THE INNO-WAR BEGINS |
Toyota’s
going for the kill with this modern, comfy and hugely refined MPV.
Step into the Innova’s interior and you think you’re in a
luxury car — there’s a plushness you just don’t associate
with MUVs.’
Leapfrog
is a game that’s played seriously by global car companies. Every
new model is launched with the hope that it will vault over its rivals.
However, the leapfrog game isn’t so intense in India, where outdated
models thrive, leaving little incentive for manufacturers to churn out
their new models. But even so, bringing out new models that leap a generation
forward does make a difference. Take the battle between the Hyundai Sonata
and the earlier Honda Accord. When the Korean firm launched its luxury
car, it sold thrice as well as its Japanese rival, but the arrival of
the latest Accord last year swung the balance sharply in the Japanese
car-maker’s favour, and the new Accord has virtually wiped out the
Sonata. GM India dropped the Chevy Tavera smack into Qualis territory,
and with good results. The Tavera may not have dented the Qualis’
sales but it’s seen as a generation ahead and is selling like hot
cakes with a six-week waiting list. However, the Tavera’s advantage
is likely to be shortlived for in March 2005, Toyota is planning a jump
into this market which could deliver better results than Anju Bobby George
did in Athens.
When Toyota launches the Innova, it will be not one but two generations
ahead of the current Qualis. Toyota will simply skip over the fourth-generation
Kijang (the Qualis is the third generation and the Innova the fifth) and
offer the freshest model from its stable.
The all-new Innova mini-van or Multi-Purpose-Vehicle (MPV) made its world
debut only last month in Jakarta. It’s based on Toyota’s new
IMV (for Innovative Multi-Purpose Vehicle) platform, which will spawn
five different models for sale in more than 140 countries. The Innova
is the second model on the IMV platform, the first being the the pick-up
model, the Hilux Vigo, launched just last month in Thailand.
India forms a crucial part of the IMV project, which relies on global
production and supply bases that are all outside Japan (unprecedented
for Toyota) to produce vehicles and components. India is responsible for
the transmissions for all IMV models in the world, while diesel engines
will come from Thailand and petrols from Indonesia. Remarkably, India
will begin manufacturing the Innova only six months after its global launch.
Regular Autocar India readers may remember the scoop images (a world first)
of the Innova in our July and August 2004 issues — as we can now
see, they were spot-on. Unveiled amid much fanfare at Toyota’s Karawang
plant in West Java, the Innova, which cost US$ 360 million (Rs 1,620 crore)
to develop, will first go on sale in Indonesia this month, quickly followed
by other countries in the region.
You simply can’t compare the Qualis to the Innova, which looks like
a spaceship alongside the boxy Qualis which we are all familiar with.
Also, the Innova is really a mini-van, offering practicality instead of
a rugged image. The Innova’s styling, though very modern, breaks
no new ground and is a typical Toyota van with styling cues from the Previa
and the Corolla Verso. It has huge, wing-shaped lights and a simple, inoffensive
grille with the Toyota logo placed on a central wedge, making it impossible
to mistake it for anything but a Toyota. The shapely bumper with its pronounced
air intake and fogs along with the chin spoiler adds a sporty touch.
The short bonnet and raked windscreen accentuate the cab-forward design
of the Innova, designed to maximise passenger space, the long wheelbase
and vast doors hinting at the amount of passenger space. In fact, the
2750mm wheelbase is 250mm more than the Qualis. The flush fitting, bonded
rear windows add to the smooth, uncluttered and slightly bland look of
the Innova — the only interesting features at the rear are the pyramid
shaped tail-lights. 
Unlike the Qualis, based on an antiquated C-section type chassis, the
Innova sits on a rigid tubular chassis with modern mechanicals. The front
suspension is made up of double wishbones with coil springs while the
rear, though non-independent, gets a relatively sophisticated set-up with
four links and a lateral rod with coil springs. The dampers and rear coils
are decoupled, allowing flexible packaging. The Innova, available only
in two-wheel drive, follows the standard layout of a longitudinally-mounted
engine driving the rear wheels.
Step into the interiors and you’re in for a shock. You think you’ve
walked into a luxury car by mistake — there’s a plushness
you don’t associate with cars in this category. The dashboard with
its interesting two-tone and geometric design looks and feels better than
a Corolla’s, and the plastics, switches and buttons have a tactile
feel comparable to a luxury car. Power window switches come from a common
parts bin, shared with the Corolla.
The stereo system sits high up on the dashboard, topped by a sleek looking
Multi-information Display (MID). Only available on the top-end model,
it gives useful information like outside temperature, average fuel consumption,
real-time fuel consumption, average speed, elapsed time, range/distance
at your fingertips. Also, the high-end version features mock-wood inserts
and features like Park Distance Control (PDC), a boon while parking in
tight places. 
Interior space and comfort are class-leading, and the Innova feels far
more spacious than both the Tavera and its sibling, the Qualis. The front
seats are pretty generous, with seat- and steering wheel-height adjustment
on some models.
The thoughtfully designed middle row is placed quite high off the floor,
allowing a comfortable seating posture. Though not quite as comfy as the
Safari’s middle-row seats, the Innova has plenty of legroom and
width for the central passengers.
The rear seats are economy class but compared to its rivals, the Innova
excels. The middle and rear seats flip forward, and tilt in all kinds
of permutations, typical of other MUVs in this market. What’s unique
is a 50:50 split for the rear seats. It adds to the versatility of the
Innova, but limits the rear-most seats to two passengers. Toyota might
use a single-piece bench for the Indian model so the Innova can be certified
an eight-seater.
For Indonesia, the Innova gets a choice of two engines, a 2.5-litre common-rail
turbo-diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol. Both are expected in India, the diesel
expected to lead sales. The 16-valve, twin-cam diesel engine produces
102bhp and 20.4 kgm of torque, quite modest for a common-rail unit of
this size. However, Toyota has traded power for economy and though we
never got an opportunity 
to test the Innova, Toyota claims it is the most fuel-efficient vehicle
in its class. The automatic version gets additional torque (26.5kgm),
which implies that Toyota can tune this engine to suit different applications.
No road test was possible, but we were taken for a spin around the Karawang
test track. The immediate impression was how silent the diesel motor is.
Noise and vibrations are incredibly low and clearly a jump ahead of other
diesel MUVs. There didn’t seem to be a lack of power either and
with a full load of eager journalists, the Innova managed to canter effortlessly
past the 120kph mark. The ride was pretty good for an MPV, but you could
feel the lumpiness of the live axle, and the suspension clearly lacked
the compliance of a regular car.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) is tight-lipped about the Innova’s
launch, even though a group of TKM officials, including vice-chairman
Vikram Kirloskar, were present for the line-off ceremony at Karawang.
We expect the Innova in India 
by the end of March 2005 at a price comparable to the Qualis. Toyota officials
indicate that the Innova’s manufacturing costs are cheaper than
the Qualis, thanks to the huge economies of scale expected from the IMV
project (Toyota plans to make 500,000 vehicles on the IMV platform in
2005) and simplicity in manufacturing.
The only chink in the Innova’s armour is the shape. Potential SUV/MUV
owners may not take to its van-like looks, which lack the tough and rugged
image of a Scorpio. However, we have learned that an SUV on the IMV platform
is on the way later in 2005 and is expected to look like a mini-Land Cruiser.
Toyota said it was very serious about India, but now we know just how
serious. L
GENERATION
GAP
The
Toyota Kijang is a huge success in Indonesia and South-East Asia. The
first Kijang was launched in 1977 as a pick-up truck but was made into
a passenger vehicle in 1986. Since then, it has gone on to become the
most popular vehicle in Indonesia and is the country’s ‘Maruti
800’
 The
Qualis is the third- generation Kijang, made in Indonesia from 1986-1996.
In 1992 it got a minor face-lift and was called the Kijang Grand. After
it was discontinued in 1996, Toyota shipped the tooling from Indonesia
to India for local production.
A revised grille and lights and new dashboard were some of unique changes
made to the Qualis.
The fourth-generation Kijang had a more rounded and modern look than the
Qualis, and was a generation ahead. It was called the Kijang Kapsul in
Indonesia, where it was sold with a silky 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol
engines. High-end versions like the Krista were also developed. This Kijang
was made between 1997-2004. India skipped making this model.
The Innova is the fifth- generation Kijang and will be made in several
countries, including India. The Innova marks a radical departure from
the Kijang’s traditionally MUV silhouette and is distinctly a mini-van.
However, this has not deterred 14,000 Indonesians from booking the Innova
within days of its unveiling. The Indian-made Innova promises to evoke
a similar response.
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Gearbox
