Toyota Innova 2005 vs 2020 Toyota Innova Crysta | MPV Re(Evolution)

The Toyota Innova was the first time that the masses of India bestowed so much love for a car which was neither a hatchback nor a sedan. The first-gen Toyota Innova was marketed with a tagline “All you desire”, which sums up the Innova’s success formula in India. It is the ultimate “made for India” car, as it has proven itself time and again at being a highly-capable car when it comes to hauling around India’s cultural extravaganza. The car can accommodate 7-8 people with comfort no other car can provide, can even stuff in your luggage with all those people around, it has a great dose of luxury, has premium looking exteriors, and has a motor powerful enough to propel all that mass with ease.

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In 2016, after a serious of facelifts( four in total), the first-gen Innova finally evolved into the Innova Crysta. Today, we stack up the 2005 Innova vs 2020 Innova Crysta and see how Toyota is retaining the success mantra with the new Innova.

How the Toyota Innova came into existence | A Brief History

The Innova was first manufactured by Toyota Astra Motors of Indonesia in 2004. It was developed exclusively for the South-Asian markets and was brought to life keeping into consideration the road and traffic conditions of these countries.

In both the Southeast Asian and Indian markets, The Innova’s objective was to replace its dated MPV ancestor, the Qualis (Kijang in the Southeast Asian markets).

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In 2005, Toyota Kirloskar Motors (India) brought the Innova to India primarily to cater to the huge demand in the Indian taxi and fleet market but went on to become the unbeatable benchmark of the MPV segment in the country which is also admired equally as a personal vehicle.

2005 Toyota Innova vs 2020 Toyota Innova Crysta | Powertrain Comparison

Toyota is known for developing sturdy engines and with the Innova, Toyota has a done a great job in enhancing the powertrain tech to always stay ahead of the game.

First-gen Innova came with a 2.5-litre diesel engine and a 2.0 Litre petrol engine, both the engines came with manual transmissions only. Toyota also added CNG variant for the 2.0 Litre petrol in the later years. However, diesel and standalone petrol options remained a popular choice. 2020, BS6 complaint, Innova Crysta comes with a 2.4-litre diesel and a 2.7 Litre petrol. The 2.7 Litre petrol mill is shared with the Toyota Fortuner. Both petrol and diesel engines have automatic and manual transmission options. There was a 2.8 Litre diesel on offer earlier which was discontinued during the BS6 era.

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Here’s how the first-gen engines options compare with the powertrains of the Innova Crysta:

2005 vs 2020 Toyota Innova Diesel

2005 vs 2020 Toyota Innova Petrol

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2005 Innova vs 2020 Innova Crysta | Design

The aesthetics of the Innova Crysta simply goes to show that the brand has to leap forth a lifetime. The previous generation Innova was in no sense a modest product but the Crysta has cranked it up a notch and is much more swanky offering.

Place the two generations toe-to-toe and the massive difference is evident. For starters, the Innova Crysta is longer, wider, taller and has more ground clearance than the older Innova.

2005 vs 2020 Toyota Innova Dimensions

As per the overall aesthetics, the Innova Crysta seems like it is the result of the old Innova going in for a makeover from urbane stylists. While the older Innova(s) had those conventional minivan looks, the Crysta, on the other hand, has tons of characteristic elements. Design elements like the bulged out front with the frameless grille wrapped in piano black and chromes finishes. The long wraparound headlamp cluster followed by the lines of the grille and housing the LED DRLs and Projector lamps brings out plush nature of the new car even more. Other elements include the sharp bonnet, stronger shoulder line, boomerang-shaped tail lamps and angular inserts on the rear, make the car look more appealing and aerodynamic.

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The Old Innova, with all the facelifts it got never had such character and more “for the purpose” looks, this is something which the Innova Crysta took care of.

2005 Toyota Innova vs 2020 Toyota Innova Crysta | Interiors and features

Speaking of the Interiors, the First-gen Innova throughout its 11-year run followed the same character of being simply functional and practical as it displayed with the exterior. Although the 2012-15 model year cars had essential features like automatic climate control, Integrated Audio system, steering mounted controls, etc, still it wasn’t a very astonishing place to be in.

The Innova Crysta on the other hand is a big relief from the previous-gen car as far as the interiors are concerned. On the inside, the Innova Crysta is all luxe. Its got a very unique dashboard layout with wooden, faux aluminium, and chrome inserts all around proportioned decently. It has premium leather upholstery and tons passenger assist features which can make one at home very quickly.

Features in the Innova Crysta may not the best at its price point but are a big step-up from the previous generation. It’s got a touch-screen infotainment system with navigation, a big and intuitive TFT display at the centre of the instrument cluster, automatic climate control with adjustable temperate function for the second and third row, ambient lighting, and much more.

Safety Features | How far has the Toyota Innova come?

While the old Innova had bare minimum features when it comes to safety which is not the case with the 2020 Innova Crysta. Safety features include:

• ABS, Vehicle stability control and Hill-start assist (standard across the range)
• 7 airbags (top-spec only)
• 3 airbags (standard across the range)

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2005 Innova vs 2020 Innova Crysta | Pricing

With a great package, comes an even greater price. There is a staggering difference between the 2005 Innova and the 2020 Innova Crysta. While the 2005 Innova’s top-spec variant was priced somewhere around Rs. 9.95 Lakhs ex-showroom, the prices of the Innova Crysta start at Rs. 15.66 lakhs for the base petrol variant.

Toyota Innova Petrol (Petrol)

Toyota Innova Prices (Diesel)

The Innova has always been a brand-specific to the South Asian markets and has lived up phenomenally to its destiny of catering to these markets. In India, until last year, Toyota had been selling close to 70,000 units of the Crysta on an average and commanded a market share of over 40% in its segment. Hence, the Innova brand is still an undisputed champion in its segment.

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