Toyota has sold over 2.3 million vehicles in India.

Toyota has announced that the cumulative sales of the Innova Hycross have crossed the 50,000 unit mark in India.

The Innova Hycross was launched in November 2022. It is based on the TNGA platform and is available with pure petrol and strong-hybrid powertrains. The 2.0-litre petrol puts out 172 BHP and 197 Nm. The strong-hybrid version also uses a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine paired with Toyota’s 5th-gen strong-hybrid tech for a combined output of 183 BHP.

The Innova Hycross is available in six variants with prices starting at Rs 18.92 lakh (ex-showroom). The MPV comes in either a 7-seat or 8-seat configuration and is equipped with a semi-digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system, ventilated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control; among other features.

Toyota has sold over 2.3 million vehicles in India, starting with the Qualis. Today, the brand offers a wide range of products, including the Glanza hatchback, Urban Cruiser Hyryder compact SUV, Innova Crysta, Fortuner and the Hilux.

We owned the first-gen Innova for 17 years and never faced any rat-bite incidents.

BHPian gladiatort1000 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Before HyCross we owned Gen1 Innova from 2006 to 2023. The car does not fit in the parking area present inside our home. Hence it is parked outside the home. Old Innova never suffered a rat bite incident in 17 years of ownership.

Somehow within 1 month of purchasing the Hycross on 1st Feb 2023, we started noticing rat droppings inside the car. Sometimes pieces of sealing wool type of material were found inside the car. I purchased 3M Rat spray and sprayed it inside the engine bay and areas where there can be a chance of RAT entry inside the dashboard. Continued doing this every month. Looks like this did not give the expected results.

After a few weeks, there was a smell of the AC and a loud noise from the AC. Rats had damaged the AC filter and chewed through more than half of it. Since it cost only 2K. I got it replaced by paying out of pocket and did not go for insurance.

A couple of months down the line, there was sewage cleanup done in my road and locality by the BBMP. This seemed to have drawn out even more Rats to the surface. During a long weekend in May, I had not touched the car for 3 days and when we opened the car on the 4th day, I noticed a smell inside the car and a loud noise from the AC. Upon inspection, there were multiple damages. Below is the list and the photos are attached:

A small part of the plastic between the front windshield and bonnet was damaged.

A large hole was found in the 3rd row left passenger bottle holder/ charging plugs.

Multiple parts of the AC were damaged inside the dash.

Got the repair done under insurance. I paid 2K and insurance paid 40K.

A mesh was installed in the dash area for around 1 to 1.5k. Below is the photo of the mesh installation.

After this repair and mesh installation. I have continued to use the 3M RAT Spray every month and have not seen any traces of rats coming inside my car.

So getting mesh installed seems to be a good idea. I suggest others to try this.

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Material used was Paintguard Professional PPF with 5 year warranty.

BHPian Manuuj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had booked the Hycross for PPF application at Retro Rraps in New Delhi. They do a very professional and transparent job.

Material used was Paintguard Professional PPF with a 5-year warranty.

Process followed:

• They first applied a light Compound wax on the car and gave it a light pass.
• Washing with foam wash.
• They then applied Finishing wax.
• Washed the car again with foam wash.
• Next step was completely rinsing the car and drying using a microfiber cloth.
• Inspection to check for any dust or polish residue.
• Then it was moved to the enclosed PPF booth.
• Door handles, wing mirrors, and emblems were removed.
• The sealed PPF box was bought and opened in front of me.
• Application of PPF started.
• Full body, front and rear bumpers, the front area of the roof, headlights, and wing mirrors were covered in 180-micron glossy PPF.
• All items that were removed like Wing Mirrors Door handles etc were then reinstalled and special care was taken to put the emblems back exactly where they were originally.
• Final inspection was carried out and it was then handed over to me

In all the entire process took 2 days. The results are very good and I am quite delighted with how the final finish is.

Cost: INR 70,000/-

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Was a bit concerned about the ergonomics of the Hycross compared to the Corolla, but it was not an issue.

BHPian subbarp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I covered around 1400 km on the trip in a few days, nothing to report over what has already been called out multiple times on this thread. The amazing ride, great fuel efficiency, easy to drive, super spacious, poor headlights, could have had a better horn etc.

Going from a Corolla to this, I observed that:

1. All passengers dozed off much more. No one complained at all about tossing/turning or body roll or nausea at all.
2. Once in the vehicle, did not feel the need for better tires (ZXO Variant).
3. Rear passengers did not complain about the A/c at all (was an issue on the Corolla - too cold at the front and not so at the rear or unbearably cold at the front when rear passengers were comfortable).
4. I was a bit concerned about the ergonomics compared to the Corolla at the time of purchase (armrests being a bit back, lack of lumbar support etc.) but these were not an issue. Driver seat cushioning is better on the Corolla.
5. Is awesome as a super spacious and luxurious 4-seater with lots of luggage space.
6. Could be driven like a sedan, do not recollect many adjustments required in the style of driving.
7. Do not think I would use adaptive cruise control much. It works well though, but I do not see myself using that much.
8. No drop in connectivity or surprises with Android Auto.
9. Reviews have stated that camera displays could have been better. Maybe true but the 360 camera and the sensors work very nicely for parking and tight/slow traffic.
10. Headlights are indeed quite poor. Specifically planned departures such that I do not have to drive much in the dark. Have to cut speed dramatically in the dark (highways).
11. Horn could have been better.

Overall, substantially less tiring/non-tiring for drivers and passengers while covering miles.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Very good fuel efficiency for a car of its size; usually gets about 20 km/l in the city.

BHPian RSimonS recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Pearl White Innova HyCross ZX(O) completed its third service on this Monday (11th Dec) as it was completing 20,000 kms and the service cost came to 7500 INR. A short write-up on the experience so far is as below

Innova Hycross Likes:

• The car is even more spacious in comparison with my old Innova. The shoulder room in the car feels better than in my old Innova, elbow needs to travel a couple of inches more to find a resting place
• The amount of space available for the second row is enormous
• Elevated Driving position, a visible bonnet for a change. I am yet to get used to the dimensions, especially when taking tight curves
• Adaptive cruise control along with other ADAS features gives the feel of a semi-self-drive car.
• It moves and behaves like a car. Though the vehicle looks big, it is very easy to drive it in the city traffic, it gives a sedan-like driving experience even in congested Bangalore traffic.
• Steering is very light, helps a lot while parking etc
• 2 zone Climate Control is nice, they could have provided a three-zone one
• Very Good AC, 2nd and 3rd row vents help with this
• A reasonably good music system
• Rear seat comfort, my wife prefers the ottoman seats more than the passenger seat
• The silent start of the car never fails to surprise people standing next to it, along the good suspension provides a glide-like feel
• This car will surprise you and leave a smile on your face in power mode
• Very good mileage for a car of its size, usually gets about 20 km/l (5 l /100 kms) in the city and have seen it falling to 5.6 l /100 kms during highway drives

Innova Hycross Dislikes:

• Even though the Central console does not block my visibility, at times I feel blinded by the Inside Rear-View mirror, the blacked-out area is significantly large
• Way too many sensors. It even warns if the window glass is not fully up, or if the headlight is on while switching off the car. Alarms go off in such cases. Many settings are via a combination of switches and require a bit of getting used to
• The music system could have been better, the sound is not rich
• Getting in and out of the car requires a bit of getting used. Sidestep is not available even as an accessory
• Some missing options like the lock/unlock buttons are not illuminated, ORVM is not heated, auto wipers, heated seats, follow me home lights
• Yet to figure out how to set the TPMS warning
• Brakes are not confidence-inspiring, it is a bit vague at times
• The engine can get loud when the hybrid battery is out of charge, the sound in such cases is annoying
• Car takes time to respond while accelerating hard
• There are two buttons on the back door, one for closing and the other for closing and lock. The second button is inconsistent with its behaviour
• There is a setting via MID to remind the driver that there are items kept on the back seat. One would need to navigate through multiple clicks to arrive at the setting. Initially, I thought some sensor might have failed, only to figure out later that it was a setting. This setting is only on showing the alert in MID, iConnect app occasionally sends the alert even when the setting is off.
• Though the captain seats in the rear get 4-way electronic adjustments, the front passenger seat is fully manual
• Little more travel for the driver’s seat would have helped tall drivers
• Rear seatbelt warning continues to chime if one shifts seats after the car is in motion
• Knee hits the central console while driving, experience is better if the leg is placed on the dead pedal fully
• Blow from the ventilated seats could have been stronger, there is audible sound at max speed. The airflow seems to be limited to the top and thigh end of the seats, not to the portions in between.
• The 360-degree camera should have been better, the resolution is not good and it is non-usable in sunlight
• My earlier Innova had a light colour interior, a similar colour would have provided a roomy feel to the cabin
• The user manual is available only via the i-Connect app, it is not user-friendly. I was not able to find a PDF version either
• The i-Connect app has a mind of its own and it is buggy

Issues faced:

1. The left 360-degree camera stopped working within a month of purchase and was replaced under warranty. Took 2-3 days for them to investigate and agree that it was an issue with the part
2. Infotainment systems crash once in a while, not able to identify a pattern. Sometimes it happens while on long drives, sometimes it happens while on short drives within the city

Accessories added:

• Grill jewel garnish
• Front underrun
• Side visor
• Mudguard
• Floor and Trunk mats, fabric
• DVR
• Rear bike protector
• Underbody coating

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Mahindra XUV700 and Toyota Innova Hycross are beyond my budget. The Scorpio N is nice but its 3rd row is unusable.

BHPian viper33 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello TeamBHP community, hope all of you are doing great. I am just writing this fairly long post to gather your opinions.

• Financial advice
• Whether to buy a new car or continue with the Honda BR-V
• Which car to buy

I was born in a humble family (humble is a small word, but a poor family). My father was a carpenter and worked as a watchman and our monthly income was Rs.2000 per month before I started earning. I have mostly studied in Govt schools and colleges with my parents putting in as much as they can and with the help of my relatives.

Currently, I am 34 years old and I work with Microsoft as Sr.Product Manager. I earn approx 45L post-tax.

We recently bought a house worth 1.5Cr, a 3 BHK villa in Hyderabad. This is the first and only property we own right now. The primary reason to choose a villa over an apartment is that an apartment might lose value over a period of time and selling would be difficult. With a villa, the chances of appreciation are higher and the probability of selling it, in case you know life is unpredictable, is higher.

Apart from the house, approx. 20L in savings

Here is my conundrum

Currently, I am on a mission mode to close the home loan and if there are no surprises in life, I would expect it to close in the next 5 to 6 years. As I am paying high EMI with less tenure, I do not have any money for investments. As the house loan interest is cheaper, the question is whether should I rush closing the loan or continue to pay the EMI and invest the amount as the probability of fetching higher returns is higher. Please share your thoughts on your experience considering my background.

Let's come to the car

I am an auto enthusiast, and I always help my friends and family in choosing their perfect ride. I enjoy driving and I swear by it. Till now, based on my background, haven’t dared to buy a new car of my choice.

My first ride was a 10-year-old A-star which I bought for 2L and sold for 1.85L after driving it for 2 years. Then I bought a pre-owned Sunny automatic. My mother has her legs operated on and can not fold her legs completely, so I needed a car with a lot of leg room and chose Sunny. I bought it for 3L and sold it for 2.85L after driving it for 2 years.

My sister’s family is like the same family and we miss her always whenever we go anywhere, so I needed a 7 seater. Currently, I drive a pre-owned Honda BR-V. I bought it with the assumption that Honda is reliable, but my current car gives one or the other trouble now and then and spent quite a good amount in servicing that. In addition to that, the ride was so stiff, that my mother complained every day.

Now, I am planning to buy a new car and that too a 7 seater. My financial mind says to wait for 2 more years, reduce the home loan burden, and get a car, but to be honest, every time I drive my current car, I feel why am I driving this and never enjoyed it as well. Please help me with which choice to make.

Cars I am considering

Just I have three prerequisites, it should be safe, it should be fun and an automatic.

• Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: 3-star and lethargic engine, so ruling out.
• Kia Carens 1.5 Turbo: Super fun with its powerful turbo petrol engine, again a 3-star rated car, when I am spending 20L which is too huge for me, I don’t want to settle for an unsafe car.
• Mahidra Scorpio-N Z6 Automatic: Safe and Fun. But unusable 3rd row. If I pick the petrol, I don’t think I can handle the low mileage. If I pick diesel, I am not sure about the reliability/maintenance of the BS6 diesel engine, and anyway, I don’t drive enough to need a diesel.
• Mahindra XUV700: The lowest trim with 7 seats is AX5 diesel and it costs approx 26L in Hyderabad, petrol 7 seater is way beyond my budget.
• Tata Safari: Waiting for the petrol which is expected to launch in 2024, I love the design and I like the dynamics of the current car, but I want peace and I am not sure whether I get it with Safari with so many niggles reported.
• Invicto and Hycross: Invicto's lower variant is 31L on the road Hyderabad and Hycross VX is approx 32L on road, I don’t think I can spend such a big amount.

So I don’t know which one to pick either. Share your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

Here's what BHPian Raghu M had to say about the matter:

Sir, I am in my late 30s and work as a VP ops for a US-based firm. I can share some insights into the financial planning part. Allow me to be a little open with the financial part. While I cannot comment on your previous expenses (read obligations), I can see that your hurry in closing the housing loan is not exactly the right decision. I think that is a common misconception that a housing loan has to be closed early so we can have some peace of mind.

• Lower tenure of housing loans (with low interests) takes away the advantage of investing aggressively in the markets (read mutual funds, shares, real estate). Your current cash should be invested while the markets are beginning to show dominance. The next 15 years will see the Indian markets mostly on the bullish side. Your money will start compounding after 6 to 8 years and I am sure you understand the power it has.
• In case you want to upgrade to a bigger house in the future (I hope you do) it will be easy to sell the property (loan transfer is a matter of couple of days) and move on. Not that closing a loan would make it difficult but the documentation (legal opinion, valuation and EC) all take time and a lot of due diligence is needed. A property under loan is pretty safe and has protection from various risks. You are even insured while the loan is running, it gives your family great security and legal ownership of the property in case something unexpected happens.
• You have a solid 15 years from now to invest so that you can retire before 50. So, the plan should be to invest all the extra cash rather than focus on closing the loan. The loan is secure and gives you ample time to close. If I were you, I would negotiate a longer tenure with my bank. Housing loans have the lowest interest rates, hence that is always a safe bet.
• The 20L savings that you have currently should have been a bit more (my honest opinion). But since you have bought a big property, that is understandable. You should ideally be having a corpus of at least 50L given your financial standing. Your portfolio should be 60% in equity and the rest in bonds/debt or even real estate. Talking purely in terms of financial gains, gold is also not a great investment when compared to markets. They beat every other instrument in the long run.
• Your emergency fund should take care of you and your family for at least 18 months in case of a job loss or any unforeseen circumstances. Do you have that?
• The decision to go for a 7-seater while your BRV is not satisfactory is totally fine. I guess all your shortlists are awesome vehicles but be wise on the EMI. A car is a depreciating asset and a short-term loan wouldn't hurt. Any cash that you invest in it has low ROI, so try to move that to a safer investment with the additional cash you have.

This is purely from my experience and it is beginning to work slowly. I have a goal to retire by 2030 (or at least feel secure by then). Am sure you have your goals, so the above points are only for sharing insights. Good luck!

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

This rings close to my heart as the current house that I live in, I had also paid off the housing loan on a very accelerated timeline - at the expense of throttling my savings-based investments for a few years in between. Please don’t make the same mistake. In hindsight, I wish I had invested a little more in some of those years even if it had delayed my foreclosing of my loan a few years later. In balance, it would have been a financially wiser outcome.

I would say try and see if you can elongate the tenure such that your monthly EMI reduces. Let the surplus amount generated per month facilitate some periodic equity investments, which you need not touch for a long time. Please don’t underestimate the power of compounding over an 8 - 12-year period. Over this period, strike a balance between using surplus funds towards prepaying amounts of your loan to reduce the principal liability as well as towards boosting your periodic investments.

This will allow you to wind down the loan in a sensible horizon (you’re still only 34) as well as allow you to create a sizeable savings corpus.

From the list you’ve mentioned, I would suggest the Carens diesel A/T or DCT - principally because it’ll be nice to drive, has excellent ride quality thanks to its 16” wheels and has an incredibly usable third row (relatively speaking).

An even better choice might be trying to find a good used Crysta. It should be low-cost to maintain, reliable, and again very comfortable for your intended use case. I don’t think there’s any harm in going for a car now even if it means pushing out your accelerated loan amortization by a little bit. You’ve clearly been very disciplined with your savings as well as asset creation. If you are an enthusiast and you hate being in the current car, by all means, change it with something sensible that doesn’t break the bank for you.

Here's what BHPian sunilch had to say about the matter:

You have achieved quite a bit in life and I wish I was in your place. Not that I am doing bad from where we/family started, but being a human I wish I was in your situation.

Can't advise you much but do sell the BR-V if you and your family are not happy with it. I own an MT BR-V and love every bit of the car and I am surprised with your observations. But if your primary requirements are not satisfied with it, better to sell ASAP.

Regarding the Home Loan, it appears you have chosen a lesser tenure and hence a higher EMI. If that is not the case, my comments are pointless and you can ignore them. Otherwise, I suggest you change the tenure to the maximum possible/available with the least EMI possible.

Reasons are simple:

• Allows for more in-hand and hence better options to invest the surplus money
• Pre-payment is free in India and you can pre-pay the loan partly every few months with your surplus savings. When you pre-pay, opt for tenure reduction at that time. Each time you pre-pay, your tenure will go down substantially during the initial years. Do this for the first 3-5 years of your loan tenure. Once your outstanding balance reaches are comfortable level, leave the Home loan as is to enjoy the lower borrowing cost and tax benefits. Not many benefits are available these days anyway.
• Extra money in hand is helpful always and can be put to best use based on available opportunities.

Get a car (pre-owned or new based on your preference) that is comfortable for the family. Appears that you want to keep One family car and not multiple. In that case whatever your family enjoys more than you. From personal experience, lesser-known brands may offer a wonderful product and experience. So TD every 7-seater out there and then pick what your family loves overall.

Check if a used Petrol Innova Crysta is available in the used market in HYD. It may have low FE, but would be a good comfortable and safe car for sure.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Skoda Kodiaq and Hyundai Tucson were the other two cars which looked promising to me.

BHPian sdasgupta recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Tale of two Innovas - from Gen 2011 to Hycross - how “Lightning” became “Tony”

Happy New Year 2024 everyone. Since I recently upgraded from my 2012 (pre-facelift) model Innova to the Hycross just before Christmas, I thought I would begin the new year with a post on the experience.

The upgrade dilemma

Well, is there ever any reason to upgrade a Toyota Innova? These machines are indestructible and timeless! By October 2023, my Innova was 11 years old and had crossed the 120K kms mark, but did not look or feel old in any way. The interiors were almost as good as new, and the common remark from my friends was that my car did not seem to age at all. It had never let me down and had needed only periodic maintenance, which was always done at Toyota service centres. So, though I had planned not to keep the car beyond 10 years, from a “head” perspective, there was no reason to change. But what about the “heart” side? I will confess that the Innova had never tugged at my heart, till Toyota unleashed the “Hycross” on us. It immediately appealed to me, and started me thinking - “well, this may be the perfect balance between head and heart”!

One thing that suddenly hit me when I brought up the topic of an upgrade with my family is that a car, when kept long enough, becomes part of the family and creates emotional bonds. Both my daughters had grown from childhood to teenage and adulthood in the capacious interiors of the car and had innumerable memories of long road trips, the car sometimes accommodating all of their friends. They had even named her “Lightning”. They were both like - “How can you think of selling a member of the family?”. Wifey also chimed in with - “The car has served us faithfully for so long, it feels like a betrayal to let it go.” So, you can see that I was in a real quandary.

How Lightning met her twin!

Since I have started telling this story, I have to include an incredible coincidence in 2022 that left me speechless. I had parked the car and gone into a shop and when I stepped out, I stopped and stared at the sight that met me! Wondering what I saw? I will let the picture below do the talking…and, as you will notice, even the number plates of the twins matched except for the last number. I had to immediately click a priceless picture. The nearer one on the left is my car.

How the decision was made

The event that tipped the scales came about in Q3 2023 when my company upgraded the car lease policy with even better terms including fuel reimbursement. This greatly strengthened the “head” factor of the decision. The “heart” had already been won over, so I finally firmed up my decision and started the paperwork in Sep 2023.

Other options considered

Even though I had almost decided on the Hycross, since I was planning to keep this too for a long time, I wanted to make sure that I looked at other viable alternatives, so that I would not regret my decision later. The other two cars that looked promising to me were the Skoda Kodiaq and the Hyundai Tucson. So I did take test drives of both before deciding.

Skoda Kodiaq: This had always been a car that I wanted to own since it provided the equivalent features and luxury of the big three. I had always liked the looks and of course, the 4x4 capability could come in handy, though it was not a must-have for me. I loved how the car felt and drove. It is truly a wonderful car. However, as soon as my wife tried out the rear seat, I realized how difficult it is to replace an Innova - she felt claustrophobic in the back and also felt it was much less spacious. In addition to that, the fact that no diesel option was available meant that fuel economy would be a concern - an area that the Hycross Hybrid excelled in. Therefore, I had to take Kodiaq off the list.

Hyundai Tucson: I was sceptical about this from the start since I knew it was only a 5 seater and was not a real replacement for an Innova, but since it was a CKD and I had read good things about it, I wanted to try it out. Again, the car felt nice though it was not as fast on the pick-up as I had expected. However, I just could not ignore the fact that after sitting in the captain seats of an Innova, there was no way my family would be happy in the back of the Tucson. And then, when I tried the rear seat myself, I realized that the rear seat was directly over the rear wheel, and hence the ride there was nowhere near the comfort of an Innova. So, Tucson was also struck off the list.

Which model?

I had the 7-seater Innova, and loved it, so that part was settled. I had taken the test drive in the top-end ZXO model and loved everything except the thin profile tyres, which made the ride feel slightly harsher than my current Innova. Also, Toyota was not taking any fresh bookings for ZXO by this time, and though the leasing company told me they could get my booking upgraded to ZXO later, I knew that the wait time would be higher. Therefore I carefully looked at the options and realized two things. Firstly, I did not think I would be able to use the Driver Assist systems much in India. I frequently use rental cars with these features during my official travels to the US, and yes, I do find them very handy on the highways there, but I did not think that the experience would be the same in India. Also, I do not want to get out of habits like checking my blind spots, since I often drive my wife’s 2016 grand i10, which does not have any of this tech. Secondly - I felt the need to use the power switch to incline the ottoman seats to move to the rear bench was not very practical, manually moving them would be much faster. I felt that the higher sidewall with the 17 inches of the VXO was more important since it would improve the ride and reduce anxiety about tire and alloy damage. So that was the model I chose, in the blackish Ageha colour.

Delivery experience

I received the car on 23 Dec 2023, and the experience was wonderful, with everything going smoothly. The car was ready before the promised time, they showed me that all the accessories I had asked for were in place, and gave a quick demo of the main features (which I did not need, thanks to all the information I had already gleaned from the t-bhp thread !).

My daughters have promptly decided that this one is a “he” and have named him “Tony”. So I now have it from the best authorities that the Hycross looks more butch than the old Innova.

Driving impressions so far

Well, the first thing I will say is that all doubts about the upgrade have disappeared! The two cars feel poles apart - for good reason. One was a diesel and the other was petrol. One was zero tech and the other was full of tech (even without driver assistance). The older one used to start with the characteristic big-diesel growl and turbo whine, while this one starts completely silently in electric mode. I have done a couple of 70+ km rides including city and highways, and I can say that driving this car is much more stress-free than my earlier Innova.

The car has an amazing road presence. One interesting thing that I noticed is that some Crysta, XUV and ScorpioN drivers seem to get a bit agitated on seeing this car and make haste to overtake it. Have other owners felt the same? The good part is that I have bought the hybrid for its energy efficiency, and the fact that the display keeps telling me my current and average fuel consumption makes me drive sedately with a light foot, which is what this car needs. Have driven around 500 kms so far, and am already getting an average of around 18 km/l, which I am hoping will improve over time. By the way, could not find any instructions or references to a running-in period. Do I not need to worry about running with these modern engines?

I find that the owner's manual is not very helpful for some of the intricate steps for a few settings. The instrument cluster interface is also not very intuitive. I had some trouble figuring out how to get the TPMS to work and had to resort to some online videos. The wireless Apple carplay system is still a bit confusing when I try to register two phones. The moment I registered the second phone, the wireless Carplay stopped working for the first phone. I will need some more experimentation to figure that out. Also, could not set the “auto lock doors based on position of gear lever” feature even after following all the steps in the manual.

And finally, a couple of photos to end the post:

Here’s Tony, the day after he came home. I have now started turning back for a peek at his profile while walking away, never did that with Lightning.

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Drive Comfort and cabin space are at the top of the list of my likes.

BHPian SimpleHPian recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

INTRO

On the roads invicto is rare and that feels good and distinct in many ways. I wanted to write an ownership review for our Maruti Suzuki Invicto Strong hybrid Zeta 7 seater for quite some time now. But it gets de-prioritised very conveniently. Finally on my train journey back from my home town in Kerala, I started to write, as I had to wait for about an hour in the railway station waiting room. The current odometer reading of the car is close 4K km, thanks to Suzuki connect I could get odometer readings from my mobile itself sitting in the railway station.
I got delivery of the car on last week of August and I rarely spotted another invicto on Bangalore roads for almost few months. Even though it's cousin brother, the hycross were aplenty. The feeling was so rare that when I finally spotted a fellow invictoian , both the drivers pleasantly greeted each other with a great smile and thumbs up.
The dealer had told me that the first Invicto in Bangalore was delivered to me.

Booking and delivery experience

Long story short, I booked Hycross VXO Jan 2023, but due to non committal delivery time from Toyota I ended up booking Invicto in June, as soon as MS launched the model.Finally in Aug both vehicles were ready for delivery. However the Nexa dealership were very efficient in tracking my order and extremely attentive to my requirements.There was a significant price advantage with the Invicto hybrid base model as my primary look out was for the 6 airbags. Nexa folks handled the delivery quite professionally, they had to get RTO approval for the model itself before they could process my car registration.The Banaswadi Nexa team ensured an exceptional delivery experience.

Weekend Drive to Bellur

There was no test drive vehicle yet on the dealership during the booking. So I was expecting that the drive will be very similar to Hycross which I test drove early on. Hence when I took the wheel of the Invicto for the first time, I was relieved when I found the drive to be the same as the Hycross....The car was easily maneuverable and felt light, the seating was quite comfortable and with space all around the drive was pleasurable. We planned a weekend trip to Belur and I got a chance to take the vehicle on the highway. We were 7 , my two nephews joined as well. We had quite amount of luggage with almost everyone with a backpack, but to my surprise all the luggage was easily accommodated for, in the boot even with all 7 seats occupied.
Highway drive was fun, the transmission is spot on, acceleration and power is adequate, stability in high speed is solid, breaking is responsive. We started in the morning and had a few stops and reached the resort by around 3 in the evening. Everyone had their own, nice and comfy zone in the car , the third row was occupied by two teenage boys and they enjoyed a good amount of leg room , middle row captain seats providing solid comfort and view, and the front row seats had good ergonomics, and drive position. I was still getting used to the cruise control and found it to be really useful in highways.Few hours into the travel, we realised that for people in the third and first row to have a conversation, we need to talk little more loudly than usual to be audible and once realised the conversation were just flowing. Everyone was fresh and energetic arriving at the destination, thanks to the superior drive comfort of the car.

Exploring Bellur

Next day early morning we set up out to explore Bellur. We were awestruck on the ride, with the exquisite scenic beauty all around of the country side. There were green grasslands all around with patches of water bodies, and majestic hills covered with trees on the purview. It was just pure nature all around and no man-made distractions like shops. Just the roads winding through the serene landscape.

Our first stop was Yagachi Dam. A must visit beautiful reservoir with expansive irrigation water channels and green cover all around.
Next we explored Shettihali Church, it was an hour or so drive (if I recollect correctly). The drive was through a tank bund road, a 10-15 ft elevated road in the middle of lush green fields. It was just a repeat of Bellur trademark green grasslands ,water bodies, and majestic hills. The church was not accessible as it was submerged half in water with almost only the church steeple standing tall above water.

On our way back to resort, my nephew took on the Invicto wheels and he commented reaching the resort that the car felt like a well crafted machine.

Drive to home town Kerala from BangaloreDrive to home town Kerala from Bangalore

Our second long drive was during the Dasheera Holiday, to our home state Kerala. With only 4 occupants the luggage space was plenty and it helps especially as we are a family which travels with loads of luggage.This time I also used the cruise control extensively and found it very convenient. Though it got a little confusing at time with the controls on the steering wheel, I felt connivence while increasing the cruise set speeds as well as activating and canceling the cruise mode. The ride felt fresh all through.

On the way back, when we stopped at the famous Poojari's Fishland at Mysore, I saw a cousin brother , Hycross parked and I stopped the car next to it for a quick snap. I felt the Maruti team have done good job to blend the nexa design elements isn'it ?

What I Like and What I miss in the car

Drive Comfort and cabin space is at the top of the list of my likes. The electronic parking breaks are very intuitive and useful in city driving. The press on the accelerator disengages the parking breaks automatically which is very convenient.

The driver Information display are simple and easy to understand, over-all well designed. I learnt a few tips from MIDI like avoiding neutral while Electronic parking knob is activated. The MIDI told me that this will cause unnecessary hybrid battery strain.

Now on to, What I missed in the car ? The first one is a mute button which is quite a surprise to me!!! So strange that I am still not sure if it is something I missed.

Second one in the list is 360 degree camera, with the high driving position of the car, the visibility to immediate surrounding is quite limited.

Music system is just average, and no upscaled features as such are included. And it comes with a basic seat upholstery.

Suzuki Connect

The suzuki connect app is interesting. One time I parked the car in one of my friends house for a night and were few blocks away when it started pouring heavily. Then it occurred to me, is the window closed ? When I started walking to the car to check, my son just open the suzuki connect app and checked the window status. It was closed and that saved me from being drench.

I could see a few upgrades and new feature addition like parking availability /booking option in few months of my usage.

But I think it is still a long way for the app to be more useful to owners given the potential.

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Fuel efficiency is constantly around 18-20 km/l.

BHPian Rajjaiswal92 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Likes

1. Amazing space, even with all 3 rows up the boot is massive, fold the 3rd row down and you are left with a massive area. Can easily gobble up your long holiday luggage.
2. Comfort - All seats of hycross are comfortable to sit in, the middle row seats offer all the leg spaces one can ask for, and the 3rd offers good under-thigh support along with ample head and shoulder room.
3. Ride Quality - The suspension is on the softer side for me yet the body roll isn’t that much, you glide over most of the bumps and highway undulations are not even felt in the cabin.
4. Mileage - Constantly getting 18-20 km/l which is amazing for this segment.

Dislikes

1. Headlights- A pathetic one will find it very difficult living with them, highway runs at night during the peak monsoon season would be a nightmare.
2. Plastic quality- It is all very hard and scratchy, some materials used are substandard and unacceptable for the car at this price.
3. Sound quality - Won’t be surprised if the speakers from my phone sound better than that provided by Toyota.
4. Sound from the engine- The NVH levels in the car are good, but the high rev sound that the engine produces when it is both powering the front wheels as well as changing the battery is rough and very unpleasant to your ears, it penetrates the cabin and it is very audible.

In all I can say I’m very happy with my purchase, would recommend purchasing it 10/10.

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The fuel efficiency of my large hybrid MPV is the same as that of my small i20 diesel.

BHPian Cresterk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Since everyone is sharing their fuel efficiency figures, here's mine for the past week with the full tank - full tank method.

Fueled up to full tank at 7660 km

Fueled up to full tank again at 8350 km. Ignore the trip meter as it only shows the mileage since the car was currently started.

It took 38.53L to fill it up the second time which gives us the amount of fuel used in between. Refueled both times at the same pump.

• Distance travelled: 690 km
• Fuel consumed: 690/38.53 = 17.9 km/l

This was mostly over hilly roads as I drove from Angamaly to Pathanamthitta and back through Pala. The road was pretty decent and my dad and I had a hoot on the hairpins in sport mode. Very happy with the mileage since it is around the same as what I get on my diesel i20 which is way smaller and lighter.

One thing to note is that the mileage of the Hycross drops rather fast if the car needs to recharge the hybrid battery while it is staying still or crawling in traffic. The engine never idles in the Hycross, it either revs up high to charge or it will just turn off. It doesn't seem to be as efficient at charging the car while staying still as when a percentage of engine power also goes to turn the wheels. You can give a slight kick on the accelerator to force the engine to turn on during normal driving to recharge the battery if you know that you will be stopped for a significant time later on. I do this when I know I will be approaching a railway crossing gate or signal to ensure the car doesn't turn on to power the AC while I'm stopped.

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