New Toyota Innova: All you need to know

One of the most anticipated new vehicle launches in India will be of the new Toyota Innova. This new MPV is expected to come to India next year. However, there is no official confirmation yet on whether the MPV will be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo 2016.  Brochures of the Indonesian-spec Innova have been doing rounds for a few days now and some official images have been released too. Here’s what the second-gen Innova has to offer.

Design

The new Innova’s styling is vastly different from that of the model it replaces. Up front, the nose takes styling cues from Toyota’s more recent models like the Corolla Altis and Camry. The big hexagonal grille – with two large chrome slats on top that flow into the headlamps – is wider and taller and extends all the way to the base of the front bumper. The headlamps appear to be double-barrel projector units and could even have integrated LED daytime running lamps.  The bottom half of the bumper is heavily sculpted, and the fog lamp inserts mirror the shape of the headlamps and flow into the grille.

A look at the sides and there’s no escaping the van-like shape, but there are a lot of signs that indicate Toyota’s effort to liven things up. There’s the restyled glass area, which kinks upwards sharply after the rear doors. Also, there is a prominent character line that runs from the rear and merges with the front wheel arch. There’s one more that runs below the window line to meet the bonnet and headlamps. Even the wheel arches have contours, which extend to the lower half of the doors and add a bit more character.

Interiors

The new Innova will come with dual-tone interiors and a good amount of faux aluminium trim as well, with woodgrain on some variants. Leather upholstery will be available on higher trims that will come with captain's chairs as well. There will be dual-zone climate control on offer too. Toyota will up the premium quotient on the 2016 Innova by adding LED mood lighting, a cooled glove box and all power windows with auto up and down feature.  Infotainment features include a 7.0-inch touchscreen system across all variants. However, features such as navigation system, voice command recognition, Bluetooth telephony and SD card support will depend on the variant. The top-spec trim is likely to come with an even larger 8.0-inch screen along with HDMI support and in-car Wi-Fi. Mentioned here are features for the Indonesian-spec model. It remains to be seen what features make it to the India-specific Innova.

Dimensions

The Indonesian Innova’s brochure also revealed details of its dimensions. The 2016 Innova is 4,735mm long, 1,830mm wide and 1,795mm high, i.e. 180mm longer, 60mm wider and 45mm taller than the current model. The wheelbase remains the same at 2,750mm.

Engine details

As revealed earlier, the new Innova loses the current 102bhp 2.5-litre diesel KD series engine for the all-new 2.4­-litre GD series diesel engine.  This new motor churns out 147bhp – a 45bhp increase from the outgoing model's engine. Two gearboxes will be on offer on the new Innova  – a five-speed manual and a six-speed automatic. The 2.4-litre diesel’s torque figure for the six-speed automatic model is 36.7kgm, while the manual gearbox-equipped variant delivers 34.9kgm.

Safety features

The 2016 Innova will come with the following safety features:

·         Stability control

·         Hill-start assist

·         ABS

·         Dual front, side and knee airbags

The all-new Innova will surely benefit from the reliability and popularity of its predecessor. With an all-new diesel engine and the diesel-automatic combo, and the long feature list, it has all the makings of another segment leader. But in the end, it depends on the pricing. It will be safe to assume that the model will be priced significantly higher when it reaches Indian showrooms next year. 

Also read: Auto Expo 2016: All you need to know