Which Toyota Innova to buy?

[amaan1994]

Hey folks! My best friend is planning to buy a new 7-Seater MPV, and has almost completely decided on the Toyota Innova. Thing is though, he wants to go for the "Special Edition" version which was launched recently and which I believe is not worth the extra money (No wheelcaps! ). So the dilemma is, which variant should we opt for? Will it be better to go for the "Special Edition" or the normal version? His budget is limited to Rs.11 lakh (on-road) and though I wanted him to also consider the Xylo and the soon-to-be launched Aria, his heart is set on the Innova. Also, I'd be very grateful if Innova owners could help me with some inputs. Thanks!

EDIT: Oh yeah and I forgot to state that he is looking for petrol only. NO DIESELS!

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

My vote would have gone to the GX or VX, but both of these are out of the budget. The G makes good sense, but I feel the Spl. Edition holds much better value, and it has Power Windows and a couple of minor touches. Wheel caps & Black paint for the wheels can be done after market for < Rs 2000, or can be done at the showroom as part of the freebies.

 

[raj_5004]

First of all, petrol innova DOES NOT come with 7 seater option, that is captain seats in the middle row. so in petrol version, he will get only the 8 seater with bench seat in middle row.

the following variants are available in petrol-
G 8 seater - 10.10 L
GX 8 seater - 11.35 L
VX 8 seater - 13.45 L

G does not come with rear AC vents, so his best option considering his budget would be GX at 11.35 lakhs. but i would ideally never buy an innova without ABS, its becomes highly unsafe since the vehicle is huge & tyres are thin. Also, non-ABS innovas are very notorious for skidding under hard braking.

So, if i was in his place, i would stretch my budget & buy the VX at 13L or buy a top end Xylo E8 with airbags & ABS or the Scorpio SLE at 10L.

i would not touch the special edition as its just a base model innova with some stickering & again it has no rear AC vents. will he buy the innova CNG? :-)

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

i would not touch the special edition as its just a base model innova with some stickering & again it has no rear AC vents. will he buy the innova CNG?

You are mistaken. The Spl. edition is the Innova G + Power windows + Power Door Locks without wheel caps. It makes more sense than the G.
I believe one can get a 2nd row AC retro-fitted at a Toyota showroom for ~ Rs 15000. A basic 4 spkr stereo may again cost Rs 10000.
The GX is still in the budget, if your friend can afford Rs 35-45k extra.

 

[cooldhaya]

If your friend cannot go for VX then atleast GX is what i would suggest. But always never compromise on safety so its better and wise to choose VX!


BTW is this the friend whom you mentioned you are going to suggest the Aria to him?

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

Hey folks! ...................Will it be better to go for the "Special Edition" or the normal version? His budget is limited to Rs.11 lakh (on-road) and though I wanted him to also consider the Xylo and the soon-to-be launched Aria, his heart is set on the Innova. Also, I'd be very grateful if Innova owners could help me with some inputs. Thanks!

EDIT: Oh yeah and I forgot to state that he is looking for petrol only. NO DIESELS!

So, if i was in his place, i would stretch my budget & buy the VX at 13L or buy a top end Xylo E8 with airbags & ABS or the Scorpio SLE at 10L.

Please read the 2nd bold line in the quoted text. Amaan's friend apparently is against diesels.

BTW is this the friend whom you mentioned you are going to suggest the Aria to him?

Please read the 1st bold line in the quoted text.

 

[Shynish M]

i would ideally never buy an innova without ABS, its becomes highly unsafe since the vehicle is huge & tyres are thin. Also, non-ABS innovas are very notorious for skidding under hard braking.

So, if i was in his place, i would stretch my budget & buy the VX at 13L or buy a top end Xylo E8 with airbags & ABS or the Scorpio SLE at 10L.

Well said Raj! As far as I can see, only V series ABS and AIR Bag. I think your friend should really think about this. After all he is going to make a good investment.

There is no point in buying an Innova, just because it is Innova

 

[raj_5004]

You are mistaken. The Spl. edition is the Innova G + Power windows + Power Door Locks without wheel caps. It makes more sense than the G.
I believe one can get a 2nd row AC retro-fitted at a Toyota showroom for ~ Rs 15000. A basic 4 spkr stereo may again cost Rs 10000.
The GX is still in the budget, if your friend can afford Rs 35-45k extra.

I dont really consider power windows & central locking as luxuries in a 10L vehicle! these are the bare minimum features you get in a car!

secondly, the 2nd row retrofitted AC is just a blower unit with one cooling coil for the front only. it does not have a seperate cooling coil for the rear which the GX & VX has. so you wont get the cooling you expect by installing that blower worth 15k.

Please read the 2nd bold line in the quoted text. Amaan's friend apparently is against diesels.

Please read the 1st bold line in the quoted text.

i know they are diesels but IMO its better driving a safe diesel than an unsafe petrol.

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

I dont really consider power windows & central locking as luxuries in a 10L vehicle! these are the bare minimum features you get in a car!

secondly, the 2nd row retrofitted AC is just a blower unit with one cooling coil for the front only. it does not have a seperate cooling coil for the rear which the GX & VX has. so you wont get the cooling you expect by installing that blower worth 15k.

NO raj , secondary unit , retro fitted have cooling coils , i just helped my friend last month.


Cooling is as good , but not perfect finish i nlook . It will be like as in sumo and safari Old

You need to inspect the work , else the ac guys will ruin some plastics inside


retro fit must cost 13000 to 13500 , including a extra fan in front of radiator.


for the above amount you can get
1.blower unit and respective clamps
2.cooling coils and coil joins to original ones (T join )
3.Ac gas (old gas need to be released to be worked)
4.Additional fan , though not needed , its good to fix if retro fit is used
5. Fixing labour

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

I dont really consider power windows & central locking as luxuries in a 10L vehicle! these are the bare minimum features you get in a car!

secondly, the 2nd row retrofitted AC is just a blower unit with one cooling coil for the front only. it does not have a seperate cooling coil for the rear which the GX & VX has. so you wont get the cooling you expect by installing that blower worth 15k.



i know they are diesels but IMO its better driving a safe diesel than an unsafe petrol.

Firstly, I do not understand the point you are trying to make by saying "I dont really consider power windows & central locking as luxuries in a 10L vehicle! these are the bare minimum features you get in a car! ", when there is the Innova E that doesn't have, forget Power Windows and Power door locks, an AC at all!
Further, IMO too, a safer diesel is a 1000 times better than a not so safe petrol, but let me remind you, we are discussing from Amaan's friend's point of view, not mine or yours.

 

[raj_5004]

@ ilango: I asked this at the toyota A.S.S as they said the unit does not have a separate cooling coil.

infact, if you compare the AC compressor size of G with GX/VX, you will see that GX has a bigger compressor as it has two cooling coils compared to one in G. So, the toyota officials told me that you cannot add a cooling coil on this one as the compressor itself is small. Also, the kit does not come with a cooling coil. this, i am talking about the original accessory which toyota provides.

the second cooling coil in the GX/VX is inside the right rear panel (behind right rear door). you can also easily see some water droplets on that panel on a hot humid day.

i had travelled in a Innova cab which had this blower retrofitted from toyota & he dint have the bigger compressor nor the second cooling coil & not to mention, cooling in the 3rd row was less than satisfactory.

@ Arkin: So who said the E variant is VFM? consider buying a 9.5L vehicle with no power steering, power windows or central locking!

if you read what i have written,

"So, if i was in his place, i would stretch my budget & buy the VX at 13L or buy a top end Xylo E8 with airbags & ABS or the Scorpio SLE at 10L."

the part marked in bold says it all. P/W, AC, P/S... all these are standard in 3L cars these days, so why to talk about them as a boon in a 10L car?

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

The one i hhelped in fixing is innova E

It has ac , but no thermostat control!

Yep accept , the compressor is different , so i have suggested the fan unit . Not me but the ac mech here.


the cooling was good even in hot sun . I think the one in which you travelled may had lesser gas.


Ok this is going offtopic!!


A petrol innova must be fun to drive. !!!

 

[Shynish M]

Firstly, I do not understand the point you are trying to make by saying "I dont really consider power windows & central locking as luxuries in a 10L vehicle! these are the bare minimum features you get in a car! ", when there is the Innova E that doesn't have, forget Power Windows and Power door locks, an AC at all!

Further, IMO too, a safer diesel is a 1000 times better than a not so safe petrol, but let me remind you, we are discussing from Amaan's friend's point of view, not mine or yours.

What Raj is trying to say is, power windows & central locking is not the feature you will be interested to see when you are spending 10L. It is presumed to have those kind of amenities. At that budget your expectations are higher than this, isn't it?

Forget about Innova E. Remember the fact that Honda & Toyota are renowned for their over priced products. Innova E is there to pull some volume. I honestly see no point in Innova E, when you have much better Xylo (though it is diesel) at that price. So what ever Toyota is is doing with price is not appreciable. However, as long as people are going behind the brand and their sales figures are ticking, it doesn't matter!

Last but not least, let's help Amaan's friend to understand what exactly is he up to

 

[raj_5004]

Thanks for framing it properly shynish.

Also again, Innova E & Innova special edition is not available in petrol, so no point in discussing about these.