[karthi.stark]

What I like:

• Spacious and practical Cabin. Extremely comfortable, especially during long drives.
• First class safety kit: ABS and EBD standard across all variants, 3 airbags, Hill descent control, etc.
• Powerful 2.8L diesel engine. Even more powerful than the the previous gen Fortuner's engine.
• User selectable driving modes-ECO mode and POWER mode for the driver's convenience.
• Extremely reliable vehicle on the long run. Some ownership periods extend beyond 10 years and more than 1,00,000 km!
• 6 Speed Automatic Transmission offered on 2 of the 3 variants.(i.e, the GX and the ZX)

What I don't like:

• Expensive! 20L OTR for the base variant.
• 8 STR AT offered only on the base variant.
• Noise from the engine is irritating for the outsiders. Switch on the vehicle late at night or early in the morning and you're surely going to wake everyone up.
• No factory fitted ICE on the GX. Also, only 4 (6 in the ZX) speakers on such a huge vehicle!
• Single digit urban fuel economy.
• Engine's displacement of more than 2,000 cc means that we are prone to an NGT ban in the near future. (As Bangalore also faces the problem of increasing air pollution)

The Bronze Beast

An Introduction?

Who am I?
Well, that's the question which would be going on in your CPU's now, right? Am I a human being or an alien? Am I male or female? Am I a teenager or a middle aged professional? I'm sure some of these questions will be inside all your CPU's. If you would've read my introduction, (here:http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/introd...ello-teen.html) you would know exactly who I am.
Now, that seems to be a boring introduction, right? Let's elaborate my biography. Along with all those facts mentioned in my introduction, I'm also a football enthusiast. Say the name Football Club Barcelona and I'll always be on your side, no matter what. Say the name Real Madrid and you'd be lucky if you go back home in one piece. (Well, that's just exaggerated) Say the name UEFA Champions League and I turn into an encyclopedia!
What about music? Ed Sheeran, Hardwell, Martin Garrix- you name them and there will be one song of theirs I would've heard. Want me to sing? Well, I better not because it would sound like a crow trying to sing!
Ask my classmates about me and the first thing they would mention about me to you is my so called "infectious laughter". 'Oh! How exasperating it is!' would be the only thing which would come out of their mouth. Tell me an interesting pun and I would tell you a hundred more lame ones! Call me a nerd and the next moment don't expect me to stay with you.
Call me an idiot for being a motorhead and I'll explain to you the value of Team-BHP! To be a part of it at such a young age - I consider it an achievement of a lifetime. Feeling that I'm alone? Well, better think again. I've got BHPian Vishy76 to accompany me! Chances are high for more teenagers being a part of Team-BHP or so I feel.
Iron Man is the word which would make me go ballistic. Reason? There is probably no other crazier fan of him than me. Say that Iron Man is being showed on TV and don't expect me to give you the remote until it's over. Mention the word Marvel and the only thing which would come to my mind is 'Iron Man'. Smart people would've guessed this fact from my username (.stark)


Storyline
Now let's get serious. For any person, the first car is always the most precious one. In our case, it was the 2006 Honda city GXI CVT! Man, what a beauty it was. Feel that it's dangerous to take a sedan off road? Well, think again. Obstacles in its path are tackled with ease. They are made to cry in front of its might. The 'wall' as I call it never bows down to any type of road.
As the saying goes, 'Nothing lasts forever.' True to the saying, signs of ageing were becoming fast visible in it through slow braking, wheel alignment issues, etc. The day finally came, when we had to look for a better car. The journey brought us to the incredible site of Team-BHP. Man, what a site! A 'motor encyclopedia' as I call it. No one in my house expected the journey to continue for two long years! Meanwhile, the day which we thought would never come, finally came when we had to sell off the car. A temporary replacement was the need of the hour. The Maruti Suzuki Celerio was perfectly suited to that. Want a detailed review of that? Well, its a Work-in-Progress as many people would call it.


Requirements to be met:

• Automatic Transmission: Dad was only familiar with cars having an automatic Transmission. This was the primary requirement as one would call it.

• Seating Capacity of 8: An 8 seater was the need of the hour due to frequent long drives with the entire family, including Grandparents.
• Safety Kit:Minimum of 3 airbags, ABS, EBD, Hill Descent Control, etc were also compulsory. As the saying goes-'Safety is your number one priority'.
• Long term reliability: Everyone has one or the other bad habit. In our case, it was to keep our possessions for as long as possible. So, there you go.
• 18-20L OTR: The last but not the least. Like many others, even our budgets were fixed. Even a lakh above and we wouldn't even consider the vehicle.

People might call us stubborn. Well, they are absolutely right. One requirement not fulfilled, the car is out of our wishlist. For two long years, we waited and waited, checking out as many cars as possible but seriously considering only two. Reason? Those were the only two which were considered ideal by us. Which two? They are mentioned in the next post. However, even those were struck off our list. Reason? It will also be mentioned in the next post.

[karthi.stark]

The Contenders

MAHINDRA SCORPIO

What we liked:

• An SUV within our budget.
• mhawk 120 diesel engine was quite reasonable.
• Good off-road capability.

What we didn't:

• High speed stability wasn't guaranteed.
• NVH levels were enough for us to hear noise even with the windows up (at least in the TD vehicle.)
• 3rd row's side facing seats were a huge let down.
• Absolutely no boot space with all seats occupied.

As were frequently traveled by highways, the first point itself was a deal beaker. Add on to that negligible boot space and we wouldn't even bother to look at the vehicle. As a result, the great Scorpio was neglected.

TOYOTA FORTUNER

What we liked:

• A powerful 3.0 D4-D engine. It was perfect for such a gigantic SUV.
• Could easily accommodate 7 passengers along with a reasonable amount of luggage.
• Toyota's excellent after sales service and reliability.
• Reasonable design and solid build.

What we didn't:

• Hefty Price tag! Was Rs 30L On the road when we checked it out.
• A mere 5 speed gearbox. A huge upset if you ask me.
• 18" alloy wheels are too expensive to replace.
• Ride quality was far from plush.

For 1 whole year, it was probably going to be the Fortuner for us. The obstacle that was difficult to overcome was the price tag. 30L for an SUV!! Probably not really worth that kind of money. As a result, sadly the mighty Fortuner was also neglected. No other car was considered reasonable by us. The thought of buying a new car was dropped for almost one whole year! Chances were high for us to be satisfied only with the Celerio. Until...

[karthi.stark]

The Game-changer

Me and my dad had been really huge fans of the Innova. It was our official highway taxi. Other vehicles were left to bite the dust by us. My dad would have bought it a long time ago provided it had an automatic transmission. Sadly, that was not the case. For a long time, we kept hearing about the new Innova Crysta which was going to be launched in India and was going to replace the old one. We got to know that the new Innova was going to have an automatic transmission. This made us overjoyed and really curious for about two months!
If I'm not wrong, the Innova Crysta was launched on 3rd may 2016. I was at my grandparents' place at that time as it was summer time. On knowing this, my adrenaline levels went really high. I used to ask my dad everyday to check it out, but he used to say that he wouldn't check it out without me! I remember, when he finally came to my grandparents' place to pick me up as summer was coming to an end, he promised me that we would go. However, things turned out to be such that we didn't have time to check it out. This made me so depressed that I didn't even talk to him! Kiddish, right? Well, I'm known to act like a kid, so that's nothing new.
However, my dad didn't really want to give up. Both of us somehow managed to get time to check it out. As soon as we walked into the showroom (Annamalais Toyota, Coimbatore) and did the test drive, we realized that this was the car for which we had been waiting for 2 long years! It fulfilled all our requirements. Safety kit, Automatic transmission, 8 seats-it had them all! Hurray!
We didn't want to book it at the first sight as we had to be one hundred percent sure that this car was suitable for us. However, on returning to Bangalore, my dad had left for the USA for two months! This meant that I had to wait for another two months or more before finally booking it!
Those two months felt like the longest wait ever in my life. When he finally returned, we did another 2-3 Test Drives and finally decided to book it!
Then came the question of which variant., I was so impressed by the ZX that I didn't care about the 8 seater requirement. ( Though I am stubborn, there are some exceptions) Hence, like many others, I was in for the ZX AT. However, my dad was in for the GX AT! As we were looking for an 8 seater, the GX was our only option. This made me feel that a VX AT 8 STR makes a lot more sense than a GX AT 8 STR! What was Toyota thinking? As there was a difference of opinion, me and my dad started debating on the question of which variant. However, all my points of argument were contradicted very well by my dad. Let me put it in the form of a conversation:

(on the phone)
Me: dad, which variant should we book? (expecting the answer to be the ZX)
Dad: I have decided to book the GX AT.
Me: (shocked) What?? Why??
Dad: I feel that it's best suited for all our needs. It has bench seats which the ZX doesn't have. Also, the ZX is 27L OTR which is way beyond our budget.
Me: but, but, It has the automatic AC!! We've never had it before!
Dad: Automatic AC or a Manual AC doesn't really matter to me. I just want an AC which can cool the car.
Me:(speechless for a while) But, but, it also has leather seats which are good looking!!
Dad: Leather seats aren't suitable for Indian Conditions. It has the property to absorb heat.
(I had to agree on this. We already suffered a lot with the leather seats in our Honda city)
Me: What about the smart key system?
Dad: Mechanics are always better than electronics. (He knew this from past experiences. Also,as I read in BHPian Sridhu sir's posts about the flaws in the smart key system, I decided to give up that argument)
Me: Now, what about the 7 airbags?
Dad: If I ever were to buy the ZX, that's the only reason for which I'll buy it.
(No more arguments)
Well, my dad isn't going to be swayed away by one positive point. Hence, it was going to be the GX AT for sure.


Booking
Booking was tried through two dealers - Ravindu Toyota and Nandi Toyota. I don't know why, but Ravindu Toyota didn't seem to care about us. They delayed the test drives by almost a week and also didn't come to us for the booking on the date promised! Never expected that from Toyota! Compared to Ravindu, Nandi Toyota was way better. They kept calling us asking us as to when we wanted the booking to be done. Also, they came to us for the booking on the exact date! All the paperwork was carried out smoothly and the booking was done. The total booking amount was a whooping one lakh!
The next decision was the colour. My dad said that the colour will be decided by me and my junior! I was really fascinated by the Bronze colour. However, my junior liked the silver. So, as there was a difference of opinion, we decided to head to the showroom and check out the colours in person and then decide. Things turned out to be on my side as there was only the bronze colour on display. Also, my mom was of the opinion that since we already had a silver coloured our Honda city, we should go for another colour and hence, the bronze. As there were two against one, the final colour was decided as the bronze! Hurray!
The next thing was the ICE. As many of you might be knowing, the Innova Crysta GX variant does't get an ICE. I don't understand why is it so. I couldn't expect that from Toyota! We decided to go for the JVC music system. The model was the V520 BT. Don't expect it to be of the same quality as Tata's Harman systems or the the ones in German cars. It is average according to me. Like all official Team-BHP reviews, it will be covered in a separate post.
The most shocking part was that the GX didn't come with a reverse camera! It only has parking sensors. On such a huge vehicle, the reverse parking camera is a must. However, Toyota provides the reverse camera on the GX as an accessory. As it was a primary necessity, we opted for it. Other accessories opted by us were the rear bike protector (to protect the rear from rash bikers) and the wooden panel on the front (to make the interiors look better). The total cost of the accessories itself came to about 50,000 INR!

Delivery
The car was delivered on the day promised i.e, the 20th of September 2016. All formalities were carried out in a really efficient way and we were able to drive out of the showroom without any tension. We were really happy with the overall sales experience. We would give the overall sales experience rating a 9.5, which isn't a surprise as it is Toyota!

Posting pics from the delivery:

From L to R: The SA, My dad, My junior, Me and My Mom



Handing over of the key along with a box of chocolates by the Sales Manager

[karthi.stark]

Exterior

The exteriors are some two generations ahead of the previous Innova! The new exteriors definitely eliminate the Taxi-like look in the previous gen Innova. All the parts have been fixed with perfection and dedication and you hardly can notice any flaws. Kudos to Toyota for designing this great car with perfection. Walk around the Innova and the only thing which comes out of people's mouths is - 'Marvelous, absolutely marvelous.' The exteriors of the GX are way more practical and simple when compared to the ZX. Man, who asked Toyota to come up with all those chrome options? The car loses its beauty with all those chromed exteriors. On the road, all the Crystas with lots of chromed parts look pathetic! Exterior wise, I feel the GX scores over the VX and the ZX.

The Front of the beast. Looks really intimidating to the eye:


The side view of the beast. Looks H-U-G-E on picture which it certainly is. Somewhat reminds me of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. Notice the mud guards which are black in colour:


The rear is as intimidating as the front. Those tail-lamps are just sweet-looking and catchy to the eye:



Unlike The ZX which gets dual tone chrome and black ORVM's, the GX and VX get dual tone body colour and black ORVM's as seen:


The door handles are also body coloured unlike the ZX's chromed ones. Also, as no keyless entry system is provided in the GX, you get a key hole, that too only on the driver's door! You can also notice the orange peel effect on the background:



Though Toyota offers fog lamps as an accessory, we decided not to opt for it as we didn't find it an absolute necessity for us. In case you don't opt for the fog lamps, you get a black covering as seen:



The great 'T' symbol:


The rear bike protector. Now I understand why there are two parking sensors:


The Word 'Toyota' on the bike protector:


The reverse parking camera is placed in the center of the rear bumper. Shocking as the ZX and the VX get it above the number plate. When asked the SA about it he claims that it would 'help in giving a wider field of view.'


The 16 inch alloy wheels which is perfect for a big vehicle in India both economically and safety-wise.
Notice the disc brakes. These are only provided on the Front wheels! The Hexa and the XUV 500 get it on all the wheels! How can Toyota miss out on this?!


Unlike the New Fortuner, which doesn't have any indication of the variant or the transmission, the Innova Crysta gets it all! Well, again I don't know if it's of any use but yeah, that's there. You can see the 'Innova Crysta' badge below the left tail-lamp...


...and the Variant badge along with the engine's displacement badge below the right tail-lamp:


Notice the chain hanging from the spare wheel! Seriously, Toyota?!


One of the rare flaws by Toyota. Notice the gap slowly widening as it goes from left to right:


Two washers shoot out enough water to clean formidable parts of the windshield:


Unlike the ZX and the VX, a chrome line on the window base is lacking in the GX:

[karthi.stark]

Interior-First Row

Just like I stated about the exteriors, the interiors are also two to three generations ahead of the previous gen Innova. They are even better than the interiors of the previous gen Fortuner. Though the vehicle is huge, Ingress and Egress isn't very difficult. Even the old find it easy to enter the vehicle which is not the case with the Endeavour and the Fortuner. (Maybe because they are SUV's and the Crysta is an MUV)

Sweet looking interiors. Certainly suites the brand name 'Innova'.
For those who feel that the interiors of the GX are 'horribly bland', Toyota provides an option of fitting a wooden panel (at a cost of course). It certainly improves the mindset of those people (like me ):


Unlike the ZX, the GX and the VX get fabric seats, which are perfectly ideal for Indian weather conditions:



The steering wheel. Unlike the ZX and the VX, you don't get steering mounted controls on the GX. What's more, you don't even get a leather wrapping around it! One would expect these two features in a 20 lakh MUV:


However, you do get a 'DISP' button to change the MID display:


Even without the seat height adjustment, it is a reasonably tall driving positions for those who are 5 ft 5" or above:


The instrument console. Looks plain and simple, just the way I like it! All the instruments are lit in white. The MID contains white words on a blue-ish background. You also get a small screen which shows the position of the gear lever:


The MID shows you all the necessary information which can be read even under bright sunlight:


Long press the DISP button on the settings screen and you go to the settings. Long press the DISP button on the steering wheel to select an option. Press once to go down the list:


Only one language offered by the MID. Why do you need the language option then?


Two units are offered for the FE, but I would personally prefer the km/L over the L/100 km like many others. Interestingly, L/100km is the default unit and not km/L!:


If the Eco indicator is off, no green 'ECO' light flashes when you accelerate with a light foot:


Long press the DISP button now to exit settings:


Press the 'ECO MODE' button and you would see this flash on the instrument panel:


Press the 'POWER MODE' button and this flashes on the MID. Notice the kind of attention given to the power mode indicator over the Eco mode indicator:



Unlike the ZX and the VX, the GX gets a manual AC system. What's more, you don't get buttons to control the AC in the rear i.e, the 2nd and 3rd rows:


The In Car Entertainment system. It's the JVC KW-V520BT. All the features of the ICE will be covered in a separate post like any other official Team-BHP review:


The name of the model displayed at the bottom left corner:


Unlike the ZX, the GX only gets 3 airbags which is a shocker for such an expensive vehicle. IMHO, Toyota should've offered one or two more airbags. One is driver airbag:


The next is the driver knee airbag:


And the last is the passenger airbag:


Unlike the ZX and the VX, the arm-rest doesn't get a leather covering, which is a total bummer if you ask me:

[karthi.stark]

Interior-2nd Row

The second row is placed a bit higher than the first row. IMO, the second row is the most comfortable place to sit in the Innova Crysta. Those who enter the second row will be amazed by the amount of space provided by it. Maybe that explains the reason for lack of legroom in the rear. The seats (except the middle one) are really comfortable to sit on. However, the area where people are going to complain a lot is the middle seat of the second row. You have to adjust your position at least 10 times to find a comfortable way of sitting. Unlike the seats on the side, the middle seat doesn't get any cushioning! That could get cumbersome during long drives if you ask me. There is not much of a difference in the second row of all variants. It is just that the top end model (ZX) doesn't get bench seats (i.e, an 8 seater) which the lower variants enjoy.
Since most of the points have already been covered in the official review, I've limited the number of images for the 2nd row.

Unlike the seats in the first row, pushing the seats in the second row is an uphill task. There is not much of a difference between the two extreme seating positions. Even with the seats pushed all the way forward, you still have decent legroom. The difference of space when the seats are pushed all the way back and all the way front are shown in this pic:


The rear AC console. Looks like it has been taken out of a commercial vehicle.
However, it is easy to operate and very sensitive. Would move even with a slight push:


As many would've noticed, the GX doesn't get the food tray that the ZX and the VX get. However, you do get a hook (on the bottom left corner) to hang you bags with a weight limit of 4 kg:


The middle seat gets a seat belt mounted on the roof. Now, I don't know whether to complain about it or rejoice at it :


A dummy is present in place of the USB and AUX port of the ZX. This is because of the fact that the GX doesn't get an ICE:

[karthi.stark]

Interior-3rd row

The 3rd row, like many other UV's are only suitable for kids and shorter adults during long drives. Tall Adults should avoid using the 3rd row during long trips and should instead use it for short drives inside the city. As I mentioned earlier, the legroom in the 3rd row has been compromised by the huge legroom offered in the 2nd row.

The 3rd row is easy to access for the abled people and kids. Not a piece of cake for the unfit or the saree-clad lady:


You get a small storage area on both sides. Useful especially during long drives to park your smartphone and a water bottle (if necessary):


Just like the 2nd row, the middle seat of the 3rd row gets a seat belt mounted on the roof. Again , I don't know whether to appreciate or complain about it:


The window glass area of the 3rd row. Shocking as the previous generation Innova had a bigger one. Now, we've got to lean forward to check out what's going on outside. A huge disappointment for the lazy ones, like me :


Look at the space next to the glass panel! Certainly, there is space for a bigger glass panel:


Decent amount of boot space even with the third row in position, something which you don't see in the XUV 500:


You get a place to keep the headrest of the middle passenger of the 3rd row on the left:


Boot-lamp is present on the right side. It's bright enough to light up the entire boot (with all seats in position) even in the dark:


Instructions on how to fold the 3rd row seats and hang it are printed on the left seat:

[karthi.stark]

In Car Entertainment

As many of you would be knowing, the GX doesn't get a stereo. It's got only speakers, that too only 4! A minimum of 6 speakers are required in a car this big and this expensive. I honestly believe that this is the place where the Tata Hexa scores over the Crysta.
We have the JVC KW-V520BT in our Crysta. The Home screen:


I feel that it's not up to the mark. Looks intimidating but isn't as intimidating when it comes to performance. There is indeed a noticeable lag in the response to any command.

The main menu:


All buttons are illuminated very well and can be seen even under bright sunlight. The illumination colours offered are blue, red, yellow (as seen), pink (seriously?), etc:


The USB socket comes as a separate wire present inside the glove box:


Sadly, no AUX port is offered though there is an option in the main menu. (cost cutting?)

The USB screen shows you all the necessary information from the name of the track to the Album which the song is a part of. What's more, you even get the Album cover on the screen. 'Attention to detail' is what comes to mind:


Want to know the long name of a song or an artist or an album? Well, these arrows on the left are meant for that purpose:


The arrow on the left opens a small pane which provides you with options to jump folders, to replay tracks, to eject the pen drive, and an option called mode which...


...opens the following window with these options:


The 'FNC' button opens a small pane on the bottom with the options to alter the screen adjustment, to switch off the display (though the track continues to be played), to switch on the reverse camera, and to change the current source:


The equaliser menu. No matter what you do, the sound quality remains average:



Attention to detail is also seen in the tuner. All information from the name of the channel to the name of the song or show being played (interesting) can be seen. However, it takes a lot of time to identify it, ranging from 30 seconds to infinity! Picture:


Awesome! You get to save 5 channels for your convenience:


Settings is just like any other settings. Nothing to highlight here:


Tracks can be played from your phone via the BT audio option in the main menu. Once your phone is connected, the tracks automatically start playing which is really awesome!:


If this is seen on the top right side of the screen, then your device is connected. However, there is no indication as to how many devices are connected on the screen :


Fortunately, in the Phone screen, you can see the names as well as the number of devices connected:


The Favorite contacts screen. As I don't usually connect my phone via Bluetooth to the ICE, I haven't saved any :


You can also give in your own commands via the microphone. Sadly, you need to press 'start' in order to do that which is a total bummer. Would've loved it had it been hands-free:


The Bluetooth setup menu. As was the case with settings, there isn't anything important to highlight here:



Shockingly, there is no mute button! You only get an ATT button which reduces the volume drastically (but doesn't mute it). Press the ATT button and you would see this flash on screen:


The CD player screen. Notice the stop button. This has been provided only in the CD player and NOT IN THE USB PLAYER:


The ICE remote. Looks better than the one which comes with the ICE in the VX and the ZX:

[karthi.stark]

The GD diesel engine

Toyota had showcased the GD diesel engines at the Auto Expo 2016. This is the engine series which is being used in the Innova Crysta as well as the new generation Fortuner. This engine succeeds the KD engine series which was used in the previous gen Innova and the old Fortuner. This engine, like most diesel engines, is a straight-4 common rail diesel engine. Interestingly, Toyota has done away with the indication of a common rail diesel engine. (Well, at least in the Innova Crysta and the Fortuner) Remember the "D-4D" badge on the engine as well on the rear of the previous gen Fortuner? Well, that's what I'm talking about.
The GD diesel engine series was first used in the Land Cruiser. The engine was introduced in India via the Innova Crysta and is carried on to the 2nd generation Fortuner. The GD diesel engine series has the following two engines (both are used in the Innova Crysta):
1GD-FTV: This is the 2.8L straight-4 common rail diesel engine which is mated only with an automatic transmission in the Innova Crysta. Straight four signifies that all the 4 cylinders are arranged in a straight line in a plane along the crankcase. It is also referred to as 'inline-4' in some cases. Common rail signifies a direct fuel injection system.
As the official review states, power ratings for the 2.8L AT are 172 BHP at 3400 rpm and and 360 Nm of torque from 1200 rpm to 3400 rpm. The 2.8L MT also has a similiar 175 BHP at 3400 prm but slightly lesser torque i.e, 420 Nm. Shocking that the 2nd generation Fortuner gets the 2.8L MT, but the Innova Crysta doesn't! Why such unfair treatment for the Innova, Toyota?
Interestingly, this engine makes more power than the bigger 3.0L engine of the KD diesel engine series used in the previous gen Fortuner. Power ratings of the 3.0L AT are 169 BHP at 3600 rpm and the same 360 Nm of torque (1400-3200 rpm). Till now, I'm sure most of you would've been wondering why I call my Innova a beast,right? Well, this is the main reason for that.
2GD-FTV: This is a 2.4L engine, again a straight 4 common rail diesel engine which is exclusively used in the Innova Crysta. No automatic Transmission is offered on this engine in India. The engine is mated with a 5 speed manual transmission. Power ratings are low when compared to the 2.8L engine but more than the old 2.5L engine offered in the previous gen Innova. Power ratings for the 2.4L MT are 148 BHP at 3400 rpm and 343 Nm of torque, starting from 1,400 rpm. In comparison, the 2.5L MT makes 101 BHP and 200 Nm of torque. (Huge difference, isn't it?) Though I'm not a really huge fan of the manual, I wish Toyota had offered a 6 speed gearbox instead of a 5 speed one. (Am I alone in this?)
Both these engines get a variable geometry turbocharger, just the way I like it!

Unlike the ZX and the VX, the engine does not get a cover in the GX. You can see most of the parts of the engine and I'm sure many people won't like that:


Shockingly, the battery doesn't get a housing like most German cars:


Huge distance between the front grille and the frame, something you don't see everyday:


The Horn is carried over from the previous gen Innova. 99 out of 100 people won't find the need for a replacement. You can also notice a part of the intercooler behind the horn:


The variable geometry turbocharger. Both engines of the Innova Crysta get it:


The flip key of the GX. Though my dad is against a smart key system, I seriously wish Toyota had offered it as standard across all variants. Notice the dummy in the center (Cost cutting?):




A gap has been left by Toyota at the deep left corner. Is it meant for something?:

Ride and Handling

Though I'm mostly on the passenger seat, I can still give my own views on the ride and handling of the Innova Crysta. On the open road, no car can beat the Innova Crysta. (Hexa? Well, debatable) The car reaches 100 in a jiffy! One of the main reasons why we decided to buy the Crysta is the comfort. Even at speeds greater than 100 kmph, inside the cabin, you don't feel like you're cruising at that speed. Whenever my dad drives on the highway, the only thing he keeps praising about is the ease with which the Innova touches 100 kmph. Well, this can be a boon and a bane. It is a boon as you can enjoy your ride without much discomfort at high speeds. This is useful especially when you're traveling with your family for long trips. It is also a bane as sometimes, you would keep accelerating and before you know it, you would've crossed 120 kmph! That can be dangerous especially on our highways where you've got blind crossings at junctions every once in a while.
Though the Innova is stable at high speeds, on turns, high speed stability isn't that great. If you're cruising at 120 kmph on turns, you would feel as though the vehicle is going to topple over! That's why my dad always reduces the speed to a 100 kmph when approaching turns. This affects the fuel economy and also increases the time taken to reach your destination. Reason? Well, on our highways, (or at least in NH7 on which we frequently travel) there are turns once in 5 minutes! As a result, it's not like the Yamuna Expressway where you can touch speeds of 140 kmph or more.
The NVH levels are loud to be heard with the windows down. However, on rolling up the windows, noise is negligible. This is the case with many other UV's. On the highways, once you cross 100 kmph or once the car slots in 6th gear, there is absolutely no noise heard. Wind noise is very loud that you might not even notice someone honking behind you!
When you go downhill, the Hill Descent control springs into action. You can feel and the vehicle automatically reducing the speed of the vehicle and moving at a constant speed once it starts going downhill. This was noticed on our way back from the photoshoot ( as I call it) for the report in Anaikatti, near Coimbatore.

[karthi.stark]

Major repairs done

Not everyday do you see a person telling you that he/she has done a major repair in the very first year of their ownership. Sadly, that's the case with us thanks to a dreamy TVS 50 guy on the highway.
Quoting the incident:

While we were on the highway driving back from Coimbatore to Bangalore, a guy on a TVS 50, who was on the lane for bikes took a blind turn and bumped into the rear end of our Crysta which was on the rightmost lane. Looks like he didn't bother to take notice of the vehicles behind him. Had my dad not applied the brakes, we would have brought him down and he wouldn't have been in one piece!!
My dad was so furious that he parked the car and got down. However, he was taken aback as he didn't want to make the matter worse. He was relieved that the guy on the bike was alright and continued with the journey.

The whole saga damaged the rear end, forming two big dents and costing us nearly Rs 16,000!! The guy at the service center (Nandi Toyota) told us that we had to wait for almost a week if we were to claim insurance! However, if we were to pay by ourselves, then it would be delivered in 2 days. As we needed the car at the earliest we decided to pay it by ourselves. As promised, the car was delivered within two days and the payment was done at the service center itself. Man, I must say it was a job well done. There are no signs of the dents on the rear now and the car works just fine.

From the whole saga, we realised the following things:

• Never trust a TVS 50 guy on the highway. They just remain oblivious of the fact that it's a highway and vehicles cruise at really high speeds.

• Despite paying so much money for the insurance, we were shocked to know that it would take 5 days only for the Insurance procedure!
  The question to fellow BHPians is that is it normal for it to take that long or is it unusual?

• After resolving the issue, the car almost looked brand new. There was absolutely no sign of the dents created! Kudos to Toyota for completing the task with perfection! Toyota is one of the best when it comes to Customer Satisfaction.

Posting pictures from the accident:



Hopefully, no other major damage would happen in the near future.

Other Points

• At the time of typing this ownership report, the beast has completed nearly 7,300 km.
• If Toyota launches a VX AT in the near future, I would be really disappointed.
• All the pictures of the exterior (except one) were taken at Anaikatti, near Coimbatore.
• The car being bronze is prone to scratches. A number of scratches are already seen on it. Also, bronze colour doesn't have the tendency to hide the dust on it. (Unlike the silver colour on our Honda City)
• Once again, please excuse me for the poor quality of some of the Images.
• Please feel free to correct the mistakes made by me in the report. After all, Human Beings do make mistakes.

Cheers,
Karthi.stark

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[vsun]

Excellent review Karthi . Your review gives a good understanding of GX model. Nice pictures.
Congratulations on your Crysta. Enjoy your ride.
I postponed my decision to book GX Manual, and waiting for clarity on GST.

[naren_kk]

Excellent review karthi... I was in a dilemma to book ZX or TATA Hexa XTA. Now I have made up my mind to book Crysta ZX. I will wait for couple of months and go for it.

[sgmuser]

Clean and straightforward ownership review! Good photos and useful little pointers on even smaller things. Good stuff!

[mac187]

Its heartening to see that that youngsters like you are into cars (not the superficial types). Your writing is very good, keep it up.