The Zenix is easily the most anticipated Toyota to launch in our market this year. It might not have had the red carpet rolled out for it like the Yaris Cross did when it arrived, but it still landed here with great fanfare, and rightfully so. It has big shoes to fill—it was the successor to the mighty Innova.
But of course, there was a lot of doubt with the new Zenix, too. It’s almost like an entirely new vehicle, and if not for its familiar looks and the Innova badging at the rear, this could pass off as a completely new model.
Now, I was quite fortunate to see the vehicle before the launch and even try it out during the initial media preview. As fate would have it, I was eventually assigned the first tester, and the hybrid one at that—Anton got the gasoline version. So yes, after a week with the Zenix Hybrid, I unsurprisingly have more than a few things to say about it.
Does it prove the doubters wrong? Or does it fail to live up to the hype? Let’s find out.
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Styling
“Uy, bagong Innova!” It didn’t take long for me to lose count of how many times I heard this phrase when I was driving the new Zenix. Just to be clear, it’s no longer the Innova. The Innova is the old version which Toyota will continue to sell alongside this one.
That being said, I do understand why one would immediately just call this the Innova. Toyota did retain that Innova-ish look for the Zenix. It’s got that similar silhouette, and it’s styled as simple as the Innovas before it.
The front end now looks more Fortuner-like, with those plastic trims right underneath the trapezoidal grille. The rear, meanwhile, looks a bit RAV4-like, with lines and angles accentuating that liftgate. Overall, I think Toyota did a solid job updating the look of the Zenix without going too overboard.
It doesn’t try to keep up with the aggressive styling that we see from newer vehicles, but it also doesn’t settle for a vanilla design that’ll look dated in just a few years’ time. It’s not flashy nor does it wow you at first glance, but it sure does keep things clean and classy.
Interior
When you step inside the cabin, you might get that “familiar but not quite” impression. The overall layout seems very much familiar, but all the trim, controls, and screens have changed. There’s a new digital display on the instrument cluster, there’s one floating in the center, and there are loads more buttons than before. Way I see it, these are what also help give the Zenix a more modern look.
Toyota continues to use the brown trim on this range-topping variant, and I’m all for it. There’s now more leather here than before, and it gives the Zenix’s interior a more premium vibe. I also like how the center console and the dash, despite having seemingly more buttons than ever, look less busy and less cluttered than that of the old Innova.
The Zenix is also pretty comfortable to be in when you’re behind the wheel. Toyota did a good job keeping all these controls within arm’s reach of the driver. As a 5’5” guy, I feel like the cockpit is a snug fit for me. And if it weren’t the power-adjustable seat would’ve made it easy for me to move things around, anyway.
Now, what should be talked about here are the rear seats. In the top-spec hybrid trim, the Zenix gets rear captain seats with Ottomans, and they’re the best one in the house. The foldable tray in the middle is also a pretty neat bonus.
It’s a given that with four people on board, second-row passengers can maximize the space and recline their seats and raise their legrests as much as they want. But what’s impressive with the new Zenix is that even with passengers in all three rows, there’s still a lot of legroom to go around. Of course, the captain seats won’t be in full use, but third-row passengers will still be seated comfortably at the back. Fitting a seventh passenger will still be questionable, but at least the seat position at the back isn’t awkward at all anymore, and you can thank the flat floor for that.
This is a huge improvement from the old Innova, and credit goes to the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform on which the new Zenix is built. It allowed for the flat floor design and opened up more interior space, and it sure did wonders for the third row.
Another neat change in the new Zenix is that the rear seats now fold flat. No need to raise the seats and tie them to the grab handles. For those of us who often use the cargo area, it’s much appreciated.
Engine performance
The biggest highlight in the new Zenix, of course, is the new hybrid powertrain under the hood. Toyota continues to electrify its lineup, and the Innova was the last one to get the treatment.
Powering the Zenix is a 2.0-liter M20A-FKS gasoline engine that’s paired with an electric motor and is mated to a CVT. The system generates a total output of 183hp. While it’s up by a dozen horses from the old Innova’s diesel engine, the hybrid setup doesn’t feel as torquey. Turbo lag is non-existent, but even with both the petrol engine and the electric motor propelling the Zenix, it isn’t nearly as punchy as the Innova. And that’s perfectly fine.
Speed and power weren’t what the Zenix was built for. It’s the benefits of the hybrid system that Toyota was gunning for here, and that’s exactly what it got. Sure, you do have to step harder on the gas pedal when you’re going uphill with six people onboard or simply trying to conduct some overtakes on the highway, but that’s natural for any vehicle. But outside of steep climbs and high-speed maneuvers, the Zenix will easily impress.
In the city with moderate traffic, I averaged 19-20km/L without paying mind at all to the fuel economy. On the highway, it’s slightly down to just 17km/L. In mixed conditions—including insanely heavy traffic courtesy of the upcoming Christmas season—I got a total of 18km/L. Good luck getting those figures with your non-hybrid Innova.
The hybrid system also works seamlessly—as seamless as it does in the Corolla Cross, Corolla Altis, and Yaris Cross—and still requires no know-how whatsoever to use. Anyone who’s unfamiliar with and probably intimidated by hybrids and electric vehicles will surely appreciate that.
Ride and handling
The biggest and most pleasant surprise for me here is just the overall lightness of the vehicle. It no longer feels truckish at all—the steering is incredibly light and the turning radius is small, making it a cinch to maneuver the vehicle around tight spaces. When you’re in the city, it’s like you’re driving a car when you’re in the Zenix. It’s a very different experience when you’re behind the wheel of the Innova.
The ride, meanwhile, is soft and plush. The vehicle absorbs road imperfections with ease, and not much of the road noise gets into the cabin. There’s still some body roll, but seeing as the vehicle still stands a bit high from the ground, that’s to be expected. Don’t expect to have that much fun driving across mountain roads with this one. That being said, it’ll be a joy to be using around the traffic-riddled, poorly paved confines of the city.
Extra features
When Toyota overhauled the Innova, it also made it a point to give the MPV all the bells and whistles. As mentioned earlier, there’s now a digital instrument cluster that provides loads of information including fuel economy and hybrid system usage. Interestingly enough, the trip meters are digital but come with traditional analog controls mounted onto the cluster itself. Quite quirky.
There’s also a large 10.1-inch infotainment system front and center that comes with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity. At some point during my testing, the head unit malfunctioned and the display got stuck after a phone call. I had to reset the vehicle to reset the head unit. While it only happened once, it’s still something I need to point out.
The Zenix also gets a 360-degree-view camera as well as Toyota Safety Sense features. Auto high beam, lane-tracing and lane-departure alert, and adaptive cruise control were what I found most helpful. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are neat additions, too. The vehicle also gets an electronic parking brake with an auto-hold function, but the latter can be a bit wonky at times. As you slowly grind down to a full stop, the auto-hold can sometimes engage prematurely, leading you to a rough and abrupt stop. Unlike the infotainment issues, this one happened quite a few times.
Those were minor inconveniences, though, as everything else here worked perfectly. I had no problems with the other amenities such as the power-adjustable seats and the customizable ambient lighting.
A sunroof here would’ve been the ultimate kicker. Not that it’s something we actually need here in the Philippines, but it’s just that this same model in other markets have that and we don’t. I’m not complaining—I’m just saying.
A few more tiny bits I noticed here were that the cabin lights up front were hard to operate. It’s hard to press the buttons as they are, let alone at night. That aside, I do like the abundance of cup holders (it’s a Toyota, after all), the 12V socket hidden away in the cubby on the dash, and the ‘welcome’ feature. Whenever you approach the locked vehicle with the key in hand (or in your pocket), it will light up and the side mirrors will illuminate the driver’s side of the vehicle, enabling for easier and safer entry.
Speaking of entry, though, one thing I would really have added here are grab handles for even just the rear passengers. Or stepboards—whichever works better. The floor may be flat, but ingress isn’t that at all easier because the seats are quite high, so boarding the vehicle can be difficult for rear passengers, especially for the elderly.
Verdict
It all boils down to the question: “Is the Zenix a worthy successor to the Innova?” Hands down, a resounding yes. If anything, it also presents itself as a decent alternative to even the Fortuner, if practicality is all we’re talking about.
The Zenix does everything the Innova can, and then some. It no longer has that turbodiesel pull, but it more than makes up for it with fuel efficiency and overall ease of use. All the changes that Toyota has made with this MPV make it even more practical than its predecessor.
And while it may be pricier than before, the Zenix now offers car buyers something that neither the old Innova nor the current Fortuner can: the chance to go hybrid and go greener. For those who purposefully want to make the switch, I reckon that price jump’s justified.
SPECS: 2024 Toyota Zenix Hybrid 2.0 Q
Price: P1,974,000
Engine: 2.0-liter gasoline I4 + one electric motor
Power: 183hp (total system output)
Torque: 188Nm
Transmission: continuously variable
Layout: front wheel-drive
Seating: 7
Score: 9.5/10
More photos of the Toyota Zenix Hybrid 2024:
