Luxury Pretender: Toyota Innova (2007)

December 20,2007

When the Toyota Innova came out in 2005, it turned out to be a pretty straight-forward vehicle. Gone was the “luxury” touches of the Revo like cafe-colored leather seats and natty on-board audio-visual entertainment and its place came a product that’s excellently engineered and competitively priced. Toyota focused on serious product development with the Innova, coming out with solidly executed mechanicals rather than merely slapping on “Banawe special” features on a prehistoric drivetrain. The result was nothing short of fantastic. The Innova was received with standing ovation from both critics and consumers alike, praising it as the most practical form of transportation for people with less than a million pesos to spare.

Of course, like any successful product, there are a select few who don’t want to be seen or even associated wit the hoi polloi. Think those who suffer from Jollibee phobia and you won’t be too far off. With a line-up that already includes the Hiace Grandia and the Previa, it was almost unnecessary for Toyota to add another luxury MPV into its line-up. But Toyota being Toyota, they just had to carve another luxury niche. After all, why settle for “just” 40 percent of the Philippine car market when you can have 45 percent? This is where the Innova V variant comes in.

With the same naming system as the Camry and Fortuner, the V connotes the highest variant of the Innova line. Generally, anyone will find the Innova pleasing to look at. It’s nicely proportioned and modern looking, but elitists will be immediately turned off for one simple reason: you can’t tell the V apart from the G (the second highest variant), except for the solitary badge at the back and the availability of Extreme Black as a color choice. If fashion sense dictates another color choice besides Extreme Black, then you’re out of luck. It’s a given that your Innova V will look like your neighbor’s Innova G or E or J.

While the Innova V isn’t radically different from the outside, it’s the inside that’s grabbing the headlines. Crack the door open and you’ll be greeted by the familiar whiff of leather. Exclusive to the V are leather seats for all three rows. Likewise, the steering wheel and shift knob are covered in cowhide. It’s hard to fault the choice of leather in the Innova. It feels soft, but durable enough for the long haul. However, those with kids will cringe at the beige color, which is hard to keep clean even after just a week of usage. Completing the luxury transformation is a change in the faux wood trim. It’s been replaced with a wood trim that looks a bit more convincing.

All this talk about wood and leather won’t convince the purveyor of luxury unless the subject of seating comes into play. Like upgrading from Economy to Business Class, the Innova V’s second row bench has been replaced with two individual buckets. The move to swap the bench for these so-called “Captain’s Chairs” produced both positive and negative effects, but mostly negative. On one hand, it does provide for unparalleled comfort with individual sliding and reclining functions. The individual center arm rests also provide an excellent respite for the busy executive. But the practical-minded out there will note that the Captain’s Chairs reduced the Innova’s seating capacity from 8 to 7. It also makes entry to the third row more difficult as these individual seats do not tumble compared to the bench that does with a 60/40 split. Those who use the Innova as a light-duty business vehicle will also find the loss of cargo space discontenting considering the overall size of this MPV.

Aside from these changes though, the V remains pretty much like its G variant. Don’t expect to find a high-end sound system, back-up camera or HID headlamps in here. Instead you’ll encounter Innova mainstays like Optitron gauges with rheostat function, dual air conditioning, a Fujitsu Ten MP3-capable CD player with 6 speakers, a trip computer and back-up sensors. The most welcome change though is the addition of a passenger airbag as well as an anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution.

The Innova V comes in both gasoline (2.0 V) and diesel (2.5 V) variants, both mated to a four-speed automatic. Having sampled the D-4D before and swearing to its smoothness and pulling power, it’s about time the spotlight’s turned over to the 2.0-liter VVT-i unit instead. With 136 horsepower and 183 Nm of torque available, it’s certainly not lacking in power. It’s surprising how Toyota makes this gasoline engine respond like its diesel engine: full of pulling power and gusto right from the get-go. Equally surprising though is how this VVT-i equipped engine is just as unhappy to rev as the diesel. This apparent lack of engine refinement is partially offset by the smooth-shifting automatic. However, you’ll still have to pay a penalty of 3 km/L penalty between diesel and gasoline. This sways the favor to the D-4D’s court which returns 11 km/L compared to the VVT-i’s 8 km/L.

Though enticing and solidly executed as the Innova V is, it’s still hard to recommend this for the upper crust of society wanting a new family vehicle. But, with a pricing that puts it at just a fraction above a million pesos (P 1,083,000 for the gasoline and P 1,144,000 for the diesel), the regular Juan who wants a subtle piece of luxury should consider this car. Without batting an eyelash, the Toyota Innova is still the best buy out there for a family car. In the case of its V variant though, the case may not be as convincing.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang

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