Toyota Innova Crysta: Petrol vs Diesel –which car you should buy

The Toyota Innova has been a renowned name in India, and the Crysta has successfully taken forward the legacy of the Innova name by becoming the largest-selling SUV/MPV of the country. Initially introduced only in two diesel options, Toyota has now launched a petrol counterpart of the MPV. The petrol variants are priced from Rs 13,72,800 to 19,62,300 (ex-showroom Delhi). If you are looking for a luxurious and powerful MPV for your family, chances are you will end up buying the Crysta. So, which is the ideal buy, petrol or diesel? Let's find out.

Engines

The diesel variants of the Innova Crysta offer two engine options - a 2.4-litre and a 2.8-litre 2GD-FTV. The petrol trims are only available with one engine --  a 2.7-litre Dual VVT-i. In terms of the power, the petrol mill lies between the two diesels. The gasoline engine produces max power of 166PS whereas the diesel iterations produce 150PS and 174PS (2.4 and 2.8-litre respectively). When it comes to the torque figures, both the diesels sit above the petrol with 343Nm and 360Nm whereas the petrol has to make do with 245Nm. Expect the overall  performance of the petrol engine to fall between the two diesel engines. Also, it is important to mention that out of the three, only the petrol engine will be on sale in the NCR region as both the diesel engines fall under the Delhi diesel ban.

Transmission

The 2.4-litre diesel engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox whereas the 2.8-litre diesel is only available with a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2.7-litre petrol, on the other hand, is available with both the five-speed manual and the six-speed automatic transmission.

Mileage

It is a known fact that petrol engines are not as fuel efficient as diesel units. This is one of the biggest reasons why the sales of diesel cars were rapidly on a rise before the diesel ban. Both the diesel variants return around 14 to 15kmpl mileage whereas the petrol claims to deliver 10.83 kmpl in the automatic variants and 9.89kmpl with the manual transmission. Both fuel types offer eco and power drive modes.

Price

The petrol base variant (2.7 GX MT, seven-seater) of the Innova Crysta is priced at Rs 13.57 lakh whereas the base diesel (2.4 G MT, seven-seater) is priced at Rs 13.83 lakh. Hence, the diesel unit is about Rs 30,000 costliest than the petrol. But the corresponding (GX MT, seven-seater) variant of the diesel is priced at Rs 14,69,681, which is Rs 1.12 lakh costlier. The difference in the top variants of the two is Rs 1.31 lakh.

So, for the petrol Innova Crysta one will have to pay about Rs 1.25 lakh less than the diesel trim, but will have to make their peace with a fuel efficiency figure of around 9kmpl. Also, there might not be any significant improvement in performance as well. We will know more once we drive the petrol models, but till then, if you are a resident of Delhi/NCR, you don't have another option.

Source: CarDekho.com