Toyota Innova 7 seat test.pdf - Naked Motoring SA

For as long as I can remember I have never
liked Toyota cars for one very simple reason,
namely that they have never really produced
a properly interesting or exciting car.
However when the opportunity to test the
brand new Innova came along I thought I
would give it a bash and see what this one
was all about.
Launched on 9 October 2011 at the
Johannesburg International Motor Show, and
received by us three days later the Innova is a pretty ordinary
looking mini van type (MPV) vehicle, but there is something
else about it that I could not put my finger on initially. Oh, and
incidentally we were the first to get it.
By Carrington Laughton
From an outward styling perspective the Innova is nothing
really special, but is at the same time quite nice looking. It will
admittedly not be winning any design awards anytime soon,
but you could easily live with it.
The Innova sits quite high off the ground and this gives the
driver the benefit of a good vantage point when negotiating
traffic. Inside the car however things get very clever.
Firstly there are two versions of this car; the seven seater,
which was our test vehicle and the eight seater.
The seven seat version is a more luxuriously appointed vehicle,
whilst the other is less well appointed and has a more
‘commercial’ feel about it. It would perhaps be the sort of car
that an airport transfers company would use.
The seven seater is priced above the other at R 265 000.
Everything inside the car is leather. The seats, the door panels,
the steering wheel and even the gear knob. The quality of the
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leather is very good and insofar as trim is concerned I have no
complaints whatsoever.
Where the Innova gets really clever is the seating
arrangement. What you have is two seats in the front (pretty
standard), two seats in the middle row with a sizable space
between them and then three at the back. The advantage of
this is to access the rear seats all you need to do is open the
back door, walk between the middle seats and sit down.
This car will comfortably seat seven adults without any
problem at all. The middle seats are also identical to those in
the front, with the exception of added armrests, which means
they are fully adjustable and recline to a completely flat
position. To the best of my knowledge no other MPV does
this!
The car’s secret weapon is that it is based on the Hilux bakkie,
and in this instance shares its engine, gearbox and chassis with
the Hilux 2.7 petrol.

The engine produces 118kW and 241Nm.
Drive is to the REAR wheels, and this adds a dimension of fun
to the car, as it also is not burdened with the ubiquitous fun
killing traction control found in every other car on the road.
Some would argue that this makes the car less safe than
others, but I disagree. This is a car for a driver who has all
the normal practical considerations like family in his or her
life, but who also enjoys driving.
The engine is not that powerful that it makes the car
dangerous, but rather offers you the option of a bit of tail
slide when YOU want it.
The entertainment system is new and involves a very nice
touch screen display, with an incorporated reverse camera
and USB MP3 capability.
There is climate control, electric windows, electric mirrors
multi-function steering wheel and all sorts of other
refinements that make it a very, very good package.
The standard sound system is very good and my nine year
old daughter had no problem getting Avril Lavigne to sing at
the desired volume.
My only gripe with the interior is the nasty wood lookalike
panels, which have a cheap plastic look about them. I feel
that if you want the stuff to look like wood… then use wood.
Had Toyota opted for brushed aluminium it would have been
a lot nicer. This type of car does not command wood trim
anyway.
Handling is pretty decent too and despite the Innova’s size it
does not feel top heavy. It is in fact quite well balanced for
what it is.
Getting back to the Hilux on which this car is based. It is not
exactly a State Secret that the Hilux bakkie is possibly one of
the top selling Toyotas in South Africa with well over a
million sold. In essence what Toyota have therefore done is
taken their best seller and taken from it the most expensive
components, whose tooling and development costs have
been long recouped, then what they have done is passed the
benefit of all these Hilux sales onto their customers, but in a
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completely new and different model, and that is brilliant no
matter which way you look at it!
Another way of looking at things is that this is the first Innova
model, but being based on the Hilux it is not inconceivable that
in a few years this car will be available in a three-litre turbo
diesel with four-wheel drive. This car could be the next really
good ‘cross-over’ vehicle. In fact it already is because the term
‘cross-over’ is used to describe any two-wheel drive vehicle that
has been give a bit more ground clearance and some black
plastic bits to make it look more like an off roader.
This car has the basic platform to already do all of that and with
very little structural change become a serious off roader.
I still maintain that Toyota make uninteresting cars, but for this
one I will definitely make an exception because it is anything
but dull. With what else can you get a typical ‘mom’s taxi’ to
do a power slide?
Toyota have made something very special and very clever and I
really hope that they sell millions of these too because this
makes the otherwise boring aspect of “family orientated
motoring” exciting, and will give people a reason to live again.
The Innova goes on sale in early November, so please if you
have any passion for driving as well as 2.4 kids take yourself
down to your nearest Toyota dealership and experience this for
yourself.
Rand for Rand you cannot and will not do any better!
Test car courtesy of Toyota South Africa