Toyota Urban Cruiser

Expert Review by Maxabout

Introduction

The Toyota Urban Cruiser debuted in August 2021 in the Indian car market as the second product of the Toyota and Suzuki partnership after the Glanza, which was a rebranded Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The Toyota Urban Cruiser is rooted in the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. However, unlike Glanza, where the company simply swapped logos, the new Urban Cruiser has a few external changes that distinguish it from the Vitara Brezza. Let’s dive in to review the details of the design, style, and power of this Maruti-derived product.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Design and Style

Starting with the front fascia design language, the first and foremost thing is the front grille. Toyota launched the Urban Cruiser with their signature design, which takes into account vertical chrome strips on either side and horizontal slats on the grille itself. From the front, the compact SUV has a bold appearance. The SUV sports a full LED headlight unit as well as LED DRLs that are quite bright and provide good visibility at night. The fog lights are located in the same place as on the Brezza, but Toyota has added some chrome embellishing around them to enhance the premium appearance of the vehicle.

Turning to the side profile, the new Urban Cruiser gets black cladding all around, and the roof rails are non-functional. Concerning the compact SUV's rear end, it features LED tail lights, a Toyota logo in the centre, a spoiler, a silver element at the bottom, and a chrome strip with "Urban Cruiser" embossed on it. In terms of body dimensions, the car has a length of 3995 mm, a width of 1790 mm, a height of 1640 mm, and a wheelbase of 2500 mm. In addition, it gets a good ground clearance of 198 mm.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Engine and Gearbox

The same petrol engine that powers the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza also powers the new Toyota Urban Cruiser. Powering the Urban Cruiser is a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre, 1462cc, 4-cylinder K-Series petrol engine paired with Suzuki's mild-hybrid (SHVS) technology. This engine is capable of churning out 104.72 HP at 6000 rpm and 138 Nm at 4400 rpm when combined with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Interior, Instrument Cluster & Boot Space

On the inside, the new Urban Cruiser gets a comfy and decent cabin. The dashboard is finished in black, while the upholstery is light brown. The steering wheel is relaxed and holds a good grip, but it has only a tilt option. Speaking of the front seats, they are well-cushioned seats. However, the height adjustment option is for the driver’s seat only. The second row provides adequate back support but lacks under-thigh support. However, there is enough head and legroom for five tall passengers to sit and go comfortably. Unfortunately, there is no AC vent in the back row, nor is there a charging socket, but it does have a retractable armrest with two cup holders.

The instrument cluster is identical to that seen on the Vitara Brezza. It has a MID screen in the middle that displays a variety of vehicle information, and it is flanked on each side by an analogue tachometer and speedometer. The Toyota Urban Cruiser has a 328-litre boot space, which is adequate for the class. It does, however, have a 60:40 split, and more luggage space can be managed to be made by folding either side of the seat depending on the space needed.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Brakes, Suspension & Tyres

As for the braking system, the braking duties are assigned to ventilated disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The suspension is set up with a McPherson strut with a coil spring in front and a Torsion Beam with a coil spring in the back. Toyota has offered the mid variant with 16-inch steel wheels that are outfitted with 205/60 size tyres, whereas the high and premium variants are offered with 16-inch alloy wheels that are clothed with 215/60 size tyres.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Key Features

When it comes to offered features, 2023 Toyota Urban Cruiser comes loaded with dual-chamber LED projector headlamps with chrome accents, dual-function LED DRLs and turn indicators in headlamps, dual-tone interiors, auto AC, new 17.78cm smart play cast touchscreen audio with Apple CarPlay and Android, five-colour combi metre vibe lights, four-door speakers and two tweeters, engine start-stop push-button, auto rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, electric adjustable ORVMs, charging port and lamp inside boot space and many more.

For passenger safety, the SUV is offered with dual SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, hill hold control on all AT variants, anti-pinch driver side power window, speed-sensitive auto door lock, ISOFIX child seat restraint system, reverse parking sensors with infographic display, 5-door central locking system, driver and co-passenger seat belt reminder, childproof rear door locks, high-speed warning buzzer, side-impact protection beam, rear defogger, reverse parking camera with display and so on.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Top Speed, Acceleration & Mileage

2023 Toyota Urban Cruiser offers a top speed of 170+ kmph and accelerates from 0-100 kmph in 11.52 seconds. What’s more, the car renders decent mileage of 12.5–14 km/l in the city and 15–17.8 km/l on the highways. However, the mileage figures may vary depending on driving style or terrain.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Variants & Colour Options

Toyota has offered the new Urban Cruiser in three variants called premium, high, and mid. A total of nine colours are on offer, of which six are monotone and three are dual-tone. You can choose from Sunny White, Iconic Grey, Suave Silver, Rustic Brown, Spunky Blue, Groovy Orange, Rustic Brown with Sizzling Black Roof, Spunky Blue with Sizzling Black Roof, and Groovy Orange with Sunny White Roof. It also needs to be mentioned here that the dual-tone colour scheme is available for the high-end premium variant only.

Ex-showroom Price & On-Road Price

At present, the new Toyota Urban Cruiser is available at an ex-showroom price of Rs 9.02 lakh for the Mid MT variant and Rs 11.73 lakh for the top-end Premium AT variant. To distinguish between off-road and on-road pricing, the ex-showroom price of a car is the asking price that does not include the cost of road tax, insurance, or registration. The on-road price, on the other hand, includes all of the aforementioned costs as well as insurance, registration, a one-time road tax, an extended warranty, and all vehicle accessories. It is important to note that on-road prices in our country vary widely from state to state.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Competitors

2023 Toyota Urban Cruiser directly competes with Hyundai Venue, Renault Kiger, Kia Sonet, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV300.

Verdict - Should You Buy Toyota Urban Cruiser or not?

2023 Toyota Urban Cruiser comes with a practical cabin, mature styling, and a good powertrain with decent fuel efficiency. But Toyota could do better in terms of the addition of new features, a diesel engine variant and, of course, a sunroof. However, in this price bracket, the SUV is still capable of attracting Indian car buyers. Toyota’s after-sales service also adds to its popularity in the country.