Introduced in 2005, the Toyota Innova became a household name sooner than the market anticipated. Its presence in the MPV segment has remained unchallenged and even while some cheaper alternatives have come into existence since then, the Innova has remained largely unperturbed.

With the new Innova Hycross, the Karnataka-headquartered carmaker has moved things further up a notch. It’s been around for about a year and a half, and with strong sales despite the heavier price, it’s clearly got the commercial sorted out.

However, the question arises whether it is worthy of the six-letter badge that it proudly carries on its derriere. For it’s not just about its maker’s brand value but also whatever ‘Innova’ has stood for, namely comfort, reliability and longevity. A refresher drive ensued and we didn’t mind hopping into the driver’s seat to answer the aforementioned question.

Looks bigger

Unlike the Innova — or even the Innova Crysta from last decade — the Hycross looks and feels bigger on the outside. Its overall presence is distinctly better than its predecessors and that shows not only in the way the traffic moves out of the way for you, but also when you look at it parked.

It’s more muscular than before, the large grille and wide headlamps appear to be inspired by the Fortuner and there’s no mistaking it for anything else on the market — except its elder SUV sibling.

The visual bulk is so empowering that even its 18-inch wheels look a touch small, but on the whole, the MPV doesn’t look out of proportion. Its modern take on the MPV form works quite well, for the most part, and as a result, its positioning as the modern ‘Innova’ doesn’t wrong.

The profile is SUV-like, it’s not as slab-sided as before and the well-defined lines and wheel arches do hide the visual mass effectively. The five-spoke alloy wheels look smashing, but a touch taller sidewalls would have filled those large arches nicely.

Our test car was finished in Blackish Ageha Glass Flake paint, which depending on the incident light switches between black, blue and green. You wouldn’t expect such a paint option on the Innova but it proves that the Hycross is no standard iteration.

Underneath all the impressive bodywork is Toyota’s new platform for the Innova line. It’s called TNGA-C ‘High’, which in this case is Toyota’s parlance for a monocoque construction with a front-wheel-drive setup.

This would come as a surprise considering the Innova has always been a rear-wheel drive, based on a body-on-frame setup, with a longitudinally mounted engine. This is different and the resulting vehicle isn’t just lighter or more fuel-efficient, it’s also more spacious on the inside.

For the Innova Hycross, the wheelbase is increased by 100, which explains the extra space, in addition to the added length and width of the car.

The gear stick is placed on the dashboard and not on the floor, which opens up space for new storage compartments and cubby holes

The gear stick is placed on the dashboard and not on the floor, which opens up space for new storage compartments and cubby holes

Engine

Pop open the raised bonnet, and you’ll find either a 2-litre petrol engine which makes 173 bhp and comes with a CVT automatic gearbox, or a 2-litre petrol-hybrid.

We have the latter on test, and priced at ₹25.97 lakh onwards (ex-showroom), it’s about ₹6 lakh dearer than the standard version but promises more power, better economy, and thanks to its e-CVT gearbox, a smoother drive. The 2-litre four-cylinder engine, like its bigger brethren, runs on the Atkinson cycle. The combined output is 181 bhp while the electric motor brings 21.2 kg-m of torque, ensuring that making progress is quite effortless.

Toyota claims a 0-100 km/h time of 9.5 seconds, which is surprising for a vehicle its size, but goes on to show how effective these hybrid powertrains are. We found the acceleration to be linear and the overall operation to be rather nice. On the move, the 2-litre engine joins the electric motor in providing impetus quietly, although you can definitely feel the increase in power as it does so. The e-CVT negates some of the rubber-band effect which most CVTs suffer from but not entirely, and that can be witnessed during overtakes. It’s smooth otherwise and there’s a strong pull from the hybrid setup till about the 130-140 km/h mark.

Not bad for a people-mover, but the Hycross Hybrid surprises even more when it comes to high-speed stability. It’s well-built and never feels unnerving cruising at highway speeds, its body roll is what I’d call acceptable and the ride quality is impressive, too. I’d have liked the suspension to tackle ruts better, but the relatively low-profile tyres are at fault in that regard. The steering too doesn’t take away confidence at higher speeds; in fact, with decent heft, it’s actually good at quick lane changes. The best part is that the cabin is so well insulated that the occupants are largely unaware of how bad roads are, or how many lanes you’ve switched to avoid those pesky lane hoggers. Brilliant!

Cabin

The cabin is similar to modern Toyotas’ and fittingly a substantial upgrade over the Innova Crysta’s interior. With a low floor, getting in and out of it is effortless, the overall quality isn’t bad at all save for a few spots with low-quality plastics and the way the dashboard has been laid out is clearly more premium than any MPV in its class. As you’d have seen on minivans, the gear stick is placed on the dashboard and not on the floor, which opens up space for new storage compartments and cubby holes.

The cabin’s spaciousness comes to the fore when one gets in the second row of seats. The optional captain seats are part-electric and come with ottomans, turning this MPV into a business-class lounge. The front seats aren’t too bad, either. There’s a ventilation feature for both front seats while the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable and comes with a memory function. The third row benefits from easy access and unlike in the past, these seem to be all right even for adults.

Well-loaded

Those interested in a feature-rich MPV won’t be disappointed, either, because the Hycross comes well-loaded. There’s a panoramic sunroof, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with JBL speakers and wireless connectivity for both Apple and Android suites. There are six airbags, a variety of driver assists and Level-2 ADAS features including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitor, high-beam assist, etc.

The car can accommodate small bags even with all rows in place, but if you want to carry larger items, fold down the third row and it opens up quite a lot of space. To make things even more convenient, the electric tailgate ensures that loading/unloading the Innova Hycross isn’t a cumbersome process. The Hybrid version we tested has its battery mounted under the driver’s seat, which means it doesn’t affect space for the middle-row passengers.

The Toyota Innova Hycross Hybrid is a tech-loaded MPV and is closer to cars like the Camry and Vellfire than the Innova has ever been. It doesn’t lack in style, space, comfort, or features. There’s a lot of useable performance to be enjoyed and the hybrid powertrain turns out to be effortless in picking up speed. The move to a front-wheel-drive platform, the lack of a diesel engine and even the presence of e-CVT mightn’t be to everyone’s liking, but in reality, it’s a fair trade-off. To conclude our drive, it won’t be wrong to say that the Hycross Hybrid is a bit like the Innova on steroids with modernity and premium appeal added to the mix. Prices reflect that, too: the range starts from ₹19.77 lakh while the top-spec Hycross Hybrid, as tested, has a price tag of ₹30.98 lakh, ex-showroom. It’s on the fine line between affordable motoring and luxury, but the more time you spend with it, the more palatable its price actually becomes.