MANILA, Philippines - Since its launch in 2005, the Toyota Innova has been the Philippines’s best-selling Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV). When it was first launched, it offered the Filipino family a comfortable, dynamic, and affordable MPV which offered features often reserved for much more expensive rides. So how do you improve on something so accepted, so loved by the Filipino buying public? Simple: offer the same comfortable, dynamic, and affordable equation and place it onto a bolder package. This forms the basis of the 2014 Innova.
Still built at the Santa Rosa, Laguna plant, the new Innova has been refreshed with a bolder new exterior and interior enhancements that add more style and sophistication in the way it looks and feels.
From the front, the Innova features a newly sculpted grille that gives it a more robust attitude. It ties in quite nicely with hood’s distinctive character lines. The front bumper and fog lamps have also been re-shaped adding a bit of complexity to the Innova’s strong and sporty arrow-shaped headlamps. At the side, the Innova features wide side moldings (accentuated with chrome on some trim levels) for added protection against door dings. Towards the rear, the Innova features a heightened touch of refinement thanks to the new rear door garnish.
Inside, the 2014 Innova continues to give a feeling of elegance and comfort as well as practicality. For one, there’s comfortable seating for up to eight passengers (the V grade features a 7-seater configuration thanks to second row captain’s seats). The practical aspect is provided by the folding, tumbling, and reclining second and third rows which can be arranged to suit almost any requirement. The feeling of elegance has been upped by the addition of steering wheel controls on some variants. Families will be entertained for long journeys thanks to the functional CD/MP3 audio system with auxiliary audio jack. The V grade goes a step further with its touchscreen-equipped audio-video entertainment system with GPS navigation. Dual air conditioning is standard across the line, while higher grades benefit from a fully-automated climate control setup.
Under the hood, the Innova is powered by the same drivetrain that customers have come to appreciate over years of ownership. The same choice of fuel-efficient, refined engines remain: a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder VVT-i gasoline with 136hp and 182Nm of torque, and a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder D-4D diesel with 102hp and 260Nm of torque (200 Nm for the manual transmission variants), both of which are Euro II-compliant. The transmission choices remain the same: a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed electronically controlled automatic. Both of these engines deliver optimum performance in any road condition.
On the safety front, the Innova offers genuinely solid handling thanks to the front double wishbone and 4-Link with coil spring setup at the back. 205/65R-15 tires are standard across the entire line-up. In addition airbags are standard across the line (dual SRS airbags for all but the base J grade which only has a driver’s side airbag). Additionally, anti-lock brakes (ABS) are now standard for all but the J grade.
The 2014 Innova comes with many variants that can cater to every customer depending on their needs. It’s available in four grades with 12 different variants to offer: J grade starting at P832,000; E grade starting at P942,000; G grade starting at P1,058,000; and finally the V grade which starts at P1,206,000. There are also seven colors to choose from: Freedom White, Thermalyte Black, Red Metallic, Dark Brown Metallic, Gray Metallic, and a White Pearl option which is only available for the G and V models at the added cost of P15,000.
Toyota Motor Corporation Philippines has taken the challenge to improve the Innova, and they have succeeded. The Innova is sure proof of Toyota’s Sure Advantage of QDR or Quality, Durability, and Reliability. It continues to offer everything a Filipino family can wish for: refined and comfortable driving, practical, and worry-free ownership—now in a bolder package.