Toyota’s famed people mover, the Innova Crysta is about to welcome its newer generation sibling, the Innova Hycross, which is set to be launched in India in 2023, after its global debut in Indonesia as the Innova Zenix. The MPV’s refreshed front look recently got revealed thanks to the teaser image dropped in by Toyota Indonesia wherein we notice that the new look of the Innova is in line with the brand’s international models like the Corolla Cross. The new design language suggests how the Toyota Hycross is trying to embrace a bold look & a crossover-ish personality.

The Innova Hycross brings many firsts for Toyota in India as well as for the Innova nametag, for example, a monocoque construction resulting in lighter chassis, a front-wheel drive layout opening up more room on the inside, only petrol-hybrid powertrain options with no diesel engines on offer, a panoramic sunroof… yes you read that correct! A recently leaked series of 3D patent images confirm the presence of a panoramic sunroof in the cabin of the three-row MPV. What the 3D image also shows is the prominent creases on the body panels, bonnet & front bumper with sharp triangular foglamp housings and a huge hexagonal grille sitting atop the upright nose.

A Toyota with a sunroof in India shows us that finally the Japanese automaker is listening to its customers and giving them what they want. ‘More features’ is also something that tech-savvy buyers wished to have in the Innova as the lack of such tech-related features was a drawback in the Crysta with rivals offering cars loaded with new equipment. But that also seems to have been addressed by the automaker as the Hycross is expected to sport some high-end features on its interior which is expected to come with better quality materials that include the panoramic sunroof, Ottoman function in middle row seats, multi-colored ambient light and floating touchscreen.

The safety kit will include features like a 360-degree camera and an electronic parking brake. ADAS features will also be available with Innova Hycross via the Toyota Safety Sense platform. It has road sign assist, automatic high beam, lane departure alert, proactive driving assist, pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, and dynamic radar cruise control. The Innova Hycross is expected to come powered by a localized version of THS II (Toyota Hybrid System II). It comes with a dual electric motor setup paired with a new 2.0-liter petrol motor. The hybrid powertrain will…