Toyota Kirloskar unveils Innova Hycross in India; bookings open

Toyota’s all-new Innova Hycross MPV has finally made its India debut and will go on sale by January next year. It made its global debut earlier this week as the Innova Zenix in Indonesia.

The Hycross is a completely new model and is the first Innova to be based on a monocoque construction. It also gets the option of a strong hybrid powerplant. 

Exterior details
The Innova Hycross looks almost identical to the Zenix that was revealed in Indonesia. For the new-generation model, Toyota has given the Innova a more SUV-like appearance with the upright grille, which looks similar to the Corolla Cross SUV sold abroad. From the sides, it comes across more like an MPV, thanks to the long rear door, and looks similar to the Veloz MPV that Toyota sells in some international markets.

Like the Crysta, the new Hycross gets a large glasshouse, promising good visibility for all three rows. It gets bigger, 10-spoke alloys with an upmarket design, giving a premium look. 

The Hycross measures 4,755mm in length and 1,850mm in width – both slightly more than the Innova Crysta. When it comes to the wheelbase, the new Innova Hycross is also 100mm longer. 

Interior details
On the inside, the interior of the Hycross marks a complete departure from the Crysta. It gets a multi-layered dashboard, and while it looks unique, some elements like the steering wheel and digital instrument cluster are similar to the Voxy MPV sold abroad. What stands out here is the large 10.1-inch floating touchscreen. The instrument cluster, meanwhile, is semi-digital with a 4.2-inch MID display. 

Also new with the Hycross is the dashboard-mounted gear lever console, which frees up space between the front seats. Higher variants of the MPV get dual-tone, brown and black interior theme with Dark Chestnut seat upholstery. 

Features and Variants
The Hycross comes with a total of five variants and Toyota has equipped the higher variants with bells and whistles like paddle shifters, connected car tech, ventilated front seats, 9-speaker JBL audio system, ambient lighting, multi-zone climate control and powered tail gate. In a first for an Innova, the new Hycross also gets a large panoramic sunroof. 

The new Innova Hycross debuts the Toyota Safety Sense suite of ADAS tech in India. It comes with features like lane departure warning, blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking. In terms of other safety features, the Hycross comes equipped with six airbags, ABS with EBD, Traction Control and ESP. 

When it comes to seating configurations, the Innova Hycross gets 7- and 8-seat layouts. The 7-seat configuration gets two captain’s chairs in the middle row, equipped with the ottoman function, and a bench seat for the third row. The 8-seat layout, on the other hand, gets bench seats for both second and third rows. Toyota is providing three-point seatbelts for all passengers. 

Unlike all the previous iterations of the Innova, which were underpinned by a ladder-frame construction, the new Hycross uses a monocoque chassis, and it is based on Toyota's TNGA-C platform. 

Fuel efficiency
The Innova Hycross gets petrol and strong-hybrid powertrain options and will skip the diesel engine option. The strong-hybrid powertrain is a 2.0-litre engine mated to Toyota’s fifth-gen strong hybrid tech (M20A-FXS). This engine, like most Toyota hybrid units, uses an Atkinson or Miller cycle for greater fuel efficiency. It makes 152hp and 187Nm of torque and is coupled to an electric motor for a combined power output of 186hp.

The non-hybrid version of the same 1,987cc engine makes 174hp and 197Nm. Both the powertrain options come paired to a CVT gearbox, and the Innova Hycross does not come with a manual transmission. 

With the hybrid powertrain, Toyota claims a fuel efficiency figure of 21.1kpl which gives it range of 1097km on a full tank of fuel. Toyota claims the Innova Crysta can sprint from 0 - 100kph in 9.5 seconds. 

Launch details and expected price
Bookings for the Toyota Innova Hycross are already underway and the carmaker is expected to announce the prices in January 2023. The Hycross is expected to be priced around Rs 22 lakh-28 lakh and will be sold alongside the Innova Crysta. When launched, it will take on the likes of the Mahindra XUV700 and the Tata Safari. 

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