Toyota Innova Crysta: Final Pick - Petrol or Diesel?

The story dates back to the Toyota Qualis which was truly a far cry away from Toyota's real potential. To compete in the same segment, Chevrolet launched the Tavera and became the first automotive brand that gave the Japanese automobile giant something to worry about. It was cheaper, could accommodate the same number of people as the Qualis and was slightly more fuel efficient. Toyota however was focusing on a whole new segment – a premium MPV. Keeping the requirements of the customers in check, the Innova was took birth in 2004. Since then it has gone through some subtle cosmetic changes here and there. Rest sure is history as the Innova went on to become the best selling MPV in India.

After nearly 11 years Toyota has released the second generation Innova. The new model is christened as the Innova Crysta and there is no denial that it looks much better when compared to its predecessor, both on the inside and outside. The company launched the diesel variant first with two engine options and now, recently, the petrol variant made its way to the launch pad. The petrol variant had to come and come quick to cater the Innova faithfuls in the diesel ban hit Delhi-NCR. With such tasty offerings, the million dollar question still remains – go for the diesel drive or the petrol power. Here's all you need to know about the two options.

Engines: Let's focus on the diesel side of the Innova Crysta. There are two engine options to choose from. A 2.4-litre turbocharged 4-pot mill that delivers 150PS of power and a meaty 343Nm of torque, and a 2.8-litre turbocharged 4-pot motor that churns out 174PS of power and a meatier 360Nm of torque. For customers opting for a petrol powered Innova Crysta, there is only one engine on offer. It is a 2.7-litre engine that produces 166PS of power and 245Nm 'not-so-meaty-but-still-a-lot-of' torque. Based on the mathematic figures, the petrol engine falls rather comfortably in between the two diesel motors on offer. Currently the petrol is the only motor that customers from Delhi-NCR can opt for, unless of course the Government decides to lift the ban on sale of vehicles with an engine capacity equal to or greater than 2000cc.

Customers can opt for an automatic or a manual gearbox. The 2.4-litre diesel motor comes with a 5-speed manual transmission whereas the 2.8-litre power-plant comes mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. For customers who want the petrol powered option, they can opt for a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission setup, depending on which spec they choose.

Mileage: No points for guessing that the petrol engine is thirstier than the diesel motor. If fuel economy is one of the top-most priority, the diesel motors win. ARAI figures show that the manual transmission with the 2.4-litre diesel motor returns 15.1kmpl and the 2.8-litre engine with automatic gearbox gives 14.29kmpl. The petrol motor delivers an average of 10.83kmpl with the automatic gearbox and 9.83kmpl with the manual one.

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Features: There is nothing to differentiate between the two offerings here. Both the top-spec petrol and diesel variants are loaded with features. The list includes seven airbags, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, automatic LED projector headlamps, key-less entry and go, cruise control, stability control with hill start assist and auto up-down on all four windows.

Price: It is here where the petrol variant outshines its diesel powered siblings. Normally the ex-showroom price for Delhi is taken when a car in launched. But since Delhi has the diesel ban in place, prices for the diesel models are not available. The entry-level petrol (2.7 GX MT, seven-seater) and diesel (2.4 G MT, seven-seater) options are priced at Rs 13.57 lakh and Rs 13.83 lakh (both ex-showroom, Mumbai) respectively. Here is a price list for all the variants.