Innova HyCross Hybrid: Learnings From A 1000km Roadtrip

I remember chuckling at my own genius when I typed out the caption to my Instagram post about the Innova HyCross when I first saw it. ‘Uncles of India, rejoice!’ it read. On first thoughts, I was certain it would appeal to someone who’s a certified uncle — in their heads or otherwise. 

Toyota’s upsell from the Crysta seemed equal parts convincing and intriguing, though. For it was going in a direction that’s practically a diametric opposite to its usual conservative self. Whole lot of sensibility packed in, mixed with a barrage of features and styling that apes an SUV very convincingly — the HyCross started making more sense to me over a road trip from Bangalore to Mumbai. 

Here are a few key takeaways from that journey:

Road Trip Hero! 

The HyCross has no business being that comfy. From the outside, those large wheels and thin(ish) side profile looks woefully inadequate. Sure, the marker is a body-on-frame truck Crysta. But usual benefits of a monocoque aside, Toyota seems to have gotten the ride comfort spot on. The basics of cushioning and noise control are done well. It felt at equal ease on smooth and fast highways leading to Davangere, Karnataka, and non-existent roads leading into Kolhapur, Maharashtra. 

The second layer to this comfort are the seats. A tall seating position, fantastic all round visibility and firm cushioning means you could genuinely cover long distances at a stretch without breaking a sweat. While I spent all of my time in the driver’s seat, I’m positive the captain seats will be worth fighting with your siblings or friends over. 

Tank To Tank

Toyota’s trump card (and also one of the key reasons you should consider a HyCross) is that diesel power is now replaced by hybrid wizardry. And, we’re all for it. We drove the HyCross to empty in our latest episode of Drive To Death to find out how much of a difference the hybrid system makes. Compared to the non-Hybrid Innova, it would travel an additional 250km on the same 52 litres of petrol.

In fact, the Hybrid managed to substantially negate a 30-litre fuel tank capacity advantage of the Fortuner diesel we ran alongside on the test. Make sure you catch the video for the full numbers. 

Fatter wallet aside, you’d be happy with how the technology works seamlessly behind the scene. There’s no need for it to do big miles on electric power alone. Savings of 200-500m when you’re coasting or going down a slope all add up substantially over a long trip. The real highlight here is that you don’t really need to significantly alter your driving style to eke out this kind of efficiency. Yes, the graphics on the instrument cluster do encourage you to drive frugally, but you’d never have to drive at a snail’s pace for the sake of efficiency. 

Uncle Can FLY!

Ever heard of that one 40-year-old guy in your gym that benches more than everyone and runs marathons to kill time on the weekends? Yeah, the HyCross Hybrid is the equivalent of that. More or less. 

You don’t expect it to breach the 100kmph mark as quickly, nor hold questionable speeds on the highway effortlessly. Yet, it does that. While pirouetting through the ghats of Amboli, I was pleasantly surprised as to how predictable and quick the steering is. Unlike the Crysta that needs a good deal of arm wrestling, the HyCross is almost too easy to steer. If the kids are asleep in the back, you could have some fun in it. Expectedly, the tall body means there’s roll to deal with — but it’s never unnerving. 

Glitz 

Surprise, surprise — the HyCross turns heads. Yes, it’s partly because it is a new model, but the amount of attention a van got took me by surprise. What’s even more interesting is that the Innova now looks even more at home sharing space with bigger, more expensive luxury cars than ever before. 

This is mostly down to its size. It’s longer and wider compared to the Crysta, and has no problems rubbing shoulders with even the larger Fortuner. With the raised bonnet, slab-sided tail and flared haunches — there’s more SUV in the design. Do NOT be surprised if your friendly neighborhood humble politicians pick these up by the dozen. 

PS: I parked our test car next to a neighbor’s GLS. Doesn’t look too out of place, no? 

Glam

For a vehicle that costs about Rs 35 lakh (on-road), we’re happy to report that Toyota hasn’t been stingy with the features list. Most of these features up the want quotient of the HyCross considerably. The panoramic sunroof, the powered ottomans on the captain seat, a JBL sound system, cooled front seats — all function just as you’d want them to.

Not all’s rosy though. For instance, the large 10-inch touchscreen has poor contrast, an unnecessary matte finish to the screen and a generally sub-par user experience. Output from the 360° camera too is shabby — we’ve seen clearer resolutions in cars that cost half as much. Similarly the ambient lighting elements around the sunroof feel like they’re trapped behind a film of dull plastic.

We also have to talk about quality. Toyota has upped the game from the Crysta with soft touch elements on the dashboard and door pads, but missed the sweet spot by a small margin. Most plastic used in the cabin feels hard but durable, mostly down to smooth graining. Elements you’d touch every day — such as the buttons on the steering wheel, power window switches and headlamp/wiper stalks — feel flimsier than they should be on a car that costs as much. For the same kind of money, you could get anything from a Tiguan to a Meridian — which offer a more premium interior experience. 

You’re effectively choosing between more space to be chauffeured around in, and better feel-good while being chauffeur driven. 

Did I change my mind? 

Well, sort of. If you had to have just ONE car in the garage and spend 35 lakh for it, the HyCross Hybrid is as close to a do-it-all as it gets. Space for the family and their luggage, enough tech to make you feel it’s money well spent and the size for bragging rights too. 

Over the journey, the Hybrid tech convinced us of its frugality quite easily. The comfortable seating, stress-free ride were to be expected, but it’s the HyCross’ ability to be unassumingly fun that was the highlight. The compromises, whether it’s in the form of iffy plastic quality, the so-so infotainment screen and the likes, aren’t significant enough to change your buying decision.