[sps]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Congratulations!

What amazed me is that you bought Nov 2008 car. I first had thought why not the freshened up car, but then logic prevails. I was surprised that no freebies were offered for this now slightly older model. But nevertheless the car is looking quite imposing.
No keyless entry for such an expensive car is not digestable, but overall a nice choice.

What is the FE you are getting and would love to hear about the experience with the car.

thanks aaggoswami
no freebies are generally on offer by the toyota dealers. I had an option to get accessories worth 30k. But I wanted that amount also to be discounted because the accessories were not worth it.
Regarding the new Innova. Gx corresponds to G4 which I purchased. The current OTR here in trivandrum for GX is 10.5 lakhs with no offers at all.
For me the OTR was 9.6 lakhs.
What really happened was before the new model was released Toyota raised the prices of innova by 20k to 30k somewhere at the beginning of january. Then when new model was released they said that their is not increase in price.
Currently the dealers are offering discounts of upto 60k to 70k on the old model, if they are having stock. so that means the old model sells currently at 9.8lakhs OTR after discount. Same as what I got.
I had the apprehension of higher price when new model was launched. Also nothing much has changed for the GX from G4. only electrically adjustable ORVMs and the new front grill.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by sps

... I too liked the color. but it is non metallic. I don't know how fast it will fade out

Keep it clean and give it a regular polish. I guess it will last for quite a number of years, if not for a very long time.

[sps]

What was done by the dealer
1. Keyless entry - autocop - lifetime warranty Rs.3800
2. parking sensor - Rs. 3200
3. muffler cutter - Rs. 450

Quotation for other accessories
Got quotation for following accessories from 3 shops in my locality
1. Pioneer head unit
2. Components for front
3. Art leather seat covers
4. side beeding
5. floor lamination
6. sun film
7. roof spoiler
8. fog lamps
9. Bumper protector
10. Alloy wheels
11. chrome mirror cover

Decision
Decided on a shop which was patient to answer all my queries. Others were either too overcrowded or were not interested in answering my
questions at all.

What was fitted/not fitted & why?

1. Pioneer head unit
went for 4050 - Rs 5900/-
Features which I liked
a basic model which has 2 + 1 channel output,
USB interface via cable - hence can keep inside dash box
Aux input on the front.
One minor problem occured during installation. After fitting the HU, the plastic above the HU was not falling into lock properly. After
sometime identified that the head unit's back side was hitting against the holder resulting in it being slightly pushed to the front.
Slightly tilted the back side of the HU, so that it went a little bit more deeper inside. But the end result was the inclination of the HU
was not parallel to the frame of dash board. Not quite visible to the naked eye though. One problem could be that the slot available is for
a 2 din player, the dummy cage for this slot was cut to accommodate this HU. May be the cutting was not done exactly in the centre causing
this. Still it left some doubts about the workmanship experience, but happy that the problem was found out patiently by the installer
himself eventhough it meant that a good 40 minutes was spent on it.



2. Components for front
After fitting the head unit, listened to the sound using stock speakers.
It was clear and to my liking. Thought I will invest on components and for sub later

3. Art leather seat covers
Opted for biege to match the interiors. To save from rapid accumulation of dirt and to add to the looks decided on a biege - black
combination. Decided for OE fitting since it will fit the seats more firmly than standard sized ones. Rs. 4000/-. I must say it was a neat
job.





4. Side beeding
Side beeding protects the door from directly banging to any close objects when opened carelessly. Also it adds to the looks from the side.
Without side beeding the whole body seems a huge chunk of mass from the side. This beeding gives a perception of smaller size from the
sideview. Stickers also will do the same purpose, but somehow I don't like the idea of stickers especially the big ones which Toyota gives.
Got a side beeding with a chrome lining whose color was same as that of my vehicle - Rs 1500/-. Initially when I went to take quote, I was
given the impression that I need to get the side beeding painted to get my desired color.
After fitting beeding I found out that it is just for the looks because the door had a more projected aread under the side beeding which
will hit the obstacle first before the side beeding.


5. Floor lamination
This is something which I don't like because we will lose out on the fabric coating under the floor mats. But my experience of milk & other
drinks spilling to this fabric by my kids made me think of this option.
Chose a black color one. Also decided to buy big biege colored floor mats which will almost hide the black floor laminate.
floor Lamination - Rs 1800/-, Floor mats - Rs 1500/-
You can see the black lamination under the front seat. But is covered by the biege colored mats between seats.

6.Sun film
Still not decided whether to go for it or not. Decided to have a feel of things without the sunfilm and then chose one. What I felt is dark
colored films will hamper the visibility at nights and it is not good for such a big vehicle. Till now my policy was that if sunfilm is
done then it should be in dark black to get privacy. Also another problem is that I could not find out whether any of the film on offer is
genuine or not and whether the installer is properly trained or not. The rear defogger also might not work if the sunfilm installation is
not proper. Hence decided to install it after seeing some good installation on an innova itself.

7. Roof spoiler
Initially I thought that it add to the looks eventhough it serves no other purpose. When at the accessory shop I felt that I will miss the
smooth roundness and at certain angles the spoiler looks as not part of the vehicle but an external unmatched attachment. Hence put off
this decision.


8. Fog lamps
Really doubted the geniuinity of the aftermarket lamps. It also seems to be a cosmetic modification. Also did not want an unauthorized
dealer to tinker with the electricals. Now thinking of buying a genuine one and getting it fitted by the dealer. Dealer is charging 8400 for buying from them. Looking out for cheaper but genuine ones.

9. Bumper protector
Decided to fit this as this will protect the bumper from scratches, if it is a minor hit on the bumper. Cost - Rs. 250. I could get the
lengthier one with chrome lining. After fitting it somehow I felt it to be a little cheap by its looks. But I thought to keep it for some
time.


10. Alloy wheels
Alloys are needed for a more smoother drive + it adds to the looks.
I graduated to Innova from a santro. Hence I was already getting a real smooth drive with the stock tyres and alloys. So i decided not to
change the tyres, till next tyre change.
As for alloys there seems to be no good shop in tvm with real good options. Whatever i have seen so far, i photoshoped to my innova, but
doesn't look pleasing than the existing toyota wheelcup. So I am not in a real hurry for the alloy thing too. Will get it done if I find something really matching the color which I have got.

11. chrome mirror cover
This version came with a body colored mirror. After the first few kilometers I found out that the part most prone for damage is the
external rear view mirror, which projects a good distance from the main body. Hence to increase visbility I decided to have a chrome mirror
cover with indicator.

[HappyWheels]

Well detailed report... and nice photos.

As for the sun film for the back, since you have the defogger, the film must be fitter on the outside and while doing that, make sure that those people do not remove the glass from the frame for doing it, which seems to be a standard practice.

[muneemmk]

Hey very good report, I never knew about the Sun film Installation and Defogger Issues, but it is a standard practice at Toyota to install it from inside and have never seen any issues,also they never remove the glass to do it. would be better if you do this from the dealer itself.

[sps]

Buying experience continued - feeback to dealer

4 days after I bought home my innova, I got an email from the dealer asking for a feedback on buying experience. I replied instantly terming all the positive buying experience which I had. I had felt really good, since I never expected the dealership to have such a courteous attitude towards the customer for a good selling vehicle like Toyota.

Within 2 days I got a call from the sales person thanking me for the email. He was telling that people only will give feedback if there are some complaints.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by sps

...Within 2 days I got a call from the sales person thanking me for the email. He was telling that people only will give feedback if there are some complaints.

good of you to give a positive feedback also.

As said by the salesman, most people conveniently forget to mention the good things and focus only on negatives.

[cvvikram]

Congrats bro for the best purchase!

enjoy riding her safely on the roads.

[isldhn]

Congratulations SPS. Red is a beautiful and rare colour in innova. Will easily stand out in a group of innova's. And Yeah it made sense to go for the older model as the 1Lakh difference is quite a huge amt. to be paid for the little changes in '09 model.

[sps]

Originally Posted by cvvikram

Congrats bro for the best purchase!

enjoy riding her safely on the roads.

Thanks cvvikram. One of the TBHP signatures is "With more BHP comes more responsibility". When I am driving this I am feeling as if, with more BHP and big size we should be more responsible". While driving an MUV the driver should ensure that all the passengers inside are feeling at home. The driver can simply make even a good road feel like real bad if he drives rashly. I am slowly learning this art with constant feedback from my family.

Originally Posted by isldhn

Congratulations SPS. Red is a beautiful and rare colour in innova. Will easily stand out in a group of innova's. And Yeah it made sense to go for the older model as the 1Lakh difference is quite a huge amt. to be paid for the little changes in '09 model.

thanks isldhn. This color has been stopped now. So this will become more rarer now.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

good of you to give a positive feedback also.

As said by the salesman, most people conveniently forget to mention the good things and focus only on negatives.

I too felt good when he said this because most of the time we are not liberal when it comes for meaningful appreciation

[sps]

The odo read 300km. The new year eve is just 2 days away. Can't wait for the holiday to start the trip.
Packed the bags 2 days before new year. route- Tvm - calicut, then calicut to nelliyampathy, nelliyampathy - calicut, calicut - trivandrum.
Luggage for 3 adults and 2 kids was comfortably housed without folding the third row seat. Was really happy about this.
Only concern for me was that, since the vehicle was still under run in, I cannot let it loose even in good roads, but then I thought that one way its good because I will first get to know the vehicle at safer low speeds without getting carried away by its power.
Started at 5am, some sharp 2 to 3 curves in fifth gear at 80 - 90 speeds, asked for feedback from wifey who was sitting in second row, got response that she's feeling more stable than my other tall boy - santro, was really happy to hear that, my selection justified in terms of body roll.
Soon I understood that I have to really look at the speedo to slow myself down, because I was easily reaching speeds of 100Ks/2000rpm, soon I found this to be boring because there was nothing much to worry about vehicles size because of its amazing maneuverability even at high speeds. Also was satisfied that my elder kid got a sound sleep in the third row seat for about 4 hours or so. He had done thir earlier in a scorpio, but time and again he will get up asking me to slow down because he was not comfortable.
Reached calicut at 1pm, mileage obtained (13km/l), distance covered 400km
All passengers were really fresh and enjoyed the journey. So I estimated that we will able to do atleast 600 - 700 kms comfortably in a single day with 5 passengers. In Santro my comfortable touring distance was 500.

Second leg of this journey to nelliyampathy in next post.

[vijaythacker]

sps. congratulations on your new wheels, with such a good choice of colour which is rarely seen, do maintain it well with regular polishing which will let this colour remain intact. Have a safe ride.
Hope your kid was able to sleep properly this time without getting up to slow u down..

[sps]

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

sps. congratulations on your new wheels, with such a good choice of colour which is rarely seen, do maintain it well with regular polishing which will let this colour remain intact. Have a safe ride.
Hope your kid was able to sleep properly this time without getting up to slow u down..

thanx vijay
Maintaining this colour is a little tough though, just like black. yup indeed. he slept well

[Ramsagar]

Congrats on purchasing my favourite machine,though i don't own one.
Personal liking: add a spoiler & peel-off the Bumper protector.
ORVM with side repeaters looks good.

[sps]

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

Congrats on purchasing my favourite machine,though i don't own one.
Personal liking: add a spoiler & peel-off the Bumper protector.
ORVM with side repeaters looks good.

Thanks ramsagar
Somehow I felt like spoiler looks like an add on especially from close looks which I usually see. Hence I ruled it out. May be after sometime if I want to have a changed look I will give it a try.
Looking out for a small bumber protector which does not project this much. But cannot do away with it, since it already saved me from a small scratch.