Toyota Innova 2.8 V
Upscale aspirations come with a higher price tag
UNLIKE ITS AGRARIAN Tamaraw ancestors the Toyota Innova is urbane. Its latest version has climbed even further up the social ladder as it aspires for genuine luxury MPV credentials. An AUV the nameplate no longer is.
The new-generation Innova was introduced locally in late February this year. It is larger than the previous model, translating into more space inside the car — head-, hipand legroom are ample, especially noticeable in the second-row seats. In the top-spec V variant, the pair of captain’s chairs amplifies the increase in space. The cargo bay appears larger, too.
Besides being roomier, also apparent in the V grade Innova are the upgraded cabin furniture and other designer touches. The car’s seats are fashionably two-toned, covered in black and a patterned orangish fabric that is also tacked on door panels. The dashboard and console have discarded the budget-class look of the previous model in favor of swoopy lines, made more prominent by polished metal-like trim and glossblack panels. The instruments have also thankfully lost the ghoulish green lights and misshapen fonts Toyota had favored in the past, replaced instead by cool bluish and white illumination, and better overall design.
And such was the attention to styling the new Innova received that its ceiling air-conditioning vents, which used to be mere holes punched through the lining, have now been incorporated in the circular beveled surface of the ceiling. Complemented by mood lighting at that.
Consider the multimedia gizmos, dual-zone climate control and all the power-operated features,
and the Innova V approximates — if not rivals — luxury MPVs.
There’s added heft in the way it drives, too. Compared to its platform- mates, the Fortuner and Hilux — the Innova is the most pliant on the road, riding softly enough that it absorbs terrible road surfaces when the other two tend to crash over ruts and bumps.
The present Innova also feels more insulated and is better at reducing its body’s movements, whether up and down, or fore and aft. Apart from improved suspension tuning, this is likely the result of a more robust structure.
The top-spec Innova is fitted with a new, bigger engine, too — a 2.8- liter diesel that displaces 300cc more than the previous mill. This means power outputs are up, translating into a brisker drive and potentially better fuel consumption — simply, there’s more grunt to haul basically the same mass as before. Plus, the extra gear of the new six-speed automatic gearbox can spread the power more efficiently, and is perceptibly smoother shifting as well.
Despite the well-mannered gearbox and a cushy ride the Innova is difficult to drive smoothly. To blame here is a throttle that’s hard to modulate. From a stop, be gentle at pressing it and nothing happens. But press it just a little bit more and the car lurches with the urgency of a Top Fuel dragster at the strip. This isn’t ideal at all when crawling through traffic.
To nitpick; the third-row seats only fold and stow away in a manner similar to how those Toyota had fitted not only to the previous Innova, but also to the Liteace of the 1990s. Tucked away, the seats are secured only by tie straps with a Velcro strip. It’s so AUV.
Sequels are usually inferior to the original hit version, but the Innova in latest form disproves this. It’s packaged better than the previous car, and wears styling that declares its upscale aspirations. But coming with these is a premium price, too — with all the toys it costs P1.445 million.—