Toyota first stab at the fast-growing compact SUV segment in India is the Urban Cruiser, a sub-4 meter offering based on the Maruti Vitara Brezza. The Toyota Urban Cruiser will be launched in India on the 23rd of September, 2020. Deliveries will begin the same day, which is also when the official prices of the vehicle will be announced. Bookings for the Urban Cruiser are already on, and those pre-booking the sub-4 meter compact SUV will get 2 years of free maintenance. To book the Urban Cruiser, do get in touch with your nearest Toyota dealer.
While the Glanza premium hatchback that Toyota launched last year is virtually the Maruti Baleno with the Toyota badge slapped on, the Urban Cruiser gets distinctively different styling that makes it look like a scaled down Fortuner. This distinctive looks from the front is expected to be a big draw among buyers. And Toyota has even played up its LandCruiser heritage by naming the new, sub-4 meter offering as the Urban Cruiser.
While styling is different, the mechanicals that the Toyota Urban Cruiser runs is borrowed from the Maruti Vitara Brezza without any changes. The compact SUV will offer a petrol mild hybrid engine layout, and choice of either a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed torque converter automatic gearboxes. The engine is a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder K-Series naturally aspirated unit with 104 PS of peak power and 138 Nm of peak torque. The Suzuki Hybrid Vehicle System (SHVS) mild hybrid will assist the engine during hard acceleration, improving pick up and lowering load on the alternator. The SHVS will also offer brake energy regeneration and an idle-stop system.
Also read: Maruti Brezza-based Toyota Urban Cruiser: Official pictures of interiors released
Like the Maruti Brezza, the Toyota Urban Cruiser will take on the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and the soon-to-be-launched Kia Sonet in the hotly competitive compact SUV segment. We expect the Urban Cruiser to be priced very competitively, at similar levels to that of the Maruti Brezza. A starting price of under 7.5 lakh is likely.
The Urban Cruiser will share most of its safety features with the Brezza, including the twin airbag, ABS, hill hold assist, reverse parking sensors, cruise control, reverse parking camera, seat belt reminder and speed alerts. Maruti Suzuki’s SmartPlay touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, navigation, Bluetooth and voice commands, will also be carried over to the Urban Cruiser.
Also read: Hyundai Venue iMT reviewed on video