There is no arguing the fact that the Toyota Innova has ruled its segment ever since its market entry a whole decade back. In fact, for a car about to be phased out, demand is still astonishingly strong. This, however, put Toyota in a bit of a conundrum, because it had to improve something that had been regarded as perfect for very many years.
The Japanese carmaker, thus, decided to play safe with the new Innova. Endowed with the suffix ‘Crysta’, the new car will retain the traditional body-on-frame tubular chassis, wheelbase and hydraulic steering. However, don’t think of this as just a major facelift – every single part of this car will be all-new.
According to Hiroki Nakajima, managing officer, Toyota Motor Corporation, and chief engineer of the Innova, the traditional bits have been retained to simplify construction and maintain the reliability and durability the Innova is so renowned for. For instance, Toyota has opted for the same tubular chassis instead of a hydroformed one, citing difficulty in procuring materials for manufacture in foreign markets like South Africa and Argentina. Hydraulic steering too has been retained, instead of replacing it with electronic steering, with the justification of more durability and parts sharing. This play-safe strategy emphasizes Toyota’s desire to not fetter with what already works well, while keeping costs in check.
Retentions aside, the InnovaCrysta is adorned with major changes to improve comfort, driveability, regulation-adherence and safety. The new car is longer to meet future pedestrian crash regulations, the engine features reduced capacity but higher power and torque ratings to improve fuel efficiency as well as performance, the chassis features a different cross-section size and better torsional rigidity so as to improve riding comfort, and the dashboard and cabin are all-new to give the car a more upmarket and roomier feel.
The InnovaCrysta is all set to carry the mantle of the current Innova, giving customers a great people-carrier, and Toyota, a new cash cow to milk.