Toyota Innova Hycross Hybrid Review: Brilliant Family Car With Efficiency And Added Comfort — All About It

The SUV-like looks make the Innova Hycross a much more appealing design plus it is huge, so much so that those 18-inch wheels are dwarfed by the size of the car. Read the detailed review here.

The new Innova Hycross is a massive change from the current Innova Crysta while a lot of that involves a move to front-wheel drive and of course, there being no diesel or manual. The new Innova Hycross is a huge change in just about everything including being 200 kgs lighter than the Crysta plus having a completely new driving experience. We drove the car for a week to see how well it fits into being a premium family car. First of all, the SUV-like looks make the Innova Hycross a much more appealing design plus it is huge, so much so that those 18-inch wheels are dwarfed by the size of the car.

The front end particularly looks like an SUV which fits the purpose of the new Innova being much more premium. The interior is where the changes were needed the most and that is where it has been added. Getting in and out is much more easier and the cabin feels plush with soft-touch materials. There is plenty of soft-touch leather while the dash-mounted gear lever is better placed in my opinion. Features like seat ventilation, auto parking brake, panoramic sunroof, ADAS plus memory function for the driver's seat plus a 360 degree camera (display could be better though) are some of the best features on-board.

The best seat could be the middle row with captain seats as legroom is huge and so is the sense of space. Toyota has added Vellfire-like features like seat adjustment plus an electronic footrest, rear climate control plus sunblinds. There is also a foldable tray with cup holders. All this makes it an ideal chauffeur-driven car while even the third row is spacious with individual headrests plus plenty of space.

However, you want to know the mileage that it offers. We had the top-spec strong hybrid with the 2.0l petrol and an e-CVT gearbox. Total power is 184 bhp but what you need to know is that in eco mode, a lot of the time, in low-speed traffic you will be driving it in EV mode. We got 16kmpl in the city with mixed driving conditions while a cruise on the highway resulted in 18. You can get more with sedate driving too. The shift from EV to engine is seamless while at very low speeds, you are in silent electric mode. If you want more power, a simple tap of the accelerator brings back the petrol engine.

It is seriously smooth and linear while the electric steering also makes life easy. You forget the size and it fits in as a comfortable daily. The turning circle and the ease of use are also surprising for such a big car. You can switch to power mode to get the best out of this engine but when pushed hard, it gets a bit noisy.

You won't find the Crysta-like diesel torque but it is way smoother and best left driving in standard mode with a relaxed right foot. Doing that there is barely any noise and NVH is excellent too. That said, some road imperfections do filter in and it is not as tough as the Crysta. However, the trade-off is much better handling, less body roll, and a premium car-like driving experience.

The top-end Hycross now stretches to nearly Rs 30 lakh which is a serious amount of money but the Hycross is now a serious player in the premium space. The SUVish looks bring presence while the hybrid powertrain is its trump card along with the usual strengths of comfort and space. As our week-long drive proved it is an efficient car along with adding more comfort from the current Crysta. Overall, this is a brilliant family car and its long waiting list shows that. 

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