India's Only Toyota Innova Monster Truck On Video!
Toyota Innova enjoys stellar acceptance in the Indian market. Since its debut in 2005, the demand for this MPV has stayed warm and consistent. Its practical, comfortable and well-organised cabin makes the Innova a great choice among Indian families. We have seen many builds based on the Innova. But this here could be the most insane one- someone made a monster truck out of a first-generation Innova!
A video shared on the channel 'B-Choww' shows a detailed tour of this build. It shows the custom-built Innova's insane design and mechanical details. The host starts by saying that this vehicle is a one-of-a-kind creation. This build took more than a year to complete. The total cost of the project is said to be more than 8 lakh rupees!
The stock Innova has a four-door design. This vehicle, however, makes a clean transition to a two-door body style. To accomplish this effectively, the vehicle was cut into half and rejoined, making wise use of risers in the process. The overall length has been reduced slightly to maximise off-roading capability and more importantly, to accommodate the huge tyres.
The lift on this vehicle is insane. The chassis has been reinforced to accommodate the lift. This Innova rides on massive 37-inch off-road tyres and has a custom suspension setup. This vehicle stands taller and more aggressively than most production SUVs of the day. The presenter's Tata Tiago EV looks tiny and vulnerable when parked next to it! The view from the cabin is very dominating. You sit so high and enjoy epic visibility.
The propeller shaft is custom-made. A Jeep-sourced prop shaft is used at the front which as we move towards the rear, gets mated to an Innova prop shaft using a universal joint. The vehicle also comes with additional sway bars and support components to handle serious off-road action. Finally, the steering shaft has been extended, and changes have been made to the AC system to make the cabin experience more liveable.
Lighting upgrades are also extensive. Along with pod lights and jungle lights at the front, this build also includes special turning lights located inside the wheel wells, adjacent to the wheels, which show exactly where the tyres are headed.
Talking of the interior, the middle row of seats is gone! The rear passengers now enjoy huge amount of legroom. Using 'lounge-lilke' experience would be so wrong considering the rugged, off-road nature of the vehicle. But hey, there's massive room at the rear!
The donor vehicle for this project was a petrol Innova. It had an engine that was smooth and refined, but would hardly suffice for a vehicle as large as this, atleast not in terms of torque.
It has thus been swapped with a notably more torquey 3.0L direct injection (DI) diesel engine sourced from the Tata 407. This is capable of producing around 100 hp and 300 Nm and ensures a smooth drive for something as large as this build, even on challenging terrains. The 407's engine already has a huge fan following, and has over the years demonstrated its might on Tata's popular light commercial vehicle (LCV) platform.
Another reason for the swap is that the original Toyota engine had a lot of sensors that would throw up errors and fails if put to rough and abusive use. Opting for a more oldschool (read rudimentary!) powerhouse would thus be of great help.
To ensure proper engine breathing, key changes have been made to the vehicle's exterior as well. This Innova has been given 4x4 hardware as well!
Due to the lift and all the modifications that have gone into it, it is cumbersome to manoeuvre it in many cases, but that is exactly the beauty of it.
The owner of this build prefers to use it inside his farmhouse in Goa. (It is NOT road-legal!) Visuals of it tackling boulders, trails, and hardcore terrains are extremely satisfying to watch...