Toyota Innova Hycross vs Tata Safari: Which Is The More Family-friendly Car Of The Two?

With Toyota switching to make the Innova nameplate more “SUV-relevant,” we decided to see whether your big family would pick it over one of the most liked midsize SUVs, the Tata Safari

Toyota’s popular and famous family MPV, the Innova, got a complete generation makeover towards the end of 2022. With the upgrade, the MPV, which now has touches of SUV-like design, has gotten massive changes equivalent to night and day, including a change in architecture too. The Toyota MPV, which now goes by the “Innova Hycross” name, is a more suitable contender against midsize, six- and seven-seat SUVs like the Mahindra XUV700 and Tata Safari.

Do the upgrades still make it a suitable contender in the space and practicality department as the two to delight your family members? Time to find out. To dial up the visual appeal of the comparison, we put the Toyota MPV against the Safari’s Red Dark edition.

Looks

• With the generation change, Toyota has tried to give more muscle to the Innova nameplate by opting for a mix of MPV and SUV styling. The MPV also has the longer  wheelbase among the two. It’s the Innova Hycross which wins in the visual department though.

• The Safari’s Red Dark edition considered in this comparison gets some nice visual upgrades over the regular version, which includes a red insert in the grille, “Dark” emblem on the fenders mentioned in “red” shade, and red brake callipers.

• While both the Innova Hycross and Safari have an impressive road presence, it’s the former that is likely to create the best visual impression in your minds by a small margin.

• Both the cars get 18-inch alloy wheels, auto-LED headlights with LED DRLs, and LED fog lamps.

Cabin Quality

• While the Innova Hycross’s dashboard design is clean and more modern, it doesn’t feel up to the mark for its price. That’s down to a lot of hard plastic being used throughout the cabin. Its overall fit and finish inside the cabin could have been better too. That said, Toyota has utilised soft-touch materials and a dual-tone theme throughout the cabin, including the centre portion of the dashboard, to elevate the overall experience inside.

• Compared to the regular variants of the Safari, the Red Dark iteration gets a completely black interior, with a slightly redesigned centre console to house the bigger infotainment unit. Although the cabin isn’t as rich as that of the Toyota model in terms of the soft-touch materials used, it doesn’t feel like a let-down either. Thanks to the Red Dark edition, Tata has provided the Safari with bright red upholstery in an otherwise all-black cabin. It’s the Safari whose quality feels more premium of the two cars here.

Also Read: 2023 Tata Safari Review: Are These Changes Enough?

Front Row

• The Innova Hycross gets supportive and comfortable seats at the front, with an eight-way power adjustment as well (only for the driver), thereby helping to find the best-suited position. The seats are well bolstered and should provide enough firmness on longer drives.

• Getting into a comfortable driving position isn’t much of a challenge in the Safari either as it offers powered seats (yes, even for the co-driver) and tilt and telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel. The seats hold you well in place and are supportive on longer journeys too but you might just favour the Innova Hycross’s a bit more because the driver seat gets multiple adjustment options to find the correct seating position.

• There’s one type-A and type-C charging port each in the Innova Hycross and two type-A and one type-C in the Safari’s front row, respectively. Both get a 12V socket up front as well. The Toyota MPV also has a slot above the glovebox to stow your small knick knacks while the Tata SUV’s glovebox gets cooling functionality too. There’s a set of cup holders in the front centre console in both the three-row offerings as well.

Middle Row

• The Innova Hycross gets the Ottoman feature for the middle row, making them the best seats in the house. You can slide them back to open up acres of legroom and even recline them backwards to a near-horizontal angle. And if that’s any less for you, their calf supports also slide forward, helping you to lay back for a quick catnap on the way. While Toyota offers the Innova Hycross in both seven- and eight-seater layouts (three passengers in the last row), we feel it’s actually more comfortable as six- and seven-seater (two passengers in the last row), respectively.

• Tata offers the Safari in both six- and seven-seater layouts, with captain seats in the middle row in the case of the former configuration. They are tall and set high, giving the occupants a proper view out of the front windshield. There’s no dearth of headroom, knee room and legroom here. The Safari’s seats come with recline and slide functionality as well for you to get more comfortable.

• That said, those on the healthier side will find the seats to be narrow and the cushioning intrusive. The tall seats could also make taller people feel too close to the top window line. That’s where the bench seats or the seven-seat variants come into the picture. They are set lower and have softer cushioning, making you feel more comfortable almost immediately. Those wanting more room can free up space using the electrically operated Boss Mode lever on the side of the front passenger seat, which pushes it forward.

• The Innova Hycross is provided with a flip-up table (a proper centre armrest is available in the eight-seater version), cup holders in the door pockets, USB ports, sunshades and roof-mounted AC vents. In the Safari’s second row you get a centre armrest with cupholders (only with the seven-seat variants), B-pillar-mounted rear AC vents, dual USB ports and a phone holder, and a smartphone tray and water bottle holders in the door pockets.

Also Read: India’s Longest Zojila Road Tunnel Will Provide All-weather Connectivity To Tourist Destinations: Gadkari

Third Row

• The third row is much easier to access in the Innova Hycross thanks to the electrically slidable middle row seats. Getting in and out of it doesn't require much effort either.

• If you pick the Safari’s six-seater variant, then getting in the third row is a bit challenging as the middle row seats don’t tumble. Better option is if you walk between the two captain seats. The bench seat does tumble forward, making getting in a bit easier.

• When it comes to the last row in the Innova Hycross, the seating is comfortable for two adults even with generous proportions. They offer plenty of legroom, underthigh support and can be reclined as well, while the headroom is sufficient even for a six-foot adult. Although ferrying three here could be challenging, it’s good to see that there is a provision of centre headrest and three-point seatbelt in case you wish to.

• Like the Toyota MPV, the Tata SUV offers plenty of space in its third row as well, although the backrest is not reclinable but its angle is comfortable nevertheless. Carrying forward the stadium seating layout, the third row seats are placed a tad higher than even the second row, giving the occupants here a sense of space and openness.

• In the MPV’s last row you get a couple of cup holders and adjustable headrests but misses out on USB charging ports. On the other hand, the third row of the Safari is provided with an individual AC unit with its own blower controls, dual USB ports, phone holders and individual cup holders.

Features

• Both the three-row models get premium equipment, including a big touchscreen unit, ventilated front seats, and panoramic sunroof.

• That said, the two cars have their unique features as well. In the case of the Innova Hycross, it gets some in the form of ottoman seats in the second row, dual-zone climate control, and a powered tailgate.

• The Safari’s unique features set includes powered co-driver seat, ventilated second row seats (for six-seater variants only), and wireless phone charging.

• However, there are some weird feature misses in both cars too. The Innova Hycross doesn’t get wireless phone charging, rain-sensing wipers, and Boss Mode like the Safari. The Tata SUV, on the other hand, doesn’t come with powered tailgate, no adjustment for the second row from the last row, and lacks a big centre armrest with cup holders in the six-seater variants.

Safety

• Both the carmakers have provided their cars with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). While both the MPV and SUV get almost a near-identical set of ADAS features, the latter misses out on lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control.

• Apart from ADAS, both the Innova Hycross and Safari also get six airbags, 360-degree camera, and ISOFIX child seat anchorages.

• Neither of the cars have been crash-tested by the Global NCAP yet.

Boot Space

• We used our test luggage consisting of three suitcases and two soft bags to see which of the two three-row cars offers the maximum boot space.

• The Toyota MPV’s boot space has grown significantly over the previous-generation model. With all three rows up, the Innova Hycross took in two suitcases (small- and medium-sized) and one of the soft bags too. By folding down the last row, it swallowed up all the three suitcases and both the soft bags with still ample space left for a couple more soft bags and suitcases as well.

• It’s not a similar story with the Safari though as the SUV can only carry one soft bag and a backpack with all rows up. Though it fits all our test luggage, there’s no free space left to add anything more thereafter.

Powertrains And Ride Quality

• Both the cars sit at the opposite ends of the spectrum when their engine-gearbox options are considered. While Toyota has gone the petrol-only route, the Safari is a diesel-only offering.

• Of the Hycross and Safari, it’s only the latter that offers a manual gearbox option. It is also the only model here to get a torque converter automatic gearbox.

• When it comes to the performance of the engines, it’s the Hybrid Innova Hycross that does better. The electric motor ensures there’s no dearth of power during pickup while offering a smooth driving experience throughout. Given its expansive field of view up front and the light steering wheel, it never feels like a big car while breezing through city traffic. Even on highways, the MPV is surprisingly easy to drive thanks to the punchy engine, even with a full house. The MPV operates on pure “EV” mode at slower speeds thereby keeping refinement levels in check.

• The Safari’s diesel engine also packs a punch but it’s a bit slower compared to the Innova Hycross. Add to it the noisy diesel unit which reduces the overall smoothness of the drive. Even in terms of ease of driving, the slightly heavier steering wheel and limited visibility chuck off some points from the Safari’s tally.

• You will find the Innova Hycross’s handling to be “safe” over “sporty.” That plays to its strengths, though, as the MPV –even with a full load – feels comfortable over bad patches of roads and also has just about enough ground clearance.

• It’s in the ride quality department that the Safari truly shines. Although its suspension feels a bit stiff at low speeds, it never becomes “uncomfortable” but only gets better with an increase in speed.

Verdict

There are various reasons why you should pick the Innova Hycross for your big family. The most important aspect is that it is comfortable in all three rows, certain to get a thumbs up from all members. It also earns brownie points for its performance and refinement, high fuel efficiency, and comfortable ride quality. A couple of more advantages with the Toyota MPV is its affordable service cost and the expansive features list. 

That said, you will have to factor in a few downsides as well if you decide to pick the Innova Hycross, beginning with its price jump between the regular and strong-hybrid variants and the waiting period its top trims are commanding. Not only that, its interior quality also could have been better by avoiding use of scratchy plastic materials, and its MPV-SUV crossover styling may not appeal to everyone.

The Safari has its share of positives too. You will appreciate the SUV’s macho looks and stance, cabin quality, and the newly added features which make it feel more modern. It is also a “fun-to-drive” car and offers a good experience to those seated in the last row. That said, it does fall back in terms of engine refinement, effortless performance compared to rivals and lack of boot space when all seats are in use.

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