May 30, 2005 01:13 PM
8309 Views
(Updated May 30, 2005 01:13 PM)
If a coffin on wheels like Qualis could succeed in India, anything on 4 wheels that Toyota put out would have been an outright winner. That they have taken some pains to bring a relatively state-of-art vehicle in Innova is something that the boffins at Toyota should be commended for!
I test drove the Toyota Innova, and was really impressed by the smoothness of its diesel engine, as well as the lack of turbo lag or the slow acceleration that one associates with ordinary diesels. I also loved the fact that you could just get into the car, instead of having to sink to the floor as in most new generation sedans. The roominess was exemplary, with plenty of leg space for a six footer in the second row of seats.
That said, why did I choose not to buy the Innova?
The vehicle is a little too long for parking with ease in the city.
The capacity is too much-I am likely to carry 8 people in it only if I go for a family function, such as a wedding.
Because of the large capacity, the tax is also higher, at least in Kerala, and you have to pay tax annually instead of paying a single, lifetime tax.
The third row of seats is really useless, as a normal adult would have to be a contortionist to wriggle into it. The difficulty of having to pull down the second row of seats to get people into the last row was also a dampener!
The gear shift is really clunky, a la Willys jeeps!
In my assessment, the Innova is built like a family car, but will really make sense only for those with large families (joint families) or for fleet operators. And if you do decide to buy one, it makes more sense to get a G2 version, and add whatever you need as extras, instead of getting the exorbitantly priced G3 version.
