Whole mouth full
SUVs come in various shapes and sizes. From large to small and with or without sloping roofline. Toyota is now introducing a new model that seeks the middle ground between an MPV and an SUV. This is the Toyota Innova, which actually has a much longer name.
Today, too, we travel to a distant country, where a car manufacturer unveils a new model. We present the new Toyota Innova, an SUV-like developed by the Indonesian branch of Toyota with the necessary MPV influences. The full name is Toyota Kijang Innova Zenix. That sounds impressive.
The Kijang story begins with this rudimentary pickup
Before we cover the new Toyota Kijang Innova Zenix, we’ll take you through its predecessors in a nutshell. For that we have to go back no less than 45 years in time. In 1977, Toyota launched the Kijang (photo 14) in Indonesia, a simple pick-up produced until 1981, which appeared on the Philippine market a year earlier as Tamaraw. That Kijang got a similar successor (photo 15) that was allowed to last until 1986, but the concept changed with the introduction of the third generation. The Kijang was no longer always a pick-up, three and five-door passenger car versions also appeared. This SUV-like received technology from the Hilux (photo 16) lasted several generations and several facelifts until 2007 (photo 17) and enjoyed a certain popularity in South-East Asian countries. The relatively simple Avanza – of which a modern derivative still exists – and the higher ranked (Kijang) Innova and Fortuner together formed a trio that replaced the Kijangs of old.
Toyota Kijang Innova Zenix inside
The outgoing Toyota (Kijang) Innova appeared in 2015 and, like its predecessor, shares its base with the Toyota Hilux. Toyota is now introducing a completely new generation called Kijang Innova Zenix. The newcomer breaks with that concept. The Innova is no longer a Hilux brother. The new model is in fact on a version of Toyota’s GA-C platform, which is also under the Corolla, Corolla Cross and C-HR. The 4.76 meter long newcomer has a wheelbase that is 2.85 meters longer than that of its platform brothers. So no longer a longitudinally placed power source in the front, but a transversely placed 2.0 four-cylinder that is available with or without hybrid technology. With the Innova EV Concept, the Indonesian branch of Toyota was already looking ahead to an electrified Innova. The regular variant kicks it up to 174 hp and 205 Nm, the hybrid has a 152 hp 2.0 that is assisted by a 113 hp electric motor that gives it a system power of 186 hp.
Depending on the version chosen, the Toyota Kijang Innova Zenix has a 9 or 10-inch infotainment screen and a digital clock shop. With its appearance, the Innova seems to be somewhere in the middle between an SUV and an MPV-like. We mainly see an SUV. The model has, among other things, plastic wheel arch edges. As before, the Innova can accommodate up to eight occupants thanks to three rows of seats.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl