The Toyota Innova has been India's favourite MUV since its launch way back in 2005. Over time, not much has changed in terms of design although the car has been given incremental but timely updates and facelifts to keep prospective buyers interested. Now though, Toyota is ready to unveil its all-new Innova at next year's Delhi Auto Expo.
The most obvious difference between the current generation and the Toyota Innova 2016 is the stark change in design language. Although the new iteration maintains the Innova's familiar people-carrier profile, the front-end has been completely redesigned to make it look sleeker and more stylish than the outgoing version.
Unlike the current Innova which has large headlamps and a 3-slat chrome grille, the Innova 2016 will come with narrow, sweptback head-lamps that merge into the newly designed, dual-slat, hexagonal front grille. The new head-lamps also come equipped with LED projector units. Other changes to the front include a redesigned bonnet and trendy fog lamps. The side profile has remained relatively unchanged with a just a few noticeable differences like the redesigned 17-inch alloy wheels and refreshed wheel arches, tapered C-pillar, and chrome lined windows. The rear-end gets a new bumper and boomerang-shaped tail-lamp clusters that are placed horizontally unlike the Christmas tree units found on the current generation.
In terms of interiors, Toyota has tried to up its game with the Innova 2016. The instrument cluster has been revamped as has the entire dashboard layout. The 2016 version gets dual-tone interiors with silver accents and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with voice command support, and Bluetooth, USB and AUX connectivity. The top spec 'Q' variant will get leather upholstery, wood-finish panels, Smart Entry, and all-auto window switches in addition to the features found on the preceding trim level. The next-in-line 'V'-level trim features ambient LED cabin lighting, a cooled glove-box, and automatic climate control. The higher-end variants are also likely to get a better infotainment console with an HDMI input and web-browsing facility as well as Miracast Wi-Fi support. In contrast, the present generation Innova only offers a touchscreen in the top-spec variants. The Innova 2016 also happens to be marginally bigger than the current version which indicates that the cabin will be more spacious. Although the length, width and height have been increased, the wheelbase has remained the same.
On the safety front, the Innova 2016 features 3 airbags in the front (passenger, driver and driver-side knee airbag) as standard across all variants whereas the top-of-the-line models will be equipped with 7 airbags. The current generation only has dual-airbags available for the front seats and that too in only the top two variants. Another major improvement is the addition of Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) as standard across the range whereas the top-end variants are likely to receive Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Hill Assist Control (HAC).
Besides cosmetic updates, the Toyota Innova 2016 has also been upgraded from a mechanical point of view. Replacing the aging 2.5-litre KD Series diesel mill which powers the present day Innova is Toyota's newly developed 2.4-litre GD Series engine which is good for 147.6bhp and 360Nm of torque which makes it more substantially more powerful despite the engine capacity having been reduced. This engine will also feature on the next-gen Fortuner. Toyota also claims that the new engine is 10 per cent more economical than the current one. Additionally, Toyota will offer the Innova 2016 with a 6-speed automatic gearbox as well as a 5-speed manual gear box. The current Innova does not come with an automatic gearbox option.
Dimensions Toyota Innova 2016 Current Toyota Innova
Length 4735mm 4585mm
Width 1830mm 1765mm
Height 1795mm 1760mm
Wheelbase 2750mm
2750mm
Specifications Toyota Innova 2016 Current Toyota Innova
Engine 2.4-litre GD Series diesel 2.5-litre KD Series diesel
Power 147bhp 101bhp
Torque 360Nm 200Nm
Mileage 13.5Km/l (approx.) 12Km/l
Exp. Price 10 to 16 L
Exp. Launch Feb 2016
