Specifications compared: Toyota Innova Hycross vs Tata Safari vs MG Hector Plus vs Mahindra XUV700

For the Innova Hycross, Toyota has decided to give the diesel powertrain a miss. (Image: Stanford Masters)

Toyota finally took the wraps off its latest iteration of the Innova. Called the Hycross, the new Innova comes with only two petrol engine options, one of which is a strong hybrid. But how does it stack up against the competition? To be fair, there’s no other MPV in the same price point as the Innova. However, there are similarly priced 3-row SUVs such as the Mahindra XUV700, the Tata Safari and the MG Hector Plus.

Dimensions

Design for the most part is similar across the board, even the Hycross, thanks to Toyota giving the MPV a more SUV-esque styling with aggressive wheel arches, tall bonnet, and a fairly aggressive look.

The Hycross is the longest and tallest vehicle here, measuring 4,755 mm and 1,795 mm, respectively. This also gives it the longest wheelbase at 2,850 mm. The MG Hector Plus comes closest to this height, measuring 4,720 mm, while it shares its wheelbase of 2,750 mm with the Mahindra XUV700. The widest car, however, is the Tata Safari, measuring 1,894 mm. At 1,845 mm, the Hycross edges out only the MG Hector Plus’s 1,835 mm on this parameter. All models sport 18-inch alloy rims. The Mahindra XUV700 and the MG Hector Plus, however, also get 17-inch rims for their lower-spec variants.

Powertrain

For the Innova Hycross, Toyota has decided to give the diesel powertrain a miss. There are two petrol engines, one standard naturally aspirated version and a strong hybrid. The 2-litre NA variant is capable of producing 174 hp of maximum power and 197 Nm of peak torque. Transmission comes via a CVT automatic gearbox. The strong hybrid makes use of the same Atkinson cycle petrol engine mated to an electric motor that in unison churn out 187 hp of maximum power and 186 Nm of peak torque //table below say 186 hp//. This is mated to an eCVT gearbox to transmit that power to the front wheels. What you may notice here is that a manual gearbox is missing. This, Toyota said, was because automatics return better fuel efficiency numbers and because of the global trend that favours automatics.

The Mahindra XUV700’s 2.2-litre turbo-diesel comes in two states of tune.

Moving on to the other cars now, the Tata Safari is powered by a single 2-litre turbo-diesel engine that produces 170 hp and 350 Nm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter. Like the Hycross, the Safari is also a front-wheel-drive-only car.

The MG Hector Plus gets a choice between one petrol and one diesel engine options. The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol is capable of producing 141 hp of maximum power and 250 Nm of peak torque. The 2-litre diesel on the other hand churns out 168 hp of maximum power and 350 Nm of peak torque. The Hector Plus perhaps has the largest range of transmission options including a 6-speed manual, a CVT automatic and a DCT automatic and comes with front-wheel-drive, again as standard.

The Mahindra XUV700 gets one petrol and two diesel powertrain options (the lower-spec diesel is available on the entry-level trim). The XUV700’s 2-litre turbo-petrol kicks out 200 hp and 380 Nm while its 2.2-litre turbo-diesel produces 153 hp/360 Nm and 182 hp/420 Nm on the entry-level and higher-trim levels, respectively. Transmission options include both a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter. However, the XUV700 also gets all-wheel-drive as one of its options with the higher-spec diesel engine.

Seating

Of course, the reason we compared these cars was because of the 3-row seating layout. Each one, however, offers a slightly different type of arrangement. The Mahindra XUV700 here is the only one to offer a 5-seater arrangement alongside a 7-seater layout. The 5-seater is a two row arrangement and there are captain seats on offer. The Hector Plus and the Tata Safari both offer 6-seater and 7-seater layouts with the third row allowing space for two people and captain seats on offer for the middle row. The Innova Hycross on the other hand comes with a 7-seater layout with captain seats for the middle row and an 8-seater layout. This means the Hycross has the largest space in the rear with three people packed close together. The 7-seater also has another advantage. Both captain seats get an ottoman function, the first car to offer this in the segment.

Prices

Now, Toyota hasn’t revealed prices for the Innova Hycross as yet. The company is expected to make the announcement sometime in January, but having said that, we expect prices to start at near the Rs 22-lakh mark considering it will sell at a premium to the Innova Crysta. Speaking of which, the Crysta itself will continue to be on sale. As for the others in this list, the Mahindra XUV700 starts at Rs 13.45 lakh and the Tata Safari at Rs 15.45 lakh. The MG Hector Plus, too, starts at Rs 14.93 lakh, making the Innova Hycross the most expensive in this comparison.