Should you buy a Rs. 34 lakh Innova HyCross or buy an Rs. 19 lakh Kia Carens? Why don’t we do a detail comparison of these two MPVs to find that out!
Front the outside, the Innova HyCross has an LED headlamps with a huge front face with chrome line around the grille and at the bottom, it has LED DRLs that act as a indicators as well. The bonnet of the HyCross has cuts on it to give it a meaner or sportier look. Moving to the side, it has cuts as well, chrome line that runs at the bottom of the window frame, wheel arches as it rides on 18-inch alloy wheels. Moving to the rear, it has LED taillamps with roof spoiler, shark fin antenna on the top, and the bumper are skid plate.
From the front, the Kia Carens has an LED DRLS and below it is the LED headlamps, and between the two LED headlamps is a blacked out element with chrome line. Below is the hexagonal grille that has a chrome cover that contributes towards the design with LED foglamps right next to it. Moving to the side, it has thin wheel arches, chrome door handles, non-functional roof rails, with a little cut on the body, and has 16-inch alloy wheels. On the rear side, it has roof spoiler with shark fin antenna on the top. It has sort-of a L-shaped connected LED taillamps and the bumpers are finished in matte black to blend with the exterior design of the MPV.
From the inside, the Innova HyCross has a 10.1-inch infotainment system placed above the rectangular shaped AC vents and the AC vents at the sides are positioned horizontally. It has the dual-tone dashboard theme option and has leather seat upholstery. The HyCross has the three-spoke multi-function steering wheels with a digital instrument cluster and the push start/stop button is placed on the left side near the infotainment system. It has a huge panoramic sunroof, two charging ports at the front, two charging ports in the second row and third row. Around the gear lever, it has buttons for ventilated seats, electric parking brake with auto hold, EV mode (drives on electric power) and other things as well. The second row gets the captain seats with under thigh support as well, and between the two captain seats is the table with two cupholders. The third row is not great and it’s better for children or adults for short journeys. It also has 9-speaker JBL sound system.
The Kia Carens has an 10.25-inch infotainment system that is angled in a way that makes the dashboard look one piece and the AC vents are hidden below the dashboard for the seamless look with chrome line. It has the dual-tone dashboard option as well. The Carens has a three-spoke multi-function infotainment system with a digital instrument cluster, and a single-pane sunroof. It has buttons for drive modes, ventilated seats for driver and passenger, parking sensors, parking camera, etc. Moving to the second row, the seats are split in 60:40 ratio and the third row is split in 50:50 ratio. The Air purifier is right behind the driver seats, and a table on the first row passenger seat for the second row passengers, and also has two charging rows at the front, two in second row, and two in third row. The Carens gets the 8-speaker Bose Premium sound system.
| Toyota Innova HyCross | Kia Carens | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 4755mm | 4540mm |
| Width | 1845mm | 1880mm |
| Height | 1785mm | 1708mm |
| Wheelbase | 2850mm | 2780mm |
| Ground Clearance | 185mm | 195mm |
| Boot Space | 300 litres | 216 litres |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 52 litres | 45 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 1,915 kg | 1,555 kg |
When it comes to dimensions, the Innova HyCross measures 4755mm in length, 1845mm in width, and 1785mm in height. The Carens measures 4540mm in length which is 215mm shorter, 1880mm in width which is 35mm less wide, and height of 1708mm which is 77mm shorter. The Innova HyCross has a wheelbase of 2850mm and ground clearance of 195mm whereas the Carens has a wheelbase of 2780mm which is 70mm shorter, and ground clearance of 195mm which is 10mm more. The Innova HyCross has a boot space of 300 litres and fuel tank of 52 litres while the Carens has 216 litres boot space which is 84 litres smaller, and fuel tank of 45 litres which is 7 litres smaller. At last, the Innova HyCross has a kerb weight of 1,915 kg which is 360 kg heavier than the 1,555 kg Kia Caren.
| Toyota Innova HyCross | Kia Carens | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0-litre TNGA in-Line Petrol | 1.5-litre NA petrol | 1.5-litre turbo petrol |
| Displacement | 1987cc | 1497cc | 1482cc |
| Power | 172.99 bhp | 113.42 bhp | 157 bhp |
| Torque | 209 Nm | 144 Nm | 253 Nm |
| Transmission Type | CVT | 5-speed MT | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 16.13 kmpl | 15.70 kmpl | – |
When it comes to engines options, the Innova HyCross has one petrol and the Carens has petrol, and turbo petrol engines. But first, the Innova HyCross is powered by a 2.0-litre TNGA in-Line Petrol that pumps out 172.99 bhp and 209 Nm of torque. It drives the front wheels via a CVT Gearbox with 16.13 kmpl fuel efficiency. The Kia Carens has a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine that puts out 113.42 bhp and 144 Nm of torque mated to a 5-speed Manual Gearbox only with fuel efficiency of 15.70 kmpl. Then there is the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that puts out 157 bhp and 253 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox.
| Toyota Innova HyCross | Kia Carens | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0-litre TNGA 5th Generation in-line Petrol-Hybrid | 1.5-litre diesel |
| Displacement | 1987cc | 1497cc |
| Power | 183.72 bhp | 114.41 bhp |
| Torque | 188 Nm | 250 Nm |
| Transmission Type | eCVT | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 23.24 kmpl | 18.40 kmpl |
Toyota does not offer diesel engines in the Innova HyCross, and Kia does not offer hybrid in the Carens. The HyCross has the 2.0-litre TNGA 5th Generation in-line Petrol-Hybrid that puts out 183.72 bhp and 188 N mated to an eCVT Gearbox with fuel efficiency of 23.24 kmpl. The Carens has the 1.5-litre diesel engine puts out 114.41 bhp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT Gearbox and 7-speed DCT Gearbox with fuel efficiency of 18.40 kmpl.
| Toyota Innova HyCross | Kia Carens | |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamps | LED | LED |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel size & Tyre | 18-inch, alloy wheels | 16-inch, alloy wheels |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Seat upholstery | Leather | Leather |
| AC | 2-zone | Auto |
| Rear AC vent | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument cluster | Digital | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 10.1-inch | 10.25-inch |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Wireless | Wireless |
| Ambient Lighting | Yes | 64 Colors |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Sound System | 9-speaker JBL Sound System | 8-speaker Bose Premium sound system |
| Cooled Glovebox | – | Yes |
| Auto Dimming IRVM | – | Yes |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated Seats | Driver and Passenger | Driver and Passenger |
| Sunroof | Panoramic | Single-Pane |
When it comes to features, both are very much feature-loaded, except the HyCross misses out on cooled glovebox and Auto-dimming IRVM. Kia Carens has 64 colors for ambient lighting and rest of the features remains the same! In features, Kia Carens is slightly better than the HyCross.
| Toyota Innova HyCross | Kia Carens | |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | Seven airbags | Six Airbags |
| Camera | 360-degree camera | reverse parking camera |
| Parking Sensors | Front and Rear | Front and Rear |
| TPMS | Yes | Yes |
| ADAS | Yes | – |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | Yes | Yes |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Assist | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Descent Control | Yes | Yes |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Yes | Yes |
When it comes to safety, the Kia Carens misses out on ADAS, and 360-degree camera instead of the reverse-parking camera, which is present in the HyCross. The HyCross is better than the Kia Carens in safety.
| Model | Price (ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Toyota Innova HyCross | Rs. 18.55 lakh – Rs. 29.72 lakh |
| Kia Carens | Rs. 10.45 lakh – Rs. 18.95 lakh |
The Innova HyCross starts at Rs. 18.55 lakh for the base ‘G’ variant and goes up to Rs. 29.72 lakh for the ZX (O) Hybrid variant which is top of the line variant in the line-up. As for the Kia Carens, it starts at Rs. 10.45 lakh for the ‘Premium’ petrol variant and goes up to Rs. 18.95 lakh for the top variant, ‘Luxury Plus AT’ Diesel. The price difference between the two entry-level variants is Rs. 8.10 lakh and Rs. 10.77 lakh for the top variants.
When it comes to the warranty, Toyota offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the Innova HyCross and can be extended up to 5 years/2,20,000 km. Kia offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty for the Carens and can be extended up to 5 years/1,50,000 km.
In the end, the decision to buy which MPV depends totally on you, however, we recommend you the Toyota Innova HyCross over the Kia Carens as even though the price difference is huge between the two MPVs, if you can afford the HyCross, it’s a green signal, other wise you can buy the Kia Carens as well, it’s quite worth for it’s price. Which one would you choose?