Toyota Innova Hycross: Choosing between hybrid and non-hybrid versions

If you had to buy a Toyota Innova Hycross today, which one would you pick - the petrol or the strong hybrid version?

BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

If you keep track of the sales charts, you know that the Toyota Innova Hycross is undisputed as the leader in its segment. In general, there's nothing in the segment that can match the usability factor of the Hycross. It has 2 powertrains on offer - a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 5th Generation Self-Charging Strong Hybrid Electric System. The 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine makes 173 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 209 Nm @ 4,500-4,900 rpm. The strong hybrid powertrain has a 2.0-litre petrol engine that works with a 168-cell Ni-MH (Nickel Metal Hydride) Battery and a motor to make 184 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 206 Nm. The petrol engine is offered in lower variants, while the strong hybrid power is offered in the higher variants. The target customers are different for both powertrains. Out of the 7 variants that are on offer currently, there's no common variant for both powertrains. The petrol engine is offered in the G, GX and GX(O) variants while the hybrid is offered in the VX, VX(O), ZX and ZX(O) variants.

The Hycross was launched in December 2022 and has been performing strongly in the market. The car's sales haven't dwindled, but there have been a few hiccups in its journey so far. I think Toyota slightly misjudged the response that the Hycross would get in the Indian market and wasn't prepared for it. Let's look at some of the events why Hycross made the News.

At the time of launch (December 2022), the Hycross was available in 5 variants – G and GX for the Petrol engine, VX, ZX and ZX(O) for the Hybrid. In March 2023, there was a price hike of Rs. 75,000 on the hybrid trims and a new VX(O) variant was introduced between VX and ZX trims. By April 2023, the customers were told that the waiting period for the petrol version was around 6-7 months, and the hybrid version had a waiting period of 26 months! Toyota even stopped taking bookings of the top-end ZX and ZX(O) variants for almost a year before reopening them in April this year. The demand was so high that these variants were selling in the black market for a premium of Rs. 3 lakh in cash over and above the official on-road price! According to the latest news, the bookings for top-spec ZX and ZX(O) variants have been paused again and the current waiting period is 14 months. The waiting period for the petrol variants is 6 months.

Availability aside, the price difference between the petrol and hybrid variants is massive. Entry-level variants have a difference of roughly Rs. 7 lakh and the top variants have a difference of nearly Rs. 10 lakh. This gap is enough to swing the decision for most people. They’re willing to live with the single-digit fuel economy rather than spend a big sum of money on the hybrid version. However, let's not forget that the hybrid variants are better equipped than the petrol-only variants – Toyota Innova Hycross Variant-Wise Features Brochure.pdf.

Considering all factors – availability, price difference, features, fuel economy, waiting period and more, if you had to buy a Toyota Innova Hycross today, which one would you pick - the petrol or the strong hybrid version?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Always the best engine & top variant for all my cars. I love the Hycross Hybrid and that's the one I would get. IMHO, it's the best 3-seat row UV in the 30 - 50 lakh segment, unless you absolutely need a 4x4. Else, it's better than the SUVs in many ways.

That 5-6 lakh you pay extra will more than be recovered at the time of resale. Of course, we're not considering the opportunity cost of the 5 lakh rupees.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

Voted: Strong hybrid. That’s the one I’d pick without a doubt.

1. If I buy a car like the Innova, it’s a 12 - 15 year purchase for me. Over that period, I may not recall the money I saved while buying it but I’ll always appreciate the fuel efficiency throughout the ownership period.
2. FE is more than just money saved via fuel bills. It’s also convenient in terms of driving range. An option that gives me a 2x - 3x tank range before a refill is required is very very welcome.
3. Trim level. The hybrid can be had in ZX / ZX(O) while the pure petrol is only in lower variants - GX (O) tops. That’s another strong reason for me to pick the hybrid. Having said that, even if both were available in the same top-spec trim I’d still have picked the hybrid. Of course, with trims being matched the price difference would also not be as vast as 7 lakh.

Here's what BHPian CEF_Beasts had to say on the matter:

The cab picture used in the opening post is a Base GX Hybrid, so Toyota is clearly selling the base trim in Hybrid form for commercial yellow plate buyers, even though officially Toyota has no such variant on sale in India.

Toyota definitely has room for launching the GX hybrid for private buyers as well and it will be a massive hit considering the lower price tag. It will reduce the price gap between the GX(O) Petrol and VX Hybrid which is currently at 6 Lakhs to less than 3-4 Lakhs.

I have voted for the Strong Hybrid. And that’s where I have put my money.

Taking delivery of my HyCross Hybrid this month, it has been a long wait, but the car is finally here!

Here's what BHPian TorqueIndia had to say on the matter:

Voted for VFM non-hybrid!

I will go for a hybrid garage instead of a hybrid car for the same ZXO money.

Toyota Innova Hycross ZXO Hybrid costs 39L OTR Bangalore. For the same money, we can get 2 cars, more utility, lower fuel costs and lower emissions.

Toyota Innova Hycross GXO CVT non-hybrid at 26.8L OTR, as well as a Punch EV Adventure 3.3 at 12.90L OTR.

Toyota sales were quite strong with around 38K units of HYCROSS hybrid sold in 2023.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.