Overall, we felt that this car left a lot to be desired in terms of premiumness, fit-n-finish and cabin noise at this price point.
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Got a chance to test drive the Innova Hycross ZX(O) over the weekend at Shaw Toyota Pune. Had already booked the ZX model in November along with XUV 700 AX7 L petrol (showing March 2024 delivery), and I was also contemplating about the Hector plus 7 seater petrol CVT 2023 facelift since last month.
Below are my overall observations about Hycross:
- The car does have a good road presence and I liked the front and side looks. The back side is the least impressive.
- The tyre profile looks okay in person than in photographs.
- The body looks sturdy, and the doors were quite heavy, which was expected from Toyota.
- Interior quality felt like a 12-15 lacs segment car as soon as you enter the driver seat. The cheap quality of plastic was evident all over the place. The soft-touch material looked flimsy. While I was still settling down in the driver-side seat, my wifey reaction was a Big NO to the car as soon as she entered on the passenger side. I asked her to settle down and take the test drive. I guess she already had made up her mind by then to not spend 35+ lacs on this car.
- We took the test drive for almost 30 minutes and went through the city traffic and uneven/potholed roads.
- The car was absolutely silent after I started the ignition
- As soon as I put the pedal on the gas, the engine started and it became louder as I pressed the metal. I felt that the engine noise was a bit on the higher side, even at the slower speed. The sunroof and all the windows were closed. I asked the SA about it, and he said “Sir, 2.0 ltr ka bada engine hai, itna awaaj toh karega hi”, and I was like, really. I was driving at around 50-60 kmph at that time.
- The best part was that the car never felt underwhelmed at any time and the power seemed adequate (at least for city driving). However, I could barely reach 80 kmph for a short period on an empty road, as otherwise, it was full of moving traffic and the speed was limited to under 30-40 kmph most of the time.
- Braking was good. The SA was confident of ADAS and asked me to try the forward collision emergency braking, but I was a bit hesitant, so didn’t try that.
- Couldn’t check any other features of the ADAS.
- Coming from a sedan (ford fiesta 1.6 SXI), I and my wife felt the size was overwhelming. (never felt like that in XUV700 and Hector plus while test-driving)
- My wife (5.3″) felt that the infotainment system was obstructing the front field of view (middle side). We tried multiple seat adjustments, but couldn’t find the right spot for her to drive comfortably. Also, the driver-side armrest is not sliding and given that the seat was moved forward for her to let the feet reach the pedals, she felt uncomfortable resting her arm on the armrest as it was way far on the back side and the seat bolstering on the side was coming in the way. Did anyone else also feel the same?
- The ride comfort on the passenger side, second and third rows is quite good, however, the second row is the best place to be on Hycross (at least for medium-height people).
- After completing the test drive, we checked on the features, and fit-n-finish of the car in detail. We both agreed that the car has ample space, seat comfort, and better boot space (than XUV700 and Hector plus). Apart from the cheap-looking plastic, there were just two fit-n-finish issues I could find, which were related to the cloth covering the sunroof not fully closing till the end (picture attached), and ambient light is just an afterthought. The central console has no space to keep your stuff other than inside the driver-side armrest, else you have to put your stuff in the cup holders.
- Providing a way on the back of the second-row ottoman seat to slide by the third-row passenger is quite thoughtful, however, the electric adjustment is quite painful as it takes some time as compared to manual adjustment. The armrest on the ottoman seat is quite thin in width (just 2 fingers wide) and felt a bit delicate.
Overall, we felt that this car left a lot to be desired in terms of premiumness, fit-n-finish and cabin noise front at this price point. While I am still to make my final decision, my wife has already given her verdict to not go ahead with Hycross. Most probably, I will be cancelling my booking.
Keyword: Test drove the Innova Hycross: Here's why I might cancel my booking