[raider9990]

Toyota Innova Crysta is not a new player in the field but an old one that is ruling the sales chart for quite a long time.

How Crysta entered my life- Our beloved Safari storme turned 8 years old in the January 2021. The car was mechanically good and odo reading was approximately 1,07,000 km. As with most of the Safari’s ranging from dicor to storme start to show their age when they are past their prime. It was decided to sell of the Safari and look for a new ride.

Budget-The budget was set to 30 lacs on road. Though there was a provision of extension.

Parameters taken into account-

1. 7/6 Seater- The first requirement was the car should be at least 6 seater. I never liked the idea of compact SUVs or compact sedans.

2. Diesel- The preferred choice for this purchase was diesel.

3. No 4wd- Since all the off-road duties were handled by our V-cross there was no point of adding another 4wd into the garage.

My requirements were simple and clear, as these days cars north of 20 lakhs get decent safety features and all the bells and whistles so I didn’t want to complicate my buying experience and wanted to focus on my main requirements.

Options Considered-

1. The new Safari- The Safari nameplate carries a sentimental value for all the Safari owners I believe. Moreover, I always liked the Harrier and now a seven-seater version called Safari resembling the same was on sale. I was definitely attracted to it and went to Tata showroom to check out the Safari in person. Since 2005 we always had one Tata car in the garage.
2. Toyota Innova Crysta- To be very precise It was not my first choice, there are so many Crysta’s on the road and I was reluctant to be a part of that first but somehow went to check out the car. Innova is a tried and tested product and combined with Toyotas service it seemed a better deal.

There are not many options in 7-seater under 30 lakhs, I was not interested in XUV500 so that left me with these two options only. Both the options were evaluated, when I bought Vcross a year ago I listened to my heart over mind but this time I had to listen to my brain and brain was definitely vouching for Crysta.

Before buying a new car, we had to let go off Safari storme first. The Toyota dealership were not providing exchange service, but they had a private dealer who used to provide services to customer who wanted to sell their car. The Safari was sold at a good price.

Booking Experience- Since I had already checked out the car at showroom, the dealership sent a person to complete the booking experience. The car booked was Innova Crysta Z in manual transmission in silver color. I actually wanted auto transmission but since it was going to be my father’s primary ride, he wanted a manual transmission so had to with the flow. The car was booked and paid a token amount; the car was promised to be delivered in the 45 days period.

Almost 20 days after the salesperson called me to tell that the booking that was done before our booking was cancelled and If I was interested in getting the car before the delivery date. But the twist in the story was it was not the car that I had configured but rather It was Vx variant in pearl white and 8-seater (rear bench seat). I was not sure whether to wait or get the car. Discussed the whole scenario with the family and we decided to check out the car before coming to a conclusion. I was ready to compromise on variant and seating configuration, but white color was somehow stuck in my head. Our Vcross is pearl white, the verna is polar white and the Safari storme was also pearl white. While my family had no problem with color, so I had to succumb down and accept the fate. The car was finalized, and my father wanted the delivery same day. So, I did a quick PDI while my father handled the accounts. We decided not to opt for finance and paid the full amount same afternoon and car was delivered in the evening around 6:30 pm.

The total price came down to (approx.) 24.5 lacs on road Punjab. We were offered accessories worth 25 thousand by the dealership and complimentary under coating (rust protection). Since the car was delivered on a short notice, car was not registered. So, I thought to do it myself and got a fancy number of my choice while all the road tax related paperwork was handled by dealership.

The car has completed 2500 km so far, I couldn’t drive the car much due to lockdown but did few long runs in between.

The things I like about the car-
1. Comfort- Before getting Crysta I used to feel that all the praise Crysta gets in terms of comfort is exaggerated a little bit but now I totally agree.
2. Decent Performance- The 2.8L was a monster but 2.4L is not a slouch either. The lag is minimal, and engine feels more revv friendly than Safari Storme and Vcross. The power mode and manual transmission is a pretty good experience in its own.
3. Driving modes- There are 3 driving modes – Eco, Normal and Power. They change the throttle response depending upon the mode.
4. Last row seats- The last row seats are best suited for children but are better than competition.
5. New Infotainment screen- In the previous version of Toyota Innova crysta the touch screen was not the best in the business and many people complained about it. The new touch screen is very much capable with android auto and apple car play and is definitely feature loaded.

The things I don’t like about the car-
1. Audio quality- The infotainment screen has improved leaps and bound from previous generation, but sound quality remains almost same i.e. its average and nothing to sing praises about it.
2. No soft touch material on dashboard- The materials used in car are good but a touch of soft touch material on dashboard would have been a nice touch.
3. No dead pedal - There is no dead pedal in manual variant.
4. Lack of sunroof – I am not complaining but at this price point they should have provided one.
5. No auto dimming IRVM- There is no auto dimming IRVM, you have to switch it manually.

The official review of Toyota Innova Crsyta has covered all the points beautifully. I am covering the points briefly and attaching the link of official review below-
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...al-review.html (Toyota Innova Crysta : Official Review)

Exterior-


The new front fascia looks better than previous version, but the indicator placement is bit out of place. The grill is larger than before and there is a subtle touch of chrome around the grill and headlight. The headlights are blacked out with projector for low beams and halogen high beams. The fog lamps are placed very low and are led. There is no DRL in the Innova Crysta.





On viewing from side it looks like a van, a nice van though. The car is long and bulky but those 16 inch alloys ( same alloys from Baleno and Glanza) look small on a car . The tires are in my opinion are skinny too 205/65/R16 . Car looks purposeful and definitely not trying to look macho . The external rear view mirrors get the puddle lamps which are a nice touch .
The external rear view mirrors do not fold on lock and unlock but Toyota provides accessory for the same.





There are almost no changes in the rear from the previous model . The car gets rear spoiler with integrated third brake light . The rear wiper does a good job of cleaning the glass area. The rear taillight is all halogen .



Interior –

Toyota definitely believes If something ain’t broke don’t fix it. It's not that it is a bad design but few changes or updates are always refreshing. The Gauge cluster gets 3d treatment with blue illumination and looks quite good. The MID provides plenty of information like Fuel consumption, range, average speed, elapsed time, eco drive, outside temperature, audio display, phone caller display, warning message.







Third row is decent in size , headrests are provided in 3rd row along with cupholder , charging cable and AC vents. But third row is best suited for children . Adults can use third row but it may prove uncomfortable on a long drive.



There are no changes in the interior from previous model except new infotainment screen. The new infotainment screen supports android auto and apple carplay. There is also option of mirror cast and Toyota smart device link. The screen is crisp and sharp. There is no inbuilt satnav like previous model but maps can be accessed using android auto or car play.To access the android auto or carplay one has to plug the wire in usb slot present on the center armrest ,the slot below AC controls is for charging only.



The Zx comes with good looking leather seats and lower variants get fabric seats. The fabric material on door pads is dust magnet. The rear tray comes handy while munching on food.



Safety features-

The Zx variant gets 7 airbags while other variants get 3 air bags. The car comes standard with ABS with EBD, Traction control, Hill start assist, Vehicle stability control, Isofix points at rear and 3 point seat belt for all passengers.

Driving Experience-

If driven the way this car is supposed to be driven its very fruitful. Put the foot on the throttle and car pulls smoothly without much lag. The acceleration is not explosive rather very linear. The engine likes to revv but diesel clatter is audible around 3000 RPM. Straight roads and Innova Crsyta are made for each other, this car is a mile muncher. The car feels planted on high speeds. But when it comes to corners you will definitely feel that it’s a van and not some corner carving machine. The steering is heavy but after having storme and Vcross I am used to heavy steering wheels. The ride quality is good overall.

Things changed or upgraded on the car-

1. Seat covers – The fabric seats were not bad rather good according to our climate but there were easily stained, so I decided to install seat covers from a company called dolphin. The fit is very neat and looks premium. They costed me around 15k.



2. 7d mat- All the cars in the garage had laminated floors done but this time I thought to try 7D mats. The mats are from autoform and costed me around 7k.



3. Doorpanel Fabric- The fabric on doorpanels was replaced with same material as that of seat covers. The fabric material was dust magnet.



4. Rain visors- Just got them from aesthetic purpose.
5. PPF on interior panels- PPF was done on all wood finish and piano black panels. Piano black panels are prone to fingerprints and scratches so for peace of mind I decided to get PPF done on these panels.
6. Accessories from Toyota- Auto folding rear view mirrors, Wood garnish for rear doors, exhaust tip, car cover , boot tray , mats and under body rust protection.

[PaddleShifter]

Nice review. For a moment I got confused (regarding the variant you bought) in the middle when you were explaining ZX features and I saw similar stuff in your car (leather seats, door inserts etc). While you mentioned VX and I could ZX features matching ZX, the badging on the car states “V”, lol. Finally, saw the modification updates in the lower part of the post. Wishing you lacs of happy ownership kilometers with this car/ van.

Can you please share from where did you buy those seat covers? Are they comfortable during harsh sunny days? I will try to find these same seat covers in Chandigarh as I really liked them.

[raider9990]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

Nice review. For a moment I got confused (regarding the variant you bought) in the middle when you were explaining ZX features and I saw similar stuff in your car (leather seats, door inserts etc). While you mentioned VX and I could ZX features matching ZX, the badging on the car states “V”, lol. Finally, saw the modification updates in the lower part of the post. Wishing you lacs of happy ownership kilometers with this car/ van.

Can you please share from where did you buy those seat covers? Are they comfortable during harsh sunny days? I will try to find these same seat covers in Chandigarh as I really liked them.

The car is specced with add ons to match Zx variant .
The seat covers were bought from Car care , Bathinda . They are the official dealers of autoform in city . I was given the option of both autoform and dolphin by them, the price point is almost similar considering these two brands. The dolphin felt more premium than autoform so opted for dolphin. So far I haven’t faced any problem in harsh summers .

[GTO]

Congrats on the Innova! Other than style & ride quality, it's superior in every way to the Safari Storme.

Originally Posted by raider9990

If driven the way this car is supposed to be driven its very fruitful.

Truly. With this 2nd-gen Innova, the lines between "SUV" and "MPV" are blurred. In fact, I think they might have thinned a bit too much. That's why Toyota discontinued the 2.8L, so as to maintain the differentiation in favour of the Fortuner.

Wishing you a minimum of 300,000 happy km and many road-trips with your Innova Crysta . Your review will go to our homepage later this week.

[gkveda]

Congratulations on new Innova purchase. You will never be disappointed with Toyota. Rather you will be overwhelmed with the trouble free experience as you go along with the car. Innova is a super comfortable car for family of 6 with 2-3 kids.

With the infinite reliability and bullet proof engine, Innova will make you forget the Safari sentiments very soon, if any. I wish you have a great journey with Toyota and long munching miles with Innova.

[raider9990]

Originally Posted by gkveda

Congratulations on new Innova purchase. You will never be disappointed with Toyota. Rather you will be overwhelmed with the trouble free experience as you go along with the car. Innova is a super comfortable car for family of 6 with 2-3 kids.

With the infinite reliability and bullet proof engine, Innova will make you forget the Safari sentiments very soon, if any. I wish you have a great journey with Toyota and long munching miles with Innova.

Only thing I miss so far is the commanding view from driver seat of Safari .

[vshankarhere]

Originally Posted by raider9990

On viewing from side it looks like a van, a nice van though. The car is long and bulky but those 16 inch alloys ( same alloys from Baleno and Glanza) look small on a car . The tires are in my opinion are skinny too 205/65/R16 .

An excellent ownership write up for the ever reliable Toyota Innova. Wishing you millions of miles in this capable MPV.

Just for information, even though the alloys of Crysta and Glanza look similar, they are actually different. The alloy used in Baleno / Glanza has a different PCD with 4 holes, while the one in Crysta has 5 holes. Also, if you look closely, the design is slightly different.

I used to wonder why Toyota did this; why have very similar looking alloys for their 10 lakh and 30 lakh cars. The alloy is basically a different one, why does it hurt to have different design? But anyways, it does not seem to bother the Crysta buyers much!

[RaceHorse]

Congratulations on your new Innova Crysta and nice ownership writeup.

I don't remember how many times I cursed Toyota for not launching a bench seat variant under ZX automatic.
This would have been a perfect and ideal (still it is) family vehicle for all needs.

My wait seems like never ending, until Toyota India hears thousands of those, who wanted a 3 seater
second row and reluctantly purchased captain seat version.

Hope sales of upcoming XUV700 and Alcazar pushes Toyota to make a bright move.

[PrasannaDhana]

Nice review and Congratulations on the crysta!

A very sensible replacement for the storme I feel. It's either the crysta or the endeavor, but the endeavor goes to an entirely higher price band in comparison.

While you might miss the commanding driving position of the storme, you will start enjoying the lower body roll and better cruising ability at triple digit speeds. I have always admired crystas doing good speeds on the highway so effortlessly.

Glad you did not fall for the "Safari" gimmick of Tata selling the Gravitas. While the new Safari is a nice package, the crysta will have better fit and finish, reliability, brand value and a phenomenal resale.

Wishing you lakhs of safe travel with the crysta.

[mohitchalla]

Congratulations on the new purchase! It is one of the best cars one can buy in India, and quite possibly can last one of the longest.

[raider9990]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Nice review and Congratulations on the crysta!.

Glad you did not fall for the "Safari" gimmick of Tata selling the Gravitas. While the new Safari is a nice package, the crysta will have better fit and finish, reliability, brand value and a phenomenal resale.

Wishing you lakhs of safe travel with the crysta.

Not everyone will agree with my opinion but somehow I believe true blue SUVs should stay body on frame with proper low range . If I hadn’t bought Vcross last year I would have definitely looked into Endeavour or fortuner .

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

Just for information, even though the alloys of Crysta and Glanza look similar, they are actually different. The alloy used in Baleno / Glanza has a different PCD with 4 holes, while the one in Crysta has 5 holes. Also, if you look closely, the design is slightly different.

much!

I did realise that few days ago while checking out neighbours Baleno , the finish is also different if observed carefully . The finish in Baleno is diamond cut with black whereas in Innova its diamond cut with greyish silver finish.

[haisaikat]

Congratulations on the Crysta, hail from another Crysta GX Auto 2019 owner. That Pearl White looks dashing and elegant, something I did not have in the GX in 2019 and had to settle for the Silver. Wish you tons and tons of miles on your flying fortress.

Like you I have also gone for Autoform 7D mats, I checked with them if they can give me a seat cover with similar Or contrasted design as the floor mats, they said subject to negotiation, for covid I parked the idea and still going with the default cloth upholstery of the GX. While I does get dirty and can be cleaned it's very comfortable for longer journeys.





The last row charging seems to be a new addition and the android auto and apple car play is one of the greatest additions. Enjoy these highly convenient features.

You installed PPM on the inside but I think the door handle well and door edge areas will benefit more from PPM.

I benefitted a lot from the door edge protectors and door lower chrome guards from bruises. Also see if you can take tyre protection as part of your insurance if not already taken.

[Leoshashi]

Congratulations on the Crysta. It looks better in this facelifted avatar to me. Wish you many memorable (s)miles with it.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Like you I have also gone for Autoform 7D mats

How is the fit and finish, specially around the pedals? Does it interfere with the movement?

Regards,
Shashi

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

How is the fit and finish, specially around the pedals? Does it interfere with the movement?

Fit has been perfect, including corners, I have no problems flooring the pedal and never in 2 years has it got stuck.

The problem is after servicing, when they do interior vaccum, that is when at places the Mat gets disoriented but unless you look thoroughly no one will notice, owner's eyes are always detailed .

Over 2 years another issue is some angled / curved places (very few) are held with Velcro straps, those that come with Velcro on one side that stick to floor carpeting material and other end that sticks to the mat is having adhesive tapes. The adhesive side have come off in one or two places and can be refixed with new tape easily.

Other than that the mats have been a charm and gives a classy look over the default rubber ones dealer gave free.

[raider9990]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Congratulations on the Crysta, hail from another Crysta GX Auto 2019 owner. That Pearl White looks dashing and elegant, something I did not have in the GX in 2019 and had to settle for the Silver. Wish you tons and tons of miles on your flying fortress.

Like you I have also gone for Autoform 7D mats, I checked with them if they can give me a seat cover with similar Or contrasted design as the floor mats, they said subject to negotiation, for covid I parked the idea and still going with the default cloth upholstery of the GX. While I does get dirty and can be cleaned it's very comfortable for longer journeys.

Attachment 2163703

Attachment 2163704


You installed PPM on the inside but I think the door handle well and door edge areas will benefit more from PPM.

I benefitted a lot from the door edge protectors and door lower chrome guards from bruises. Also see if you can take tyre protection as part of your insurance if not already taken.

PPF on door well is due , meanwhile I have installed edge protectors.