Replacing a product that’s lagging behind on the sales charts is the obvious thing to do; completely dumping a winner is a bold move.  No wonder pundits were surprised when Toyota dropped its best-selling Revo for an all-new vehicle.  Even the Tamaraw name, successful for decades, was abandoned.

The wisdom of that decision became apparent the moment the company suits pulled off the covers.  The Innova doesn’t look like any AUV that came before it; its minivan designation is spot-on.  Toyota didn’t mind copying its own successful Previa, coming up with a sleek one-box design.  Details, too, are similar, with slanted eyes, rakish profile, and fender bulges at the rear.

The interior also pulls pages from the Previa’s design book, with soft fabrics, awful fake wood, well-placed switchgear, electroluminescent gauges, a trip computer, and a dozen or so cubbyholes.  The dashboard has more curves than a cheerleader. 

The Innova even pulls one over the Previa, by having eight seats versus the Previa’s seven.  Folding the middle seat for ingress/egress to the third row is a three step affair: push down headrest, pull side lever to fold seatback, and pull bottom lever to flip up the seat.  The middle row splits 70/30, while the rear can be folded and flipped 50/50. 

There are headrests and lap-shoulder belts for all outboard passengers; the middle seats get lap belts.  Seating is comfortable for all occupants.  Rear-seat head- and leg-room are suitable for adults, as long as the second row people are willing to share space.  There’s plenty of room, so they can slide the seats forward and still have enough to stretch their legs.  Toyota has not forgotten the multi-purpose role of the AUV.  There’s enough space for several soft bags behind the rear seat, and with all seats flipped up, you can transport large pieces of furniture.

Under the hood is Toyota’s new D4-D common-rail turbodiesel engine.  It still sounds like an Osterizer full of gravel, but pulls like a locomotive.  It’s refined, smooth, and torquey.  260 Nm at 1600-2400 rpm makes quick work of accelerating the van, even with a full complement of passengers onboard.  Run the vehicle to 120 km/h, and there’s a generous reserve of acceleration still available.  The common rail system, which uses a high-pressure pump and line to efficiently deliver fuel, sheds the diesel shudder during engine startup and shutdown.  Fuel efficiency is quite good, averaging 10.95 km/liter in our mixed city-highway driving.

The automatic gearbox is well suited to the diesel, with smooth, unobtrusive shifts.  It’s also ready to kick down a gear on command.  Put it reverse and an obnoxious backup indicator beeps incessantly, drowning out the defeatable rear parking sensors.

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