Toyota Innova Crysta or Hycross: should I pick diesel or petrol-hybrid?

I am confused whether to buy the Toyota Innova Crysta with the diesel engine or the new Innova Hycross with the petrol-hybrid powertrain. My priority is efficiency, but the Hycross is much more expensive than the Crysta. Please suggest which is a good buy.

Aman, Fatehgarh Sahib

Autocar India says: The old Innova Crysta is still going strong for anyone who wants a reliable MPV. It is ideal for long-distance driving and on rough roads where the tough body-on-frame chassis can cope better than a monocoque chassis. The Innova Hycross is a completely different car and meant more for shorter urban commutes. It is more refined, rides better, is far more comfortable and has more features than the diesel Crysta. However, it doesn’t have the effortless cruising capability of the latter.

So, if you are driving mainly on the highway, it’s the Crysta diesel for you, but if you are going to be driving mainly in the city, the Hycross is a better option. What you must also keep in mind is that the Crysta diesel is only available with a manual gearbox, while the Hycross hybrid only gets an automatic, thereby suiting their respective highway or urban use cases even further.

Also See:

Toyota Innova Hycross review: Moving the goalposts

Toyota Innova Hycross video review

2020 Toyota Innova Crysta 2.4D review, test drive

2023 Toyota Innova Crysta diesel: price, variants explained

Toyota Innova Crysta diesel vs Hycross: price and features comparison