And in today's video, PowerDrift goes cross shopping. No, no, really we do and it is quite fun
as well, that's exactly how I take advantage of days when Shumi is not in office, lurking around
websites like CarDekho.com, looking for answers to situations that I could only dream about.
Let's say for example, I were to be married at 27, I would possibly then
have kids by the age that I am today, be living in a five BHK with my family or my in-laws,
have a pet dog, all of that is quite possible, right? I would also possibly have 20 lakhs
to spare on a car that would suffice three generations. Now speaking of three generations,
meet my kid who has aged surprisingly faster than his peers and meet my dad,
who has not aged at all, quite an interesting family. But I'm sure all three of us here would
agree that the Kia Carens is quite an attractive buy, it is new age, modern, spacious, comfortable,
everything that you could ask for in today's day and age. But the question is, if you really want
yourself an MPV, why not get yourself the king of the trade something like the Toyota Innova
Crysta. Now this one here, is relatively new, has done relatively low kilometres, and comes
with that trusted badge that we absolutely love. Three rows, three generations, let's get cracking.
It is old versus new and in this video, we are discussing aspects that matter the most,
space in all three rows, features and performance.
Now let's start by the row that matters the most in an MPV, and that is obviously that
third row. Now I could get myself in there to show you what is what, but to be very honest,
manufacturers don't design that space for someone my size. So what I'm going to do is ask my son
to get in there, my 12 year old son, 12-13, how old are you? Worst dad ever! Oh, come on, you need
to be a little more grateful, but anyways, that's how easy it is to get into the backseat of the Kia
Carens, press of a button, it's a electrically actuated mechanism that folds the seat
and it's like laying a red carpet for your son to get in there, really cool, especially if you pick
your kids very often from school. What are you doing, bro? This is how it's done? No, it's not.
Well, possibly Shubham is right but then here's how much space he has. He looks comfortable, just
about, when asked to hop in the Innova, he just couldn't figure why the access mechanism is so
mechanical. Pull off a lever, fold on the seat and then unearthing it completely all by yourself.
But then all that hard work liberates a kids play zone in the back of the Innova,
look how happy Shubham is, enjoying the space he's got to himself.
I reckon he's never coming out of there. My father well, he feels the same about the Innova,
the Carens sure is a lovely place to be in, but it is also slightly cramped especially
when he needs to stretch around, have his morning tea and read the newspaper.
Our SUV's engines undergo a lot of stress both in city driving and on tough terrains,
particularly during warmup, in stop-start traffic and of course while carrying heavy loads,
ordinary car oils may not be enough for your SUV,
and that is why we recommend fully synthetic Castrol Magnatec SUV for nonstop protection.
The Toyota Innova Crysta feels so much bigger as compared to the Kia Carens, says my dad and
I totally agree with him, because I'm his son, the only complaint that he has is regarding that high
hop into the cabin because it's slightly higher as compared to the Kia Carens, but then again,
it's nothing that a stool could fix. Now talking about the front row of the Toyota Innova Crysta,
this is where I will be spending a lot of time buckled up here in the driver's seat.
And I actually like how this car is able to hide its sheer size, it almost feels like a sedan,
you are able to sit yourself nice and low, find yourself a relatively easy driving position, I
also like how it is very wide, helps you maintain enough distance between yourself and your wife.
With the Carens, the space on offer is adequate, but it is no match to the roominess that the
Innova Crysta has to offer. It is also the Innova Crysta that's comfortable swallowing
all of our luggage. The Carens could do with a few small bags on a short trip,
but it isn't as spacious as the Innova Crysta. So if our family had to pick one of the two MPVs that
we have here today in terms of the space, it definitely has to be the Toyota Innova Crysta.
It is just lovely how Kia has thrown in an entire catalogue of accessories at the Carens,
the list just goes on and on and on. There's ventilated seats,
smartphone connectivity, smoother smartphone integration, a sunroof,
digital readouts, wireless charging, you name it, well, the Carens has it for you.
And when you hop into the Toyota Innova Crysta right after the Kia Carens, this place,
it feels a little dull. There's not a lot to cheer me up, I mean, it does get the basics covered,
which means there is ambient lighting, a touchscreen infotainment system which gets
smartphone connectivity, front parking sensors, but that's about it. I'll tell you what, though,
everything here feels built to last even on a car that has done over 20,000 kilometres.
If gadgets make you feel better, it is the Carens that has the upper hand,
but for me and my dad, it is the Innova that appeals with its overall robustness and ease
of use. And by that I mean good old physical buttons, limited driver interface interaction
and easy to grasp information. Guess what? Chances are once you're done with those flashy toys,
you might just want to come back to comfort because, well there's a reason
why the Innova is the king of MPVs, look at this kid taking a life lesson right here.
Yeah, make sure you remember that as your lifelong lesson. Honestly, worst dad ever.
So far, it looks like CarDekho.com has had the opportunity to offer
us the perfect family vehicle. Say suppose you do happen to buy one off their portal,
what would you do next? Obviously head out on a road trip with your family, shall we go dad?
Do I need to tell you everytime? I don't want to go Goa with you all. Why do you not want to come to Goa?
And when the family gets going with their luggage stacked in the boot, it is the mighty Innova that
would completely annihilate the Kia Carens in terms of the driving experience, no two ways
about it, no questions, that is how wide the gap is in terms of the driving experience that these
two cars have to offer.
Now credits where they are due, the Carens feels like an easier car to drive,
lighter steering, easier to manage dimensions, but performance, it is no match to the Innova. In all
honesty, you would expect the same to be the case, the Carens with it's smaller 1.5-litre engine
feels sluggish and lazy at times, especially when you're carrying weight around.
Combine that with a hilly incline section and the powertrain just seems to struggle a fair bit.
But that is so not the case with the Toyota Innova Crysta.
There's a button here that says power mode and once you press that,
this thing is ready to take on Mount Everest, there is just so much torque on offer.
Again the Toyota Innova Crysta, it is able to hide all of its bulkness with the sheer
swiftness that it has to offer. If you do this often, if you roadtrip often with your family,
I think this is definitely the MPV that you should be looking at, it's strange, right? This
being a ladder on frame chassis handles and drives slightly better and slightly more enthusiastically
than the Kia Carens, what a legend the Innova Crysta is, absolute legend.
It is the Innova Crysta then that has triumphed in our three row, three generation test.
Not surprising, it is an MPV that costs almost 10 lakhs more than the Carens
if you compare new top-shelf variants of both.
But today, in our test, it costs almost the same as the Carens, on-road pricing kept in
mind. As a result, it makes a lot more sense as a perfect vehicle to this imaginative situation that
I find myself in. So what if it's done a few 1000 kilometres, it's a Toyota, they last forever.
Now, it might be a bit whimsical for me, but it could very well be an actual dilemma a
prospect buyer might be facing, if you are one, let us know what would you pick of the two.