Toyota Innova Crysta review, test drive

FACE TO FACE

I first set eyes on the new Innova in the hotel lobby the next morning. It looks much nicer in the flesh, with flourishes that run all the way to the rear. The new grille and headlight combo give it real character. This is especially true when stood next to the current car, which looks almost characterless in contrast. The frameless grille works particularly well. It forms the focal point of the design from where all the lines of the Innova originate, and the half a dozen or so slats that run across it are made to bulge out, making it three-dimensional. Whereas the current Innova is a pure monovolume, this new car has a more distinctive bonnet. The nose is larger, flatter and the ‘V’ of the bonnet has a sharp ridge to it; the fenders dropping away nicely. What works best, however, is the multi-element head lights. The twin projector units are clearly defined, the LEDs provide some bling, and the chrome border that runs from one headlight to the other and back is nice.   

I walk around the side, and unfortunately, there’s no escaping the van-like profile. Toyota has tried every trick in the book to make it look more attractive by giving it a drooping roofline, a wider base and a tapering glasshouse, but the MPV dimensions still shine through. And what doesn’t really help is the stance of the car – the new car is considerably longer, but is built on the same wheelbase as the current one. The 17-inch wheels don’t do much for the bulky design either. That said, the ridge or mini ledge that runs along the shoulder-line of the car does give the MPV profile a degree of separation, and the boomerang-shaped tail-lights that overlap the flush-mounted rear windscreen look great.