New and Used Car Talk Reviews Hot Cars Comparison Automotive Community

The Largest Car Forum in the Philippines

Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,614
    #1
    After more than 400 km so far with a manufacturer-supplied example of this best-selling line, it seems that the more than 12,000 new owners last year did not make a wrong decision. Some comments from this running extended test drive:

    * Interior space is vast, with high chairs giving excellent thigh support and deep footwells comforting tired feet. The second-row bench is first-rate. There's useable luggage space even with the third-row seat up. The Innova is hard to beat as a people hauler and makes an excellent mass-market family vehicle.

    * The practical ang handy 50/50-split-folding third row bench is useable and passably comfortable even for average-sized adults. It reclines, it has headrests, it has three-point belts, it has overhead ventilation, it has footwells, and the space and comfort can be improved by adjusting the second row... this seat easily trumps the back-row accomodations of most other SUVs, including that of Toyota's own (and uber expensive) Prado and Nissan's gigantic Patrol.

    * The third-row seats don't fold flat into the floor like on other vehicles (this is because the Innova retains a live axle at the rear) and instead fold up against the windows. While it looks like a crude solution, it's effective and opens up a huge cargo bay. Folding the second row clears a vast field for stuff.

    * Attractive and rich fabrics cover the seats and door panels.

    * The electroluminescent gauges look great, look expensive and are very legible. Wonderful.

    * The ride is reasonably comfortable. It's on the firm side and every yump and lump on the road will find their way to your rump, but it's never jarring and the suspension is compliant enough that the hard edges of bumps are smothered.

    * Refinement is much-improved over the Revo, with unobjectionable wind noise and tire roar even at embarassingly illegal speeds.

    * The newfangled (although there have been reports of expensive failures) 2.5-liter common-rail direct-injection turbodiesel outputs just 102 hp, but you won't notice it on the road. You'll seldom feel wanting for power in urban driving, and the thick torque down low moves the Innova smartly. It's reasonably quiet from inside the vehicle too, with the diesel clatter just a distant whining with only a few stray vibrations through the pedals and steering wheel (particularly just off-idle) betraying the crude sloshing in the tank. The torque curve feels broad and flat, but the thrust comes on more emphatically at about 2000 rpm.

    * However, not surprisingly, it loses steam at the top end, where it seems to make more noise than motive force. Acceleration at high speeds isn't spectacular, as is overtaking performance on dicey two-lanes. Maximum velocity comes at about the 160 kph or so mark on the speedo.

    * Handling is adequate but isn't a strong suit. The vehicle simply doesn't have the secure and confident feel of a car-based SUV. The steering is reasonably accurate but feels a smidge slow to respond, as if theres a great weight in the car's nose. There's scant feedback through the wheel too, with only the yowling of the front tires warning you of dimishing grip. Caning this SUV-cum-minivan through tight mountain roads gives a vaguely greasy feeling from the tires... as if the front end or the rear end or both are gently sliding (and will soon slide big) even if they're not. This is probably a function of the fairly low-grip tires, or perhaps the real-truck suspension. Whatever it is, this is not a vehicle that encourages aggressive cornering. Fair enough, since the Innova is obviously not a sports car.

    * Bumps and surface irregularities are transmitted in hi-fi through the steering column, and the steering wheel is sensitive to bumps and kicks back when the front wheels crash into large displacements.

    * Body rigidity feels solid enough, but slight quivers remind that this is not a monocoque body.

    * A telescoping steering wheel would be welcome, as I find the pedals too close in relation to the wheel.

    * The plastic panels have attractive graining and patterns, but they're Fisher-Price hard. Some of the switches, such as the ventilation controls, feel cheap, as does the center armrest. Also, the red plastic trim convinces no one that they simulate wood. The sound that the top glove box (where a passenger airbag would be in models that have it) makes when you close it is particularly cheap.

    * The seats gave my bum and lower backside mild discomfort after a day's driving, but nothing too bad.

    * Some ergonomic gaffes: the placement of the power mirror adjustment is inconvient... would have been better if it were on the door. Also, the power/volume knob of the radio is too far; you'll have to lean forward and to the right to reach it while driving.

    * The feature set is appealing. A rear parking-distance aid is standard, as is the electroluminescent instrument panel, fog lights, MP3 stereo, dual airconditioning, a trip computer, ABS and a driver's airbag. Lacks a passenger airbag and rear disc brakes, however.

    * Cruising at 80 kph shows the engine turning at a relaxed 1750 rpm.

    * Visibility is quite good, aided by a large windshield, small windows in the corners of the A-pillars, large side mirrors and a rear window that is unobstructed by an external spare tire or fixed headrests.

    * The wheels look very tiny on the slab-sided body.

    * Fuel economy results: a 252.0-km highway run to the STAR Tollway in Batangas and to Tagaytay City consumed 20.53 l of Caltex Power Diesel, for an average of 12.27 km/l.
    Last edited by mbt; January 16th, 2006 at 02:44 AM.

  2. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    22,705
    #2
    Nice review!

    Ang pagbalik ng comeback...

  3. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    2,470
    #3
    natawa ako dito "The plastic panels have attractive graining and patterns, but they're Fisher-Price hard." ginawa mong laruan ah

Toyota Innova 2.5 G A/T test drive diary