loaded, extremely good visibility, acres of space and ride so comfortable. To top it Innova's reliability and top class service were like icing on the proverbial cake. But on hearing the on-road price of 16.5 lakhs for the V model, I fell flat on my face. That time itself I had made up my mind to go for an Innova, albeit a used one.

Ertiga: This car is such a wonderful car for a family of 6, 4 adults and two kids and priced so very attractively. However the punny 1.25 litre DDiS engine and the front wheel drive were the two deal breakers for me. If it had a 1.6 litre or a bigger engine and a rear wheel drive I wouldn't have looked elsewhere.

Mobilio: All the hoopla built around this Ertiga slayer died the moment it was launched and prices announced. When I saw this car personally, it made me wonder what was Honda smoking to price this contraption at so atrociously high price. Just making a 7 seater with flexible seating arrangement, plonking a diesel heart with highest mileage in the segment and the Honda badge, were these worth its asking price? Mobilio had lost the battle for me even before it had started.

My urge for getting hold of a good pre-worshipped Innova grew stronger by the day. The hunt for the perfect Innova started somewhere in Feb-2014. Went through a friendly agent initially. He showed me Innovas of various vintages. Few of them I test drove:

• Dec 2007, running 1.5 lacs, G4, silver, single owner, Pune 7.5 lacs, can come down to 7.25 lacs
• Oct 2006, G4 86K kms, 7 lacs.
• 2008 V 1.6 lac kms, 8 lacs
• 7 str in grey & blue colour, 2009 V7, MH09 105k, 140K, 20K warranty, 9 lacs. This offer was from DSK Toyota Utrust.
• Silver, G4, 2008, running, 125K, expecting 7.5 lacs
• 2007- 163kms, 6.5 to 7 lacs, G4,

Meanwhile my brother in law said (in the month of Mar-14) that there was an Innova in his office, which would be put on the blocks in Oct-14. During Aug-14 I was fortunate enough to test drive this used Innova that I was considering. The car in question was in such a pristine condition, that it was hard to believe that it has already done 57K kms. It was so well maintained that one could easily get deceived for the odo to be not more than 20K kms. I took a test drive for 6-7 kms. The driving and seating comfort was simply unmatched. The biggest test was slotting the car in my apartment parking and as expected, it was a herculean task. The Innova simply refused to go when driven straight in. The driver then told me the trick to slot it in reverse and voila it was a breeze, he was so correct.

When probed about the asking price, I was told that it would be in the range of 8.5 lakhs to 9 lakhs. That was hard to believe (though music to my ears), because when I checked out TBHP Used car price calculator it said Rs. 10.42 - Rs. 11.26 lakh if buying privately for same vintage car.

If quoted 9 lakhs or thereabouts then there would be no thinking twice and I would straightaway seal the deal. However if it inched closer to 10 lakhs or above, then Ertiga would become a strong contender as in the same price I would be getting a brand new car with 2+2 years warranty, satisfying 95% of my needs. I was not considering Mobilio at all as I had a strong feeling that the Innova was too eager to get into my garage. Fingers were tightly crossed now. October would decide my fate.

Fate it was, very very bad. The leasing company got into a deal with DSK Toyota directly and I was not at all considered even to make any offer.

In the meanwhile my company was opening a bidding process for CLC cars, which were to be sold off to company employees. There was one Innova with the below mentioned details:

• Toyota Innova 2.5V(2007), Colour Silver, Version - Diesel
• Pune registration
• Odo reading was not available
• Lifetime Road Tax Paid
• Insurance valid till 17-Nov-14
• Minimum Acceptable Bid (hold your breath) Rs.2,85,000/-
• Documents were available with the facilities dept, however RC card was unavailable

There was one caveat though. This car was to be purchased on as-is where-is basis. I had seen this car lying around in the office parking at least for the last 4-5 years, standing in one position, totally unused all this while. It meant this car had not been driven for such a long duration. Some technical challenges could be encountered in making this car roadworthy, up and running? Besides the regular replacements of tyres, battery, all fluids there could be some major replacement such as engine, transmission, clutch-gearbox, brake, steering, AC system etc? Otherwise why it would have been quoted so low.

When asked to produce the car documents, my company was not able to produce any documents related to this car. All the documents would be with CITICORP FINANCE, RC Card, Insurance etc. and it seemed this car was confiscated by them. This was an eye opener for me. Had it not been for this wonderful community, I would have never known the underlying facts behind this shady deal.

Lesson Learnt:
Go for a used car only if the owner is personally known to you, all the documents are in place, full service history of the car is available and most importantly, it is not being sold at ridiculously low price compared to the market price.

Come November first week. This was when God planned to land an Innova in my garage. Some sequence of events then:

1. 03-Nov-2014--->TBHP member, Shahbaaz forwarded me this OLX ad, 2009 Innova, V-7 seater, 49K on odo for sale
2. 04-Nov-2014--->Early morning, I droped a text message, to the owner inquiring about expected price and if it was a 7 or 8 seater. Got a call from owner @ 10:00am, which I missed to respond. I immediately called him back and told that I was interested. I could not visit the same day as some important meetings were lined up. I fixed an appointment @ 10:45am the next day. I called up my friend who stays in the same area and he confirmed that he knew this person.
3. 05-Nov-2014--->Visited the owner's home, checked out the car. Price quoted 8 lacs, I started with 7.25 lacs, he came down to 7.5. Then after further negotiation, a value of 7.35 lacs was finalized. I asked him the token amount and he said 2 lacs. I immediately cut a cheque for 2 lacs and confirmed the deal. Made an agreement on a blank paper endorsed by signatures from both parties. The gentleman said that he wanted to get concurrence from his son (who was in US), because the car was on his name. I said fine, I will wait for your confirmation
4. 06-Nov-2014--->No updates on this day and I kept my fingers tightly crossed
5. 07-Nov-2014--->The gentleman confirmed the acceptance from his son. I transfer the balance amount 5.4 lacs to his account (5K was added to the initial deal of 7.35 as the gentleman's wife said that they had spent 12K on two new tyres, hence wanted at least some compensation for that. I agreed to it without much of a debate. After the complete payment was done I noticed that the RC card and the car was still hypotheticated to bank. I was in a jinx. I called up the person to ask if there was any loan outstanding. He said that the loan was foreclosed. I then asked why the hypothecation was not removed. Alternatively I asked if they had the NOC from bank and form 35. He said that he will have to search for it.
6. 08-Nov-2014--->Luckily I got a call that the bank NOC, form 35 were in place. I said that I will come to collect the vehicle at 4pm. Went to their home, handed over sweets to them took their blessings and returned back with the car and documents.

All this happened in such a jiffy that folks in my family couldn't believe their eyes that an Innova was standing in my garage.

I would like to thank the moderators (Eddy and GTO) for moving my thread to the "Assembly Line" forum and giving me private space to write a detailed review at my own pace. As per the guidelines on posting an Ownership Report on Team-BHP I would try to make it as comprehensive as possible:

I will now try to give you a complete report of the car based on the guidelines of the Assembly section:

The driving experience:
As of now I have used the car only for my office commutes (2.5K kms). I didn't get a chance to take it on long highway trips as dad was hospitalized in the month of November and even now I have to take him to the hospital daily for check-up.
Even in city the car is very easy to drive. Though one has to always bear in mind the sheer size of this car it has never been cumbersome. Just imagine this. Daily I return from office well past 11pm and I have to take my car in reverse all the way from entrance to my parking slot and turn it @ 90 degrees in the end. Initially I was very skeptical about performing this jugglery every day. But the huge green house with wide mirrors come in very handy while reverse parking. Rearward visibility is very good through the IRVM and ORVMs. Due to this I purely depend on the beeps of the reverse parking sensors and I didn't find a need for a reverse parking camera.

Comfort:

• Do I even need to talk about this. Innova is the benchmark for supreme comfort. No wonder why it is such a popular tourist car and people prefer it over many others for long distance travel.
• Which other car would have provided such comfort levels to my aging parents.
• High seating position, individual AC vents, good all round visibility, thick seat cushions, independent multi-link suspension, all these make the Innova ultra comfortable. Will share my further experience on this after I do a couple of long highway trips

Features:
Though this is the top-end V model, one has to bear in mind that it is now six years old and six years back features even in top end models were very few are far in between. Fortunately this car has front two airbags, ABS, power mirrors, door open warning, seat belt reminder for driver and passenger, tachometer, Immobilizer, tilt steering, parking sensors, Power Windows (With Driver side Auto Down), Power Door Lock etc. This was the minimum I was expecting. What is does not have:

• Turn indicators on mirrors
• Steering mounted audio controls
• Climate control
• Touch screen
• Power folding mirrors

What I like:

• Space, space and space. I think no other car in the market today provides as much space as an Innova on the inside in compact exterior dimensions.
• How about this, Linea measures 4596mm in length, whereas the Innova measures 4580. No prizes for guessing which one provides better space management and flexible seating.
• All round visibility and higher seating
• Ultra comfortable seats and ride
• Excellent driveability in city, zero turbolag

What I don't like:

• If I say I am yet to come across any serious lacunae in this car or my dislikes then it won't be any exaggeration.
• Some people complain of higher NVH levels, but for a person like me who has been driving NA Indica for last 10 years, the 2KD-FTV powered Innova is comparatively silent. I can hardly notice any noise/vibrations at cruising speeds. Also the cabin is well insulated from outside noise.
• Yes there are minor vibrations on the gear lever and it shakes all over the place during engine cranking (as GTO mentions)
• The gear throw is pretty long and same is the case with clutch travel. I guess this is the trait of all other UVs (XUV might be an exception to certain extent)

The alternatives that were considered, and why I zeroed in on this particular car:

• In my opening post I have listed all the alternatives considered before zeroing in on the Innova. The Ertiga was a close contender, however no rear wheel drive and the punny 1.3 litre engine didn't cut the ice for me.
• XUV was second in the line, but the sheer length of the niggles thread had shaken my confidence. Moreover the higher turning radius of 5.6 meter and greater width, meant putting it in my parking slot would be a herculean task.

Usage pattern:
My daily drive to office (to and fro) is 60 kms. Around 50% of that is on the highway and the rest through city. However I did not opt for the Innova just to take myself to office and back. The main purpose was to venture on long highway trips with my family. Unfortunately didn't get a chance as yet.

Comments on the exterior styling & design:

• No other car manufacturer's design can get as conservative as Toyota's.
• The Innova is very plain-jane on the outside, but due to this it releases the much needed space on the inside.
• Strangely the Innova's bonnet is not visible from the driver's seat even if the seat is adjusted to maximum height.
• Innova's or for that matter any Toyota's design has more function over form.

Overall build quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps:

• Build quality is just about average, not in the league of Germans, neither the doors close with a strong thud, just a muted one. Even the humble Indica has thicker gauge steel.
• However the fit and finish is top class. No panel gaps whatsoever. The door beading even after six years of usage looks like new. The shut lines are clean.
• Paint quality is also just average. Since my car was always parked in covered parking while with earlier owner, the paint is still intact. You can see it for yourself in the pictures below.

Wheels & tyres:

• This being a top end has alloy wheels (all five). These are the old school design, with five spokes. Though not very funky, their simple design makes them quite easy for maintenance and cleaning. My Indica alloys (with 20 spokes) are really a pain to maintain, especially when the brake dust gets lodged between the spokes.
• When I brought the car home it had six tyres. One was new and the others factory fitted (Goodyears), run 50K kms. Though the car was seemingly running well on these old tyres, I was sceptical about taking the car for long highway drives on these.
• Hence I decided to change all the old tyres, so there would be a complete new set of 5. Went to Lokmanya tyres, Karve road, decided on the Bridgestone B390 (stock size). The shop was also ready to buy back my old tyres if they were found in good condition. However the old tyres were not in good shape. One tyre had a radial cut, another one was patched from inside. The two others also had some cuts on the treads. My decision to change the tyres proved to be the right one. The shop said that no one will buy these tyres and asked me if I want to take them back. I told him to keep them with him and scrap them. I didn't wan't to carry those huge tyres in my boot and go hunting behind some scrap dealer just for peanuts.
• Balancing weights came out to be 174 gms, (@ Rs 1.5/gm), which totalled to Rs 261/- and Rs 300/- for wheel alignment (For alignment I had to go to the Tilak Road shop), rounded off to Rs 550/

Interior design & quality (plastics, upholstery, fit & finish etc.):

• Interior design is very simple and functional. The plastic quality is really top notch. Even after 6 years of usage it feels like brand new.
• There is no scope for any complains on the fit and finish. The wood finish trim on the dash and door pads gives a senses of elegance.
• The indicator stalks are chunky and quite easy to operate. Other control switches on the dash too feel robust and are built to last the entire life of the car.

Interior space & comfort...front & back (seat support, legroom, headroom & width):

• Do I need to comment on any of these?
• Everything mentioned above, interior space & comfort, front & back seat support, legroom, headroom & width is more than adequate.
• Only thing that needs to be tested is the comfort levels on the third row of seats on long drives. My daughter enjoys that last seat to lay down in privacy. Would adults enjoy seating there, only a long drive can tell.

Driving position, ergonomics, controls & MID:

• Driving position is perfect. Height and length of driver seat adjusted for a relaxed driving position.
• Since the interiors have more function over form all the controls are very ergonomically placed.
• This being an older model does not come with a MID, that displays average and instantaneous FE. The speedo-odo console displays the odo reading, Trip-A and Trip-B.
• All the dials are analogue type and very easy to read. The tachometer, speedometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge etc

Visibility & size of mirrors:

• The excellent allround visibility was one of the key deciding factors to opt for the Innova. The only other car that offered good visibility was the Ertiga. The XUV had a very pathetic rear view due to the ultra small rear windshield.
• The XXL sized mirrors play a vital role in keeping a tab on what is happening at the rear.

Air conditioner cooling & effectiveness:

• This being the winter season I have not been able to test the Air conditioner cooling & its effectiveness. However I am sure it won't disappoint.
• In my daily drive to office, when I am alone in the car I keep the rear blower off and also the passenger side vents are closed. With this the front blower on speed-2 is sufficient to keep me cool in the blazing afternoon sun

Audio system & sound quality:

• The stock 2 din system was good in its own right. It played radio FM and CDs/ MP3. The 4 stock speakers with two tweeters are also good enough for me as I am no music aficionado.
• However the inability to play music from USB drive and no phone connectivity meant the stock system had to make way for a modern 2 din Pioneer system, code named FEH 779BT. Now I can play from USB pen drive or from my phone through Aux-in of Bluetooth and I connect my android seamlessly to the Bluetooth enabled sound system and talk without any wires dangling around my ears.

Interior storage, practicality & boot space:

• Just behind the gear lever there is enough space to put my wallet, company ID card, my andriod phone, music system remote etc.
• The storage under the hand rest is humungous. Right now I have put the tissue paper box in it and any new stuff can be easily accommodated in this enclosure.
• The glove box is also large sized. Wish it would have come with a small lamp to lit the area, which is otherwise dark.
• Each door has a bottle holder and small shelf to keep other stuff.
• Behind the arm rest, there is a retractable cup holder, which can hold two cups at a time.
• Even the last row seats gets individual bottle holders
• The boot can easily carry week end luggage and if ever it exceeds it capacity, the roof rack will come in handy.

Any other unique or noteworthy points about the interiors:

• There is a provision to hold the sun glasses, which would rarely be used as I sport normal glasses and cannot wear sun-glasses on top of it. However I will use this to store my spare glasses for emergency use.

Engine performance & driveability in the city:

• I salute Toyota's engineering to make such a big car so easy to drive and maneuver within the city.
• The car has a sprint in its steps. Just a light drab on the accelerator and it jumps forward. After driving the Innova, when I start driving my Indica, I have to literally stand on the accelerator pedal to get the car going forward.
• In city driving requires minimal gear changes. Third gear can be used as an automatic. Closing gaps is like driving a knife through the cheese.
• Speed breakers are taken with aplomb in second gear itself. More gentle ones can be take even on the third gear.
• Taking "U" turns is such a breeze.
• Driving in fifth gear at speeds of 50kmph is a child's play for this car. No wonder I am getting an FE of 13.6 for 100% city driving with 100% AC.

Engine performance & driveability on the highway:

• Haven't taken this car on real highways yet. However my daily drive to office involves 12 kms on the old NH4 (Chinchwad to Khadki) and some 4 kms on NH9 (Fatimanagar to Hadapsar flyover).
• Driving on these stretches is like singing a song.
• Third gear at 2000 to 2500 rpm sounds so sweet as if a jet plane is ready to take off on a runway. It shovels you firmly in your seat.
• I simply cannot wait to take this car out on my first long drive, which could happen over the next week end as I need to go to Nasik for a function.
• The ghats and twisties on NH50 will put this car to real test.

Additional comments on the engine (outright power, refinement, revv-happiness, turbo-lag etc.)

• Innova is a car with low peak torque of 200Nm, but it is made available from very low revs of 1400 rpm and goes all the way till 3400 rpm.
• This results in "near" zero turbo lag. Near zero because at times I do experience the lag in second gear. If I upshift from 1st to 2nd @ 1500 rpm, there is some turbo lag. I think upshifting from 1st to 2nd @ 2500rpm would resolve this issue, but then I don't like to rev hard in lower gears.
• This is the sole reason why this car feels so easy to drive.
• For some the Innova may sound harsh and not as refined as the Hyundai diesels. However I am very happy with the kind of sound it makes.
• Obviously Innova is not rev happy, neither are most of the other diesel engines. I haven't yet felt the need to go beyond 3000 rpm.

Overall opinion on the engine:

• This is a gem of an engine, not in terms of outright power, but usable power/torque and longevity.
• Innovas are known to survive for lakhs of kms, without touching the engine.
• If only the transmission was equipped with a 6th gear, it could have made it the best highway cruiser.

Gearshift & clutch (smoothness, effort required, short or long throw etc.):

• Gear shifts are smooth and not notchy like the Indica. However I find the Ertiga gear shifts to be far better compared to the Innova. Don't know if that is because the Ertiga is a FWD, whereas the Innova is a RWD.
• The gear throw is pretty long. Same is the case with clutch travel. Fortunately it does not pain my left toe or knee. I guess the Indica has already made my toes and knees very strong and they can now adapt to any kind of car.
• When I drive the Innova and the Indica back to back, the Indica's gear lever feels like a joy stick and the clutch pedal seems to have lost all its resistance, it seems to be butter smooth with very short travel.

Overall NVH levels (including engine, wind & road noise):

• NVH levels are well controlled and I have not found them very intrusive.
• Highway drives for longer durations could change this perception, but so far it is so good.

Fuel efficiency: City and Highway:

• As I mentioned earlier I have been getting 13+ kmpl for my daily office commutes with 100% AC (single occupant most of the times).
• Most likely by next week I can also test the highway FE. I am hoping it will be in between 14.5 to 15 kmpl if not more than that.

Suspension & ride quality (at low as well as high speeds):

• This is one area where the Innova beats every other car hollow.
• Pot holes, broken roads, speed breakers don't bother the Innova occupants that much. All credit goes to its suspension
• Coming from a hatch background the Innova suspension was a revealation

Handling, on-road behaviour, grip levels, stability, body roll & turning radius:

• Innova handles corners equally well as straight roads
• Not even once I have had any sense of nervousness.
• Body roll is well controlled.
• The actual turning radius seems to be even smalled than the 5.4m mentioned on paper.
• All my apprehensions about slotting this huge car in my apartment parking were unfounded.

Steering (size, feedback, weight, EPS / Hydraulic etc.):

• Steering wheel is perfectly sized with good feedback.
• I love the hydraulic steerings.
• The front wheels only steer the car, whereas the drive is from rear wheels. I think this makes the Innova very effortless and nimble to drive even in city traffic.

Braking (effectiveness, pedal feel...):

• Brakes are good and and can stop this 1.6 tonner without any fuss
• However the initial 20-30 mm of the brake travel feels lifeless. I mean the brakes don't even engage for the first inch or so travel of the brake pedal.
• You have to be very sure footed whenever you apply the brakes.
• Though it is not that worrisome, I will definitely get it checked during the 55K service.

Ground clearance:

• Though the ground clearance of 176mm on paper seems to be a tad less for this size of vehicle, it is sufficient for regular usage roads. I haven't scraped its belly even once (touchwood)
• You cannot dare to offroad with this kind of GC.
• Now that I I have fitted the side steps, I have you be extra careful while going over huge speedbreakers

No particular likes (damped ashtrays, powerful headlights etc.) or dislikes (weak wipers, poor foglamps etc.). Neither there have been any niggles, problems or part replacements so far. Quality of after-sales service will be tested during the 55K service and so also the cost of upkeep & maintenance. I have already started preparing the Innova car log it will summarize my running and maintenance costs.

I hope I have been able to post a balanced review that includes all the good and bad things about the car. I have tried my best to be extremely neutral & unbiased. I have accepted the car for what it is, including the pros as well as the cons.

Any queries, suggestions, comments are most welcome

Sharing some pictures below, which I had taken on the day when I brought it home and when I had seen the car the first time.

Dad doing the puja

Wifey drawing the swastik

Exterior Left Front

Exterior Right Front

Exterior Rear

Right front door open

Left front door open

Boot Open

Interiors

Dash-1

Dash-2

Dash-3

[dean5545]

Finally you got one. Congrats on your Innova. I'm shocked to see the price of a pre-owned Innova. They hardly depreciate in comparison to other cars.
Mine is still going strong at 1,45,000km. I service it at 12-13,000km intervals but use synthetic oil.
The best part of the Innova is space in the middle row and the ride quality. I know of atleast 3 people who have sold an Innova only to buy a new one as they are used to this space and ride comfort.
I am waiting for the facelift of Innova and Fortuner. Will pick up any of the 2 which I like the most.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats AutoIndian.

Thread deserves pics.

Even I have developed a soft corner for Innova these days, don't know why. I used to hate it for the value for money proposition it offers - but then compared to recent entrants like Mobilio - Innova is atleast a very capable, solid and spacious workhorse.

I hope the upcoming refresh introduces more features, a more powerful engine and a taller sixth gear to make it a better deal for the high asking price.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by dean5545

Finally you got one. Congrats on your Innova.

Thank you for your wishes dean5545. Yes finally I could bring home the Innova. It was really a very long wait and my family members were more frustrated than me, especially my father who had lost all his patience. However this wait has been worthwhile.

I'm shocked to see the price of a pre-owned Innova. They hardly depreciate in comparison to other cars.

Indeed. Initially when I started getting the quotes of used Innovas, I thought, have people gone crazy to quote such higher prices, when compared to other cars. But then I slowly started realizing the virtues of this car. The supreme comfort it provides, the ease of driving such big car, reliability etc and most importantly no direct competition. This made it ample clear, why premium is being charged even on 6-8 year old cars that have done more than lakh kms. I was then prepared to pay the premium for a used Innova. It was only a matter of getting the right car.

Mine is still going strong at 1,45,000km. I service it at 12-13,000km intervals but use synthetic oil.

I have been following your thread and that has been one of my inspirations to go for a used Innova.

The best part of the Innova is space in the middle row and the ride quality. I know of atleast 3 people who have sold an Innova only to buy a new one as they are used to this space and ride comfort.
I am waiting for the facelift of Innova and Fortuner. Will pick up any of the 2 which I like the most.

When my sister sold off her 6 years old Innova and went for the XUV, she said that was the biggest mistake she ever did and is still regretting for that. No wonder she sold off the XUV in just over a year and went for the Fortuner.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congrats AutoIndian.

Thread deserves pics.

Thank you CrAzY dRiVeR. I knew it, there would be a demand for pictures, but kindly bear with me for 6 days. Though I have a current set of pictures, but all of them were clicked before I purchased this car. In the next few days it will be all spruced up and then I want to click it in its complete glory and share here. Hope you don't mind

Even I have developed a soft corner for Innova these days, don't know why. I used to hate it for the value for money proposition it offers - but then compared to recent entrants like Mobilio - Innova is atleast a very capable, solid and spacious workhorse.

That is precisely the reason why I went for an Innova and that too a used one. I was ready to pay almost 14 lacs for a brand new XUV W6, but not 15 lacs for a new Innova G or 17 lacs for a new Innova V because the brand new Innova didn't make much sense financially.

I hope the upcoming refresh introduces more features, a more powerful engine and a taller sixth gear to make it a better deal for the high asking price.

Lets hope so. The facelift won't be a mere facelift for namesake and Toyota introduces a a completely revamped engine/ transmission and more features.

Forgot to add one thing in my opening post. When I brought home the Innova, I found out that one tyre was newly fitted, while the others were factory fitted. It meant the tyres were pretty old, almost 6 years old and completed 50K kms. There was no point in extending the tyre life any further, because most of them had minor cracks on the side walls. Hence I replaced all 4 with (almost) new Bridgestone B390 tyres from Lokmanya Tyres, Karve Road. Amost new and not brand new because, few days back a brand new Innova had come to replace its factory fitted B390s and he had four of them in stock. Those had hardly run few hundred kms and he quoted me Rs 5000/- a piece (brand new ones were for 5,600/-). I compared these tyres with the brand new B390 (side by side). The treads were almost same like brand new tyres. Only difference was that there were pebbles/ small stones between the treads (since these had run few hundred kms) and the tyre colour was not as dark/black as the new unused one. I was fine with that, so long as Mr. Ashish Kulkarni was offering me the standard company warranty, even on these sparsely used tyres. Most importantly all the 4 tyre sidewalls had 2314 embossed on them, meaning all these were June-2014 manufactured. I made up my mind in favour of them after looking at that month/year stamp

He said that the balancing and wheel alignment charges would be extra, I told fine. He was also ready to buy back my old tyres if they were found in good condition. The old tyres were not in good shape. One tyre had a radial cut, another one was patched from inside. The two others also had some cuts on the treads. My decision to change the tyres proved to be the right one. He said that no one will buy these tyres and asked me if I want to take them back. I told him to keep them with him and scrap them. I didn't wan't to carry those huge tyres in my boot and go hunting behind some scrap dealer just for peanuts.

[theexperthand]

Congrats Auto Indian - wish you unlimited safe miles. This thread now needs pics

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Even I have developed a soft corner for Innova these days, don't know why. I used to hate it for the value for money proposition it offers - but then compared to recent entrants like Mobilio - Innova is atleast a very capable, solid and spacious workhorse.

Add me also to the list - the recent entrants in the market have made me rethink my stance about Innova being not VFM and recently I suggested my friend to buy a used Innova over a new Mobilio. Few weeks back, he got a sweet deal - 2011 Top end, properly pampered Innova with just 16K genuine KM on odo for 12.75L.

The previous owner was such a car lover and gentle man that he did a full service, replaced the battery with a new battery and put 1K worth diesel (all FOC, after the deal was finalized) when he parted with his car.

--Anoop

[coolclouds]

Congrats on your Innova! Wish you many happy miles on it.

I use Ertiga and Innova back to back on long highway drives (2-3k kms per trip) and I'm in love with Innova now. During last week trip, Innova returned 17.xx kmpl with 80-90 speeds (As per display) and its much closer to Ertiga figure. Even service expenses are lower at ASS.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Will get the above fitted on coming Wednesday. Plan to take some good pictures over the week ending of 20th Dec and share here. Till then please share yours thoughts/ comments/ suggestions. Thank you for reading.

Ah, finally you get the Innova!

Hearty Congratulations on acquiring the black horse! Happy for you buddy.

This car will serve you more than you would want to keep the car with you. Ultra reliable car I must say and I love the Innova if only we had a large family this would be the car I'd choose.

We need pictures of the black horse.

Anurag.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Congrats Auto Indian - wish you unlimited safe miles. This thread now needs pics

Thank you Anoop. Sharing some pictures below.

Add me also to the list - the recent entrants in the market have made me rethink my stance about Innova being not VFM and recently I suggested my friend to buy a used Innova over a new Mobilio. Few weeks back, he got a sweet deal - 2011 Top end, properly pampered Innova with just 16K genuine KM on odo for 12.75L.

The previous owner was such a car lover and gentle man that he did a full service, replaced the battery with a new battery and put 1K worth diesel (all FOC, after the deal was finalized) when he parted with his car.

--Anoop

Your friend is very lucky.

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Congrats on your Innova! Wish you many happy miles on it.

Thank you coolclouds.

I use Ertiga and Innova back to back on long highway drives (2-3k kms per trip) and I'm in love with Innova now. During last week trip, Innova returned 17.xx kmpl with 80-90 speeds (As per display) and its much closer to Ertiga figure. Even service expenses are lower at ASS.

True, the comfort levels of the Innova are unmatched. Ertiga is a good alternative, but people like me who want a rear wheel drive and as much space as possible on offer, cannot compromise

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Ah, finally you get the Innova!

Hearty Congratulations on acquiring the black horse! Happy for you buddy.

This car will serve you more than you would want to keep the car with you. Ultra reliable car I must say and I love the Innova if only we had a large family this would be the car I'd choose.

Thank you Anurag. Having a large family left me with no choice but to go for the Innova. Earlier I was looking only for the 8 seater version, because I wanted to accommodate not just the 6 from my own family but others from the extended family as well. However on seeing and using the 7 seater for one month now, I have realized that this version is not that bad on space management as I had thought earlier. Rather it gives personal space to everyone on board.

We need pictures of the black horse. Anurag.

As of now kindly make do with the above pictures. The pictures with the new set-up would soon come by, till then please bear with me.

[AutoIndian]

Not everything was swanky panky when the car was handed over to me. It had some battle scars and wounds that were inflicted on it in it's 6 years of existence. Few examples are shown below.

Chipped Paint and dent over RHS front tyre


Multiple scratches on front bumper LHS


Loose seat cover and the missing seat height adjuster knob


Missing "Toyota" Monogram


Missing "V" from the 2.5 V

[AutoIndian]

Now I will let the pictures do the talking. In the next four posts I will share with you the pictorial process of the following fitments:

• Seat Covers
• Music system
• Floor Lamination
• Side foot steps

Seat Cover Fitment

Front Seats vanished and second row being removed:


Middle row seats removed completely:


Seat fitment started - Cusion being cut by blade:


Clipping rings being gripped in pliers to hold the covers tightly in place:


The steel frame at the bottom of the seat:


Rings are being clipped to the bottom steel frame:


Glue being also applied to the seat cover:


The strings of the back rest being pulled together:


The first seat to get the new clothes:


The seat fitter posing for the camera while applying glue:


The driver seat with new clothes being put in place:


Front row seats fitted in place with tools scattered on the laminated floor:


The middle row seats with new clothes being put in place:

[AutoIndian]

Music System Fitment

Electrician removing the factory fitted 2 din system


Factory fitted 2 din system removed from its place


Electrician sorting out the wiring harness of the new 2 din system


Electrician sorting out the wiring harness of the new 2 din system-2


The Pioneer 779BT system in place


A closer look at the multicoloured Pioneer 779BT system

[AutoIndian]

Floor Lamination Fitment

Floor lamination being laid out over the carpet


Floor lamination being tucked neatly underneath the centre arm rest


The extra portion of the lamination being trimmed with a pair of scissors


The lamination in front passenger seat area being laid out


A wonder kid staring at my camera while taking support of handrest


Another picture of the wonder kid with his innocent stare


The extra portion of the lamination being trimmed to make way for seat fixtures


Floor lamination being tucked neatly under the plastic in the boot area

[AutoIndian]

Side Foot Step Fitment

The side steps unpacked and kept aside


Fitter with his tools ready to fit the LHS foot step


The balancing act


The middle bracket out of the three being tightened


Another view of the LHS foot step in place and ready to use


The RHS foot step being fitted in place


The cracked plastic corner of RHS foot step


The cracked plastic was immediately replaced by a new one

[AutoIndian]

Now its time for some show off. My car was in garage from 20th Dec till 23rd Dec. These four days the following work was done:

• Front bumper denting and painting
• Rear bumper denting and painting
• Front RHS fender denting and painting
• Front grill painting
• Full car rubbing and polishing
• Full car interior cleaning

Now combine this with the following done from the accessories shop:

• Levish Leather Seat Covers
• Levish Leather Steering cover
• Pioneer System 2 DIN - FEH 779BT
• Premium Leather lamination
• Ultima side foot step

The six year old worn-torn, aged lady was turned into a dashing damsel.


Rear show off first


RHS rearwards


On Opening RHS front door


RHS Front Door trim holding bottles


On Opening RHS rear door


RHS Rear Door trim


Middle and third row of seats


Front RHS three quarter view-1


Front RHS three quarter view-2


Front RHS three quarter view-3

[AutoIndian]

Some more random exterior shots.



















The man and the machine.
Standing besides the car is my Dad for whom this Innova was brought home