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Ownership  Experience

With 53000 kms done so far in 2 years, six services and zero parts replacement after, the Innova emphasizes the ‘Toyota Philosophy’ inside it every moment and profusely serves me “All I Desired”.

Hence, having suffered unreliability from my earlier vehicles, the Innova came out to be a huge leap or me, it being an extremely dependable and hassle free vehicle.

The Innova stands apart as one unique and inimitable vehicle due to the fact that it has been exclusively engineered against the harsh operative environment of Indian Roads, be it water logged streets, hours of idling in a jam, pot-holes, unfinished highways and yet able to cruise like an airplane on highways.

I have been driving the Innova to travel from coast to coast of the Indian Sub-Continent, virtually wherever the roads would exist. So much is the confidence I get from this vehicle that even distances like Delhi-Kolkata and Kolkata-Hyderabad have been covered with the vehicle ignition shut off only after reaching the destination.

Such is the Safety Factor that I had once mistakenly driven over a roughly 18 inch kerb-stone carelessly strewn on NH9 (Ameerpet) without any damage to the vehicle at all.

On another occasion, while returning from Goa, I was cruising in my Non-ABS vehicle at 100kmph on single laned NH7 when somebody hurled a stone at the vehicle from the opposite direction.

Such is the safety factor of the vehicle that I was able to halt it to a dead stop within seconds and miss the trajectory. The vehicle in spite of being quite large and tall, did not skid out of control and maintained straight line stability as the stone landed just a meter ahead of the vehicle, missing the windshield.

Even during braking tests with worn out tires on wet roads, I have managed to bring it to a halt with straighline stability, albeit a longer stopping distance due to the imminent aquaplaning.

Driving an Innova in congested cities is no mean feat with its longish stance and the raked forward cab design which is also reminiscent of a Bullet Train Locomotive with the Diesel Engine complementing furthermore. Innova is my second home with me spending minimum 4-6 Hours in the vehicle everyday, cruising, dining, lounging etc, while the HVAC being switched on all the time.

I have in fact lost the habit of calculating mileage and every one in a while I happen to discover that it has given quite a decent economy. I intend to use this vehicle till a million kms if situations permit. And on the highways, as it cruises through the night across desolate landscapes, deserted territories, it makes you feel as if you own the roads for that moment.

I do have certain reservations about the Innova:

• Paint easily gets scratched
• Thin body panels easily gets dented
• Engine NVH can be a  bit infuriating at speeds above 100kmph

In a modest exposition, Innova a larger vehicle with a longer lifecycle and longer service life.

Toyota Dealership Experience

The Toyota experience began with the exceptional sales-service at their Dealership – RK Toyota at Hyderabad, who stood to their commitment by delivering the vehicle in ONE day, without me even having to place the conventional booking money, days in advance.

Advantage Innova

Rear Wheel Dead Axle: A rudimentary but time-tested setup that translates to greater service life. Indian Highways may be in the process of being upgraded to international standards, but the completion milestone will outrun our own lifetimes. Till then vehicles with RWD dead axles and body on ladder type setups will be best bets in terms of longevity and reliability.

Body-on-chassis: Innova is a CAR on a TRUCK chassis. Another rudimentary and time-tested setup –a  Mono-coque Body shell bolted on ladder chassis with phenomenal torsional rigidity, is perfectly suited for Indian Road Conditions as the body shell is not the stress member at. This also results in lower center of gravity and exceptional NVH reduction as body is isolated from the Engine.

Longitudinal Engine Setup: Components operate cooler and have easy accessibility for repairs as they are liberally spaced out and HVAC performance remains at peak even with a clogged evaporator. Again as the parts are spaced out, the chances of they getting fudged with each other are reduced, enhancing reliability.

Hi-Volumetric Capacity Engine: A 2500cc De-tuned Engine Ensures longevity and performance with AC on all the time. It’s service life can be pegged at over 5 lakh kms without an engine overhaul, if we go by what the Toyota Qualis has delivered so far.

Toyota Philosophy

Toyotas have high terminal value globally. No other vehicle can easily be offered at that price (sub INR. 1 million) as it takes a considerable extent of time, road tests, market research and localization to launch a new automobile model.

Toyota has kept in mind the entire lifecycle of the vehicle from Purchase to resale to refurbishment and finally scrap. Toyota has also set the preventive maintenance planner calendar, so that their reputation does not go down due to major component failiure. Which another car company has so much fore-sight, and that also for the Indian market?

‘CAR India’ Magazine has featured a Full Page on me and the TOYOTA Innova in the March 2010, Edition, Page 42