What is it?

Back in 2017, Toyota and Suzuki announced a joint venture under which both the brands would use the knowledge and know-how of compact vehicles and EV’s respectively. The first fruit of this JV was born in the form of the Toyota Glanza, which was essentially a badge-engineered version of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. While there were a few subtle changes to differentiate the latter from the former, Toyota took the bar one notch higher when India was presented with the Urban Cruiser compact SUV. The model joins the extremely competitive segment which is getting crowded as each year passes by. What is the Urban Cruiser all about? We find out.

How is it on the outside?

Being a rebadged version of the popular Vitara Brezza, the Urban Cruiser carries over a majority of the design elements, while also posing a few fresh updates to make it stand out. Up-front, we have the two slat grille inspired by its elder sibling, the Fortuner, flanked by dual LED projector headlamps on either side. A closer look at the front bumper and you can see the chrome ring for the fog lamps as well as a special cut-out for the horn. Also seen across the body is black cladding, while the front and rear bumpers get silver-coloured skid plates. The side profile features 16-inch wheels; and based on the choice of variant, which includes Mid, High, and Premium, you get steel wheels with wheel covers, blacked-out alloy wheels, and machine-cut alloys, respectively.

Moving to the posterior, the Urban Cruiser features rectangular-shaped wrap-around LED tail lights, a chrome strip above the number plate housing with the ‘Urban Cruiser’ name plate, and an integrated spoiler with a high mounted stop lamp.

How is it on the inside?

Get inside the Toyota Urban Cruiser and you are greeted with a dual-tone interior theme of black and brown, apart from a healthy dose of a few other chrome and silver elements. The all-black dashboard with Piano Black AC vents dominates the dash, with the centre console also getting the Piano Black treatment around the infotainment system and centre AC vents. Speaking of which, the seven-inch unit gives you access to a range of features; and also connects your phone via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There are silver inserts on the lower side of the dashboard, a treatment that is similarly carried over to the doors. Opening and closing the doors looks and feels classy, courtesy of the chrome-finished handles.

Storage options are aplenty, with dual cup-holders in the second-row arm-rest, one-litre bottle holders in all four doors, front row back seat pockets, and a glove-box with cooling function. Toyota also offers a hook for those of you who take their expensive coats along while heading for an important meeting. There is ample headroom and legroom, and seating three people at the back shouldn’t be much of an issue either.

For your weekend trips or should you have to shift houses, the rear seats have a 60:40 split functionality, enhancing the storage capacity of the 328-litre boot space. A few other notable features of the car include cruise control, climate control, steering mounted controls, height-adjustable driver seat, and an engine start-stop button. Safety features come in the form of dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, and the Isofix child seat anchorages.

What about service and warranty?

Toyota is offering a wide range of warranty options under the ‘Toyota Sure Advantage’ umbrella. Apart from a standard warranty of three years or 1 lakh kilometres (whichever is earlier), owners can opt for the five years or 1.50 lakh kilometres extended warranty program. A few other highlights include express maintenance packages and Road Side Assistance (RSA).

What’s under the hood?

The sole engine option with the Toyota Urban Cruiser is the 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine. This motor is tuned to produce a maximum power output of 103bhp at 6,000rpm and 138Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. Customers can choose from transmission options that include a five-speed manual unit and a four-speed torque converter automatic unit. The latter also benefits from an advanced Li-ion battery with an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG). The Urban Cruiser offers a range of colour options to choose from, including six mono-tone colours and three dual-tone colours.

What about competition and pricing?

The Toyota Urban Cruiser is a compact SUV that rivals the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, and the Mahindra XUV300, as well as upcoming models such as the Nissan Magnite and the Renault Kiger. The Urban Cruiser is priced between Rs 8.40 lakh for the Mid MT variant, all the way up to Rs 11.30 lakh for the Premium AT variant (all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi).

Photos: Kaustubh Gandhi