Toyota Innova Crysta review, road test

With the Crysta’s completely revamped suspension, Toyota claims to have controlled pitch and bounce and it’s quite evident. But just don’t expect sedan levels of ride quality. On rutted surfaces, the Crysta feels a bit jittery and sharp edges filter through into the cabin. Where the suspension excels is in its ability to soak up really bad roads. We threw some potholes, speed breakers and sunken-in manhole covers at it and it surprised us with its ability to soak them up without flinching. The long travel suspension makes the Crysta superbly suited for tackling any kind of surface. Handling though, is a bit ponderous and the heavier Innova is just not happy to change direction as quickly as before. What makes the experience worse is the numb steering that feels like it’s churning a pot of ghee. At parking speeds too, the weight is far too heavy and at higher speeds, the steering is a bit too slack. There is a fair amount of body roll and hustling it through a twisty ghat section will have some passengers feel queasy. Straightline stability is not an issue, the suspension and the sheer weight does a good job of keep things steady. The Crysta also gets Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) in case things get out of hand. There is also ABS and hill start assist to ease worries of starting on a slope.