Toyota has released the new Innova. You can check out it's official Philippine site here. Strangely, they haven't updated the gallery of pics, becaused based on the headlights, the pictures in the gallery show the old Innova.
But I'm not here to talk about the new Innova. I don't like the headlights. I think it will take some time to get used to, specially since it reminds me of the Honda Odyssey (you can see what the Odyssey looks like here). Plus the lines on the Innova are more angular now, not like the old curvy lines.
Which means I've got a new favorite, and ideal, family car in mind. The NEW Toyota Avanza. Yes, it seems like it's a "step down" compared to the Innova. The Innova might seem a bit more high end than the Avanza, yes, but who cares? The new Avanza looks great. It's high end model is cheaper, if not equal to the cost of a low end Innova. It can seat almost as much as the Innova. It may not have as many features as the Innova, but it still fits into my category of what a family car should be.
Let's go for spacious first. Again, an Avanza can seat five people with a huge cargo space at the rear, or fold the rear seats down and you can seat maybe eight full-sized adults. Perfect for a family consisting of a husband, a wife, two children, and maybe a nanny or two.
Second, it's practical. It has a 1.5L engine, which would be just right to move it. I don't think it's underpowered, since I've driven a 1.5L engined Lite Ace. Both vehicles aren't meant for speed, and I don't drive fast myself. Also, the Avanza is a pretty tall vehicle so you don't have to worry about flash floods or deep potholes.
Finally, it looks great. The new Avanza looks way better than the old one. It has curvy lines, it has a futuristic look, the headlights don't look bland, the taillights don't look bland. It just looks great. Period. In fact, it looks like a better version of the old Innova, if you ask me.
And those are the reasons why the new Avanza has replaced the new Innova on the top of my list for ideal family car.
Out.
