• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

S. Muralidhar

TOYOTA is one of the most envied automobile companies in the world. The ability to manufacture at low costs and yet offer extremely reliable vehicles with high quality has been instrumental in its becoming the world's second largest automobile company.

Toyota has also time and again shown an intuitive streak that enables it identify the most promising growth markets, which it then addresses using the most relevant products manufactured to exacting standards.

The latest project that Toyota has been zealously pursuing for the past five years is the IMV project (see accompanying story) involving a revolutionary plan to completely conceive and manufacture a series of vehicles outside of Japan, which has, in the past, been the base for the development and manufacturing of at least the key components for all Toyota cars.

The new project is targeting the fast developing markets in Asia, South America and Africa. With India being one of the fastest growing car markets in the world, Toyota's Indian operation is expected to play an important part in the IMV project. Last month Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) — the Indian subsidiary — joined the list of countries where IMV vehicles are being manufactured.

The Toyota Innova is one of the most significant passenger vehicles that has come out of the company's IMV project. The mandate that Toyota set for itself at the time of conceiving the project was to develop vehicles that are technologically on a par with similar vehicles in the developed markets, offering the level of quality that buyers have to come to expect of Toyota at an affordable price.

So, what you get in the Innova is a vehicle that does not look, feel and perform like a compromise for the Third World. The Innova — derived from Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle — has been given many novel features that Toyota's more pricey cars have. The most significant of these are the latest engine technologies such as D-4D — common rail diesel — and Toyota's own variable valve timing and intelligent (VVT-i) system in the petrol-driven Innova. In addition, the Innova has Toyota's highly rated Global Outstanding Assessment (GOA) body and advanced safety features such as airbags and an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a first in this vehicle category.

To further the perception of the Innova as a global product, Toyota has used the IMV project's unique manufacturing network to source a number of shared components from a single source. So, the Toyota Innova (Kijang Innova in Indonesia) will look the same inside out in every market that it is sold in. Toyota has ensured that the Innova is kept on a par with some of Toyota's most advanced passenger vehicles in the key areas of engine technology, safety, and exterior and interior build quality.

Design and exterior

The Innova will be launched in many of the IMV project markets, if not all. So, designing the multi-purpose vehicle must have posed a challenge as consumers in each one of these markets have their unique design preferences. But Toyota has managed to pull it off by giving the Innova a fairly modern look, though there are traces of the Japanese company's well-known conservatism.

The straightforward design of the Innova should be universally appealing and appears to follow Toyota's blueprint for a number of its other global passenger vehicles. An example here is the oversized headlamps and three-dimensional bonnet grille. From the front, the squint-eyed, extra-large, wrap-around, clear-lens headlamps are attention-grabbing. A thickset front bumper houses multi-reflector fog lamps in some of the top-end variants and a large air dam. Despite the large format bumpers at the front and rear, they do not give the Innova a squat appearance, thanks to the vehicle's size.

The bonnet panel is cut short by the large grille, which features two oversized horizontal slats and the chrome-finished oval Toyota badge. Top-end variants also get chrome lipstick treatment. The Innova's sharp-sloping A-pillar gives the massive windscreen a gradually rising angle. This design with smooth lines, together with the recessed, semi-concealed windscreen wiper assembly, helps the Innova pull-off an extremely low drag coefficient of 0.35, a number that is usually the preserve of luxury sedans. Quarter glass area just below and to the side of the A-pillar improve visibility and reduce the blind spot while negotiating a turn.

The Innova's four doors are the traditional sedan style swing open type. Large windows, including the quarter glass at the rear, distract the onlooker's focus and give the vehicle's interiors an airy, well-lit feel. However, deep-cut wheel arches take away a bit of the Innova's sophistication, though they are inevitable (especially at the rear) given the suspension set-up and ground clearance that is required for handling Indian road conditions. Flared body panels over the wheel arches, meant to give the Innova muscular looks are barely visible.

Large outside rear view mirrors (ORVMs) provide good visibility to the driver. But we missed parking assist sensors, particularly during reversing and parking, an aid that the Innova could do with given its size. In the higher priced variants, chrome-finished grip-type door handles, chrome slap-on panels for the ORVMs and alloy wheels are standard.

At the rear, the Innova's vertically laid, triangular tail-lamps gel with its overall design and ensure good visibility for drivers in the vehicles coming behind. The tailgate opens upwards and extends all the way down cutting well into the chunky rear bumper. The U-shaped bumper and the extra-long tailgate provide direct access to the floor of the boot area, and make loading and unloading the Innova easy. The lowered floor has also been made possible due to the spare tyre being tucked away neatly under the vehicle. Chrome garnish above the number plate slot, rear wash and wiper, defogger and a high mounted stop lamp are some of the add-ons that are available in the high trim variants.

Amazing interiors

A good part of the Innova story is in its interiors. The most striking aspect of the Innova's cabin is the quality of material used for the interiors. High-grade plastic, rugged, user-friendly knobs and switches exude Toyota quality. The quality of dashboard plastic and the dual-tone colour coordination give the interiors a luxury sedan feel. The lighter beige tone that Toyota has chosen for the lower portion of the dash, contrasting it with the grey on top give the Innova's interior a more roomy feel.

The dashboard centre console layout is simple, featuring air-conditioner knobs and trapezoidal vents. Higher trim variants get wood-grain inserts, a 2 DIN music system, powered ORVMs, twin airbags and power windows. The white-backlit instrument panel housed in a clamshell cluster is easy to read. Moulded steering wheel offers great grip and feel. Tilt steering is standard right through the whole range of variants, though the base E variants of both petrol and diesel do not offer power steering.

Two seating options are offered in the Innova. The seven-seater option in the top-end `V' variants comes with bucket seats in the first and second rows and a bench in the third. The eight-seater option will feature bench seats for the second and third rows and bucket seats for the driver and front passenger. The bucket seats in the front and the identical captain seats for the second row in the `V' variant are extremely plush and offer excellent lumbar and thigh support that are on a par with most premium mid-size sedans.

For passengers, especially adults, in the rear bench seat, the seat construction and the comparatively raised floor, will compromise ride quality. Leg room and thigh support is less than that offered by the captain seats, but it would still be better than the quality of third row seating in any other multi-purpose vehicle or SUV currently available in the country.

The captain seats get armrests and special high-density upholstery has been chosen for all variants to provide a firm but comfortable feel. The third row bench's backrest falls forward and can be folded sideways and up to increase boot space. The second row of seats or the bench, as the case may be, can also folded down. But the `V' variant's captain seats only allow the backrest to be folded down. The seat is set on rails and so cannot be folded forward, unlike the `G' variant's second row bench, which allows this configuration. This could be the biggest drawback in the `V' variant, where entry into and exit from the third row will, as a result, have to be through the gap in the captain's seats or through the gap that can be managed by sliding and folding one of the second row seats forward. Either way, entry and exit to the third row will be cramped and will need the passenger to crouch down and tiptoe.

Toyota is offering a dual air-conditioner, with individual vents for the second and third rows, only in the `V' and `G3' variants. The lower trim variants only get a single air-conditioner with vents on the dashboard. While the volume of air flow from the relatively smaller vents for the second and third rows is low, the dual air-conditioner still does a fairly good job of cooling the massive interior of the Innova. In the lower trim variants, the single air-conditioner may not adequately cool on a notoriously hot summer day.

Toyota has loaded the Innova's interiors with a number of storage options. The large glove box and the centre armrest console box in the `V' variant offer enough stowage space for CDs and odds and ends. Other storage options include cup holders in the flip open rear console and the shift console, sunglass holder integrated into the front map lamp, door bottle holders and side panel bottle holders in the third row.

The Innova will offer mileage that is class leading in the MPV segment. The diesel engine option would give a fuel efficiency of 10 kmpl in city driving conditions and about 13 kmpl on the highway. The petrol, on the other hand, will offer 8 kmpl in city and about 12 kmpl on the highway.

A reason for the better fuel efficiency comes from the Innova relatively lower curb weight of about 1.5 tonnes. Of course, much of the credit goes to Toyota's VVT-i technology.

Toyota is offering a total of five variants each for the petrol and diesel. The pricing will range from Rs 6.8 lakh for the base non-power steering, petrol variant to Rs 10 lakh for the top-end diesel variant (both prices are ex-showroom Mumbai).

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Trends in mutual fund flows — Is shift to equities sustainable?

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line