Toyota Kirloskar Motor has just unveiled the Innova Hycross with its all-new hybrid technology. While the company hasn’t announced prices, we have been given a full unveiling of the car along from the exterior design to the interior theme and equipment.
Design
Starting with its looks, the Hycross takes a more aggressive stance akin to what you might see from an SUV rather than a tame MPV that is the old-gen Innova. Up front, the grille is a large hexagonal unit finished in gunmetal grey. Flanking that, the Hycross doesn’t get the split headlamp cluster that is becoming the trend. Instead, that is where the turn indicators now sit. Fog lamps have been moved into the bumper just above the faux skid plate.
The sides are characterised by a strong shoulder line and very prominent wheel arches. The rims themselves are a new set of silver alloys adding to the already muscular stance. The glasshouse near the D-pillar has been revised now and instead of sloping up, the window is in line with the shoulder, allowing for a better view for the passengers in the third row. And finally, the rear has chunky tail lamps and blacked out rear bumper finished with a skid plate at the bottom and a rather large exhaust on the right side.
Powertrain
The Innova Hycross unlike the Innova Crysta doesn’t get a diesel option. Instead, a petrol and a strong hybrid powertrain do duty to propel the car. The standard petrol 2-litre four cylinder engine produces 172 hp of maximum power and 205 Nm of peak torque and comes mated to a single CVT transmission.
The strong hybrid on the other hand makes use of the same petrol engine coupled with Toyota’s fifth-gen hybrid tech to produce a total of 184 hp of maximum power and 187 Nm of torque. Transmission on the hybrid comes from an e-CVT gearbox. Toyota has said that a manual transmission has been given a miss for two reasons: better fuel efficiency and a growing global trend towards automatics.
The Hycross, thanks to the strong hybrid engine, is capable of returning a 21.1 km/l fuel efficiency figure and according to Toyota’s calculations, this will allow the car to run a total of 1,097 km on a full tank. The company also claims a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 9.5 seconds.
Interior
On the inside, the Hycross bears absolutely no resemblance to the old Crysta. A new black-and-tan dashboard adorns the front with a 10.1-inch floating touchscreen display at the centre. The Hycross also gets a new dash-mounted gear lever console. There are three rows as standard in the Hycross, all finished in soft-touch brown leather matching the interior theme of the car. Additionally, there are two seating options, 7- and 8-seater. The 7-seater gets two captain chairs for the centre and for the first time in the segment, an ottoman feature. The steering wheel is a multifunctional unit behind which sits a semi-digital instrument cluster with a 4.2-inch MID at the centre.
Safety
The Hycross will be available in a total of five variants, two of which will be petrol-driven and three strong hybrid versions. The highest trim ZX (O) is the strong hybrid variant and will get all of the top spec features including Toyota’s ADAS tech, Toyota Safety Sense. This will be the first time Toyota brings the ADAS to Indian shores. It comes complete with functionality such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitor, pre-collision alert system and rear cross-traffic alert. For safety, the Hycross also gets six airbags, ABS, EBD, traction control, etc.
Launch and prices
Bookings for the Toyota Hycross have already begun for a token amount of Rs 50,000. Now, while the prices have not been announced, the company is expected to start sales in mid-January, so we can expect prices to be announced early that month. As for expectations, somewhere near the Rs 22 lakh mark can be a starting point, going up to Rs 28 lakh.
Rivals for the Toyota Hycross include the likes of the Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV700, Hyundai Alcazar and MG Hector Plus, although these are considered to be more SUV than MPV. What one needs to keep in mind is that while the Hycross will only be available with petrol engines, the old-gen Innova Crysta will continue to be sold if you are looking for a diesel.
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