Tale of Toyotas: Innova vs. Veloz

Those looking for a capable family carrier typically consider two of Toyota’s vehicles — the Innova and the Veloz. One is a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) considered by many as a segment staple while the other is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) born from the Avanza MPV, the Innova’s stablemate.

Which among the two models best suit your budget and your family’s motoring needs? Let’s find out.

Exterior

Side by side, the Toyota Innova (despite being categorized as an MPV) appears to be the bigger vehicle between the two. The Toyota Innova measures 4,735 millimeters (mm) long, 1,830mm wide, and 1,795mm tall. The Toyota Veloz, on the other hand, measures 4,475mm long, 1,775mm wide, and 1,700mm tall.

The larger dimensions offered by the Toyota Innova translate to a more spacious cabin that offers plenty of leg and headroom for its passengers. This means that your family will be more comfortable riding inside the Toyota Innova during both short and long drives.

When it comes to exterior appointments, the Toyota Innova gets multi-reflector halogen headlamps and front fog lamps at the fore. The range-topping variant gets an all-LED setup with LED headlights, LED front fog lamps, and LED daytime running lights (DRL). At the rear are either a pair of bulb-type or bulb-type with black outline taillamps.

Depending on the variant, the Toyota Innova will wear a set of 16-inch steel rims, 16-inch alloy wheels, or 17-inch alloy wheels.

As for the Toyota Veloz, the SUV gets split-type LED headlamps, LED clearance lamps with line guide, front fog lamps, LED rear combination lamps, a back door garnish with LED line guide, and a rear spoiler. On the side are overfenders while roof rails add a decorative and functional feature at the top.

The Toyota Veloz rides on 17-inch alloy wheels.

We’re calling this round a tie since both vehicles show strength in various aspects. The Toyota Innova has a beefier body (marketed to have seating for eight) which means better interior space for your family while the Veloz packs modern amenities that  ultimately improve safety.

Interior

The Toyota Innova is equipped with fabric seats. The lower grades get a Black fabric finish while the higher ones get fabric seats in Noble Brown. Since it’s larger than the Toyota Veloz, the Innova has room for captain seats, which could be found in the nameplate’s top-of-the-line model.

Like the seats, the door trims also come in either Black or Noble Brown fabric while the steering wheel is also finished in either urethane (with or without silver accents), or leather with wood trims — depending on the chosen trim.

Additionally, the console box of the Toyota Innova’s top-tier option gets wood accents. Furthermore, the higher grades get ambient lighting.

Rounding up the interior amenities offered by the Toyota Innova are the 4.2-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT) multi-information display and seven-inch display audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Not to be outdone, the Toyota Veloz is fitted with seats swathed in a combination of fabric and leather. And while it lacks the ability to offer captain seats, the Toyota Veloz has third-row seats that offer the so-called “Sofa Mode.”

Similar to its seating material, the door trims also come with soft-touch synthetic leather with white accents. In addition, the steering wheel is wrapped in leather.

As for its interior lights, the Toyota Veloz gets an LED lights for its room lamp, front personal lamp, luggage room lamps, as well as ambient lighting on the center console and on the door trims, plus an illuminated entry system.

The Toyota Veloz also gets a seven-inch TFT multi-information display and either an eight or a nine-inch infotainment system. 

While both vehicles have commendable interior features, we were impressed by the Toyota Innova’s captain seats. That said, we give this round to the MPV.

Engine

Under the hood, the Toyota Innova packs a 2.8-liter diesel mill mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission. The manual variant makes around 168 horsepower (hp) while the one fitted with an automatic gearbox makes approximately 172 horses.

Meanwhile, the Toyota Veloz is fitted with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The setup makes 104hp.

With a more powerful engine, we’re giving this round again to the Toyota Innova.

Safety

Safety-wise, the Toyota Innova gets some decent features. Included is an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution (EBD), vehicle stability control (VSC), hill-start assist control (HAC), ISOFIX tethers, an emergency brake signal, the Toyota Vehicle Security System (immobilizer and horn), and a reverse camera with clearance and back sensors.

The range-topping Toyota Innova also gets two front SRS airbags with side, curtain shield, and knee airbags.

As for the Toyota Veloz, it offers a more updated safety suite in the form of the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS). Included on higher trims is a pre-collision system (PCS), an automatic high beam (AHB), and lane departure alert (LDA). Also included is a blind spot monitor (BSM), a rear cross traffic alert system (RCTA), ABS, VSC, and a panoramic view monitor (PVM) among others.

With better safety features, this round obviously goes to the Toyota Veloz.

Verdict

Having more rounds won than the Toyota Veloz, we hail the Toyota Innova as this matchup’s champion. A roomy cabin, good seating, and a capable engine are just some of the things most car buyers look for when choosing a family hauler. And the Toyota Innova MPV ticks all the right boxes.

The Toyota Innova is currently offered in six variants with prices ranging from P1.191 million to P1.779 million. The Toyota Veloz, on the other hand, has two variants priced at P1.210 million and P1.265 million respectively.

Photos from Toyota

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