Innova Hycross shares garage with Endeavour: Impressions after 6000 km

The Hycross returns a fuel efficiency anywhere between 16-18 km/l in the city.

BHPian newton_meteor recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Completed 6000 km with the Hycross ZX (O). Here are my impressions:

The first thing you notice when you meet the HyCross is that it feels intimidating, like an SUV, especially when viewed from the front. This will answer your apprehension about how an Innova can cost 36-37L

If that doesn't justify the pricing, then this will - the best rear seat under a crore rupees

The rear passengers can literally sleep due to recline angle on offer and the controlled ride.

The imposing face and flatter bonnet compared to the Crysta and the original Innova make this MUV look like an SUV. But that’s the only SUV part about the HyCross. In all other senses, it’s a MUV and more car-like to live with.

The ride quality is one of the strong points of the HyCross. It rides with low-speed suppleness, which was missing in the body-on-frame predecessors. Yes, the 18-inch wheels show some harshness with really sharp bumps but not to the point of discomfort. For the most part, the HyCross has a very comfy ride

The ground clearance is ample and does not scrape even in Bangalore speed breakers. You can do farm visits in the HyCross comfortably

With its garage mate, a 2.2 Ford Endeavour. HyCross gets preference for its superior ride quality and rear seat experience

But make no mistake, Endeavour is the boss

Me and my car enthusiast nephew testing ADAS, which works well. The collision warning beep pops up when you get close under acceleration. The steering assist works well when the lane markings are clear but asks you to get your hands back on the wheel in around 10 seconds

The high-speed damping of the monocoque is leaps and bounds ahead of the body-on-frame platform. It rides with a poise unseen in MUVs. But don’t take advantage of the superior ride and handling to hammer it through rough roads. This is not a Crysta. This is not a ladder frame architecture. The ZX(O) does not have enough sidewall to take the beating, and you have to slow down for bad roads like you would in a sedan. The G and V variants will fare better here (the 16in and 17in wheels look puny though). For some reason, HyCross feels like a high-riding Camry, and that is why you feel like you need to slow down for broken patches, whereas in a Crysta, you would pummel through them. My recommendation is to drive the HyCross like a sedan, and you would be very pleased with the ride comfort. Body roll while cornering is quite prominent due to the soft suspension.

The electronic power steering is silly light (lighter than a Kia Seltos). Although light, the calibration and precision are on point. Yes, at higher speeds, a weighted setup would have felt reassuring. The Crysta’s hydraulic setup suffered with steering play and lack of precision under full load, but the HyCross feels controlled at all speeds

The stability of the TNGA-C is remarkable. Even at high speeds, the HyCross felt exceptionally stable and masked the speed exceedingly well. Body movements, even over a set of continuous highway undulations are controlled well. Moreover, the noises are suppressed well. HyCross, especially in the top trim, feels like a luxury offering compared to the utilitarian Crysta

One area where the HyCross can disappoint is in its high-speed braking. Blame the stance, narrow tyres and regenerative braking. It is not quite confidence-inspiring. Hence, it is best to drive HyCross at 8/10ths

When you rev hard, there is a throaty exhaust note from the 2.0-litre dynamic force engine that brings a grin to the boy racer in you. The HyCross is deceptively quick for its size. Although a hybrid is not meant to be floored, it is fun to floor the HyCross

I am someone who hates CVTs, but I like the e-CVT as it feels almost like a torque converter due to the electric motor’s boost. Kudos to Toyota, the integration between the engine, electric motor and CVT is seamless

The best way to drive the HyCross or any strong hybrid is to let the engine coast whenever possible. If you spot traffic/speedbump/junction within say 50m, you need to stop accelerating and let the engine coast which recharges the electric motor. It’s fun to learn to modulate the throttle based on the traffic and recharge the battery

The engine and the electric motor work well to give a smooth surge without the CVT whine/lag. Apart from the fuel savings, this boost makes hybrids worth picking over a regular ICE, even if the initial purchase cost is slightly higher

How times are changing? An Innova with a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine getting XP95. It's indeed an overkill for this engine which just runs fine with normal petrol

While some interior bits/buttons may feel flimsy, the colours elevate the cabin ambience

All in all, a worthy purchase in times when car prices are over the roof

Last, but not least, the Hycross returns anywhere between 16-18 km/l under regular city driving conditions. Hycross does not like highways where the efficiency drops to 14km/l because the engine is mostly active on the highways while at 100-120 kph. On some days when you are driving sedately and maintaining speeds below 90kph, you do get to see 20-22 km/l

It has the presence, performance, efficiency, comfort and promise of reliability - A new Hy indeed. It does punch above its weight.

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