Toyota’s practical family hauling vehicle sports a more aggressive new look.
New pictures have emerged online showing what could be the facelifted version of the Toyota Innova. Could this indicate that the Japanese large minivan would be getting a facelift sometime in the near future?
These new images show that the facelifted Innova may feature a more aggressive front end aesthetic. A large black grille with a thick chrome surround, that is very similar to the one seen on the new Hilux, is the headline news for this facelift. Adding to that is a new front bumper design which features more prominent black triangular surrounds that encase the parking lights. The fog lights meanwhile that were together with the parking lights in the pre-facelift variants has since been moved to the base of the bumper post facelift.
Being only a mild facelift, that about sums up the design changes on the exterior. The side profile and rear end appear to remain wholly unchanged from the looks of these images at least. The only exception being the new alloy wheel designs that feature a swirly two-tone pattern.
Seeing that not much has actually been changed on the exterior, the powertrain and interior likewise will receive the same attention, or lack thereof. The same 2.0 litre engine will probably still put out the same 139 hp and 183 Nm of torque. Mated to the same six-speed automatic gearbox, it will probably still drive the rear wheels seeing that it still sits on the same IMV body-on-frame platform as seen on the Toyota Hilux.
That said, while it may be based on the Hilux, the interior of the Innova is still suitably plush. What more with Toyota just recently adding a larger 9 inch infotainment system with integrated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for all variants across the range, the Innova is suitably kitted with tech too. In terms of safety, one can hope that the currently optional Blind Spot Monitor system (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert system (RCTA) be made standard on the facelift, but one wouldn’t hold their breath for it to happen.
A mainstay of the large MPV market in Malaysia since the mid 2000s, the Toyota Innova as it exists today remains one of the very few non-luxury people movers in the market. Come to think of it, perhaps the only true competitor to the Innova will perhaps be the Nissan Serena, and even then the Serena is a fair chunk of change more expensive too when compared like-for-like spec-wise.
What used to be a booming market a dozen years ago, the MPV segment has only been reduced to a few players thanks to the boom in the SUV segment. Many traditional buyers have already moved on to the SUV or have upgraded into the Alphards, Vellfires and other luxury MPVs.
The question is whether this facelift would change the flagging fortunes for the Innova, or will it continue to fade into obscurity? Seeing as the facelift hasn’t really changed much, the deck will probably be stacked towards the latter. Although to the very few out there still wanting a practical, reliable and reasonably priced way to move around a family, perhaps just hold out till this new facelift arrives before pulling the trigger on an Innova.
