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Back in 2016, a Garnet Red Innova Crysta 2.8 ZX AT Entered our Garage. This car was a replacement for our 2012 Toyota innova 2.5 V.
Now the start of this review itself tells you how well Toyota cars have served us for a repeat car buy scenario.
Our old Innova had clocked 60,000 kms in 4 and a half years , and the launch of the Crysta just tempted us to bring one home.
So Im going to divide this thread in a way where the first part talks about what we loved , and the second part is about what we didnt like in 2 and a half years of ownership.
Likes:
1. Design : The old Innova always looked like something way too utilitarian, and the design was more evolutionary than revolutionary before the Crysta. Also to mention, this car has been designed on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) Platform which didn't make the Innova Crysta's design a big surprise after what we saw in cars like the Altis.
The Crysta's design was not only pleasing to the eye but was aerodynamic and practical as well, such as the cuts on the bonnet to enhance aerodynamics, and the straight cut frame of the boot making loading easier, hence making the design youthful, yet purposeful.
2. The Interiors :
The interiors of the Innova Crysta are special. This is where Toyota has put a margin between the cabbies and the Private cars.
The lower GX trim gets a basic interior with textured fabric strips running through the cabin, and the higher VX and ZX trims get wooden panels with chrome , velvet and aluminium touches.
There is ambient lighting too to increase the existing sense of occasion, and to top it off, there is a 7 inch screen with Navigation, CD Player, Bluetooth, Aux, USB , A/V, trip analysis and everything you'd ever want . No matter how many different layers of materials and flowing lines are there, they all end in one well rounded, neat and appealing package . As for Cabin Space, it couldnt get better, the seats themselves have great support wherever you need it. The second row gets a master lever, by which you can push/pull the passenger front seat to open up more space in the second row .
The third row has well cushioned seats and adequate room for a 7 seater. It also can recline to make you more comfortable than you already are. The Driver's seat gets electric adjust too.
3. Practicality:
The Innova Crysta has a capacity of holding 20 Bottles in the cabin. Every door gets bottle holders, and the last row does too. There are cubby spaces in the centre console as well.
As for closed spaces, a dual glove box , with one of them cooled and a storage box in the centre console is all you need.
The boot has a capacity of 300 litres with all 3 rows of seats up, the 3rd row can be lifted to the side manually (not powered because of the recline function) which opens up to 900 litres of space.
The second row can be flipped down with two fingers , and one lever which makes ingress and egress far better than rivals.
4. Attention to detail in the second row:
Toyota has come to a realization and conclusion that most Indian owners would spend travel time in the second row . This called for more attention to be given to the second row.
The master lever, as mentioned defines the motive Toyota had while making this car , which gives the passenger full control of all the ways he / she can increase space. The seat itself is broader and softer than what it was in the captain seat variant. Then , you have folding tables which can hold upto 10 kgs , for a quick meal or some work to be done while on the move.
Moreover, you have a 12 V Charging socket, an Aux port and a USB port beside a pocket for your phone. This aspect of this car helps it serve up for regular runs to the office as well as weekend outings.
5. Improvement in refinement and ride quality
The old innova had a lot of Diesel Clutter and the noise would filter through the cabin. This is mainly because of the lack of an engine cover which has been made up for in the Crysta.
Moreover paddings on the underside of the hood helps in noise insulation too.
It is pretty silent on cruising speeds and is a tad quieter than the old model too.
There are new 17" alloys too, which are low profiles. These tyres deal with most of the undulations but thinner sidewalls make them risky on bad roads .
6. Engine
The new GD Series engines are surely better than the old 2.5 litre one in terms of refinement and output figures.
The engine in the Crysta is bigger than the 2.5 litre engine of the old car. This equals to better output and higher figures. The 2.5L engine gave out a 100 hp of power, and the change here sums upto a total of 174 bhp in the 2.8 engine of the Crysta. This engine sure gets audible at a point, but its pleasant, and not cluttered and choked the way it used to be .
7. Safety
The old Innova came with only dual front airbags for 7 passengers but this time around the scene is different. You get 3 airbags as standard, and our car has 7 SRS Airbags, ESP, VSM , HAC , EBD and ABS.
So to conclude, no compromises on safety features despite the long equipment list.
8. Easy to use Interfaces.
The Crysta gets 3 screens in the cabin, which are the Main Infotainment Screen, MID , and the Climate Control Display.
The MID is controlled by just one set of Up/Down, Left/Right, and Select button and is placed well between the two dials
The Infotainment display gets full marks on font size and placement height by which you can read whats on your screen at one glance that reduces the time you need to take your eyes off the road, and the shortcut buttons are placed just next to the screen which portrays good organisation anda practical layout.
The A/C Display , along with the control knobs and buttons, is angled facing the driver which makes it easier to use instead of hunting way lower in the centre console which may get cumbersome.
Dislikes:
1. Gearbox:
The 6 Speed AT, being a torque converter is nothing great. It doesnt respond to gear shifts, especially downshifts as quick as you would like it to. In day to day Mumbai traffic, dropping from highway speeds like 80 kmph to 20 kmph requires good response from the gearbox, but a lot of lag is heard and you tend to hunt for a manual gear shifter.
The gear lever itself isnt as modern looking as other cars. Even ergonomically, if you are first in line at a signal, shifting straight down from N to D is easier than shifting down vertically and horizontally.
2. Price :
As far as I can recall, we had bought are 2012 Innova for 13 Lakh. The Crysta 2.8 ZX AT costed us a whopping 26 Lakh which is double of the old Innova’s cost. Yet this didnt affect sales figures and Toyota’s reliability and the name the Innova has earned has played a huge role.
3. 3rd Row A/C Condenser Placement.
The A/C system is remarkable, the car is cooled within a maximum of 5 minutes of driving. All 3 rows get their set of A/C vents and there is a separate Fan Speed for the last two rows.
At blower level 3, the last row gets extremely noisy because of the placement of the condenser which gets irritating after a point.
4. The world is connected; but just 1 USB Port?
If a car which can seat 5 people has only 1 USB Port, it is still reasonable, but a 7 seater having just 1 USB port is disappointing. Especially in today’s digitally connected day and age.
5. In Car Entertainment : Speakers
The Innova Crysta gets only 4 speakers and 2 tweeters which are only present in the first two rows.
Firstly, the Speakers are very soft and the quality could’ve been better, the volume if decent only at level 20-25 which is quite high, and is quite hard to set because they are touch buttons and not knobs.
Secondly, in the third row the audio is almost inaudible because there are no speakers at all, and the stock speakers are very soft.
This is all I could think of as for likes and dislikes, do add what you feel about the Crysta in your valuable replies.
After serving us for 18 months, 18000 kms, I can confidently say that the innova crysta is a jack of all trades and is ideal for the Indian Market!
A few Pictures:
Now the start of this review itself tells you how well Toyota cars have served us for a repeat car buy scenario.
Our old Innova had clocked 60,000 kms in 4 and a half years , and the launch of the Crysta just tempted us to bring one home.
So Im going to divide this thread in a way where the first part talks about what we loved , and the second part is about what we didnt like in 2 and a half years of ownership.
Likes:
1. Design : The old Innova always looked like something way too utilitarian, and the design was more evolutionary than revolutionary before the Crysta. Also to mention, this car has been designed on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) Platform which didn't make the Innova Crysta's design a big surprise after what we saw in cars like the Altis.
The Crysta's design was not only pleasing to the eye but was aerodynamic and practical as well, such as the cuts on the bonnet to enhance aerodynamics, and the straight cut frame of the boot making loading easier, hence making the design youthful, yet purposeful.
2. The Interiors :
The interiors of the Innova Crysta are special. This is where Toyota has put a margin between the cabbies and the Private cars.
The lower GX trim gets a basic interior with textured fabric strips running through the cabin, and the higher VX and ZX trims get wooden panels with chrome , velvet and aluminium touches.
There is ambient lighting too to increase the existing sense of occasion, and to top it off, there is a 7 inch screen with Navigation, CD Player, Bluetooth, Aux, USB , A/V, trip analysis and everything you'd ever want . No matter how many different layers of materials and flowing lines are there, they all end in one well rounded, neat and appealing package . As for Cabin Space, it couldnt get better, the seats themselves have great support wherever you need it. The second row gets a master lever, by which you can push/pull the passenger front seat to open up more space in the second row .
The third row has well cushioned seats and adequate room for a 7 seater. It also can recline to make you more comfortable than you already are. The Driver's seat gets electric adjust too.
3. Practicality:
The Innova Crysta has a capacity of holding 20 Bottles in the cabin. Every door gets bottle holders, and the last row does too. There are cubby spaces in the centre console as well.
As for closed spaces, a dual glove box , with one of them cooled and a storage box in the centre console is all you need.
The boot has a capacity of 300 litres with all 3 rows of seats up, the 3rd row can be lifted to the side manually (not powered because of the recline function) which opens up to 900 litres of space.
The second row can be flipped down with two fingers , and one lever which makes ingress and egress far better than rivals.
4. Attention to detail in the second row:
Toyota has come to a realization and conclusion that most Indian owners would spend travel time in the second row . This called for more attention to be given to the second row.
The master lever, as mentioned defines the motive Toyota had while making this car , which gives the passenger full control of all the ways he / she can increase space. The seat itself is broader and softer than what it was in the captain seat variant. Then , you have folding tables which can hold upto 10 kgs , for a quick meal or some work to be done while on the move.
Moreover, you have a 12 V Charging socket, an Aux port and a USB port beside a pocket for your phone. This aspect of this car helps it serve up for regular runs to the office as well as weekend outings.
5. Improvement in refinement and ride quality
The old innova had a lot of Diesel Clutter and the noise would filter through the cabin. This is mainly because of the lack of an engine cover which has been made up for in the Crysta.
Moreover paddings on the underside of the hood helps in noise insulation too.
It is pretty silent on cruising speeds and is a tad quieter than the old model too.
There are new 17" alloys too, which are low profiles. These tyres deal with most of the undulations but thinner sidewalls make them risky on bad roads .
6. Engine
The new GD Series engines are surely better than the old 2.5 litre one in terms of refinement and output figures.
The engine in the Crysta is bigger than the 2.5 litre engine of the old car. This equals to better output and higher figures. The 2.5L engine gave out a 100 hp of power, and the change here sums upto a total of 174 bhp in the 2.8 engine of the Crysta. This engine sure gets audible at a point, but its pleasant, and not cluttered and choked the way it used to be .
7. Safety
The old Innova came with only dual front airbags for 7 passengers but this time around the scene is different. You get 3 airbags as standard, and our car has 7 SRS Airbags, ESP, VSM , HAC , EBD and ABS.
So to conclude, no compromises on safety features despite the long equipment list.
8. Easy to use Interfaces.
The Crysta gets 3 screens in the cabin, which are the Main Infotainment Screen, MID , and the Climate Control Display.
The MID is controlled by just one set of Up/Down, Left/Right, and Select button and is placed well between the two dials
The Infotainment display gets full marks on font size and placement height by which you can read whats on your screen at one glance that reduces the time you need to take your eyes off the road, and the shortcut buttons are placed just next to the screen which portrays good organisation anda practical layout.
The A/C Display , along with the control knobs and buttons, is angled facing the driver which makes it easier to use instead of hunting way lower in the centre console which may get cumbersome.
Dislikes:
1. Gearbox:
The 6 Speed AT, being a torque converter is nothing great. It doesnt respond to gear shifts, especially downshifts as quick as you would like it to. In day to day Mumbai traffic, dropping from highway speeds like 80 kmph to 20 kmph requires good response from the gearbox, but a lot of lag is heard and you tend to hunt for a manual gear shifter.
The gear lever itself isnt as modern looking as other cars. Even ergonomically, if you are first in line at a signal, shifting straight down from N to D is easier than shifting down vertically and horizontally.
2. Price :
As far as I can recall, we had bought are 2012 Innova for 13 Lakh. The Crysta 2.8 ZX AT costed us a whopping 26 Lakh which is double of the old Innova’s cost. Yet this didnt affect sales figures and Toyota’s reliability and the name the Innova has earned has played a huge role.
3. 3rd Row A/C Condenser Placement.
The A/C system is remarkable, the car is cooled within a maximum of 5 minutes of driving. All 3 rows get their set of A/C vents and there is a separate Fan Speed for the last two rows.
At blower level 3, the last row gets extremely noisy because of the placement of the condenser which gets irritating after a point.
4. The world is connected; but just 1 USB Port?
If a car which can seat 5 people has only 1 USB Port, it is still reasonable, but a 7 seater having just 1 USB port is disappointing. Especially in today’s digitally connected day and age.
5. In Car Entertainment : Speakers
The Innova Crysta gets only 4 speakers and 2 tweeters which are only present in the first two rows.
Firstly, the Speakers are very soft and the quality could’ve been better, the volume if decent only at level 20-25 which is quite high, and is quite hard to set because they are touch buttons and not knobs.
Secondly, in the third row the audio is almost inaudible because there are no speakers at all, and the stock speakers are very soft.
This is all I could think of as for likes and dislikes, do add what you feel about the Crysta in your valuable replies.
After serving us for 18 months, 18000 kms, I can confidently say that the innova crysta is a jack of all trades and is ideal for the Indian Market!
A few Pictures:
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