Living with Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder AWD: The strengths and flaws explained
- In a short span of time, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder has emerged as a viable option for those hunting for a mid-size SUV in the market.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor has always had a formidable say in the premium SUV space courtesy of the resounding - and continuing - success of Fortuner. The Toyota Fortuner has flicked away newer challengers with a nonchalant disdain but the aura around - and legacy of - the model alone has not trickled down to smaller SUV segments for the company. So when Urban Cruiser Hyryder came calling last year, there were bound to be a lot of expectations.
The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is competing in the mid-size SUV space, one that has a long list of established players already. In many ways, the Hyryder is tasked with mounting a challenge to its direct rivals, a fair ask. But in many other ways, it is also expected to create a legacy around it, like elder sibling Fortuner has - a tad unfair. And for all the fairness and unfairness of it all, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder has thus far emerged as a mature offering that is completely unperturbed by all the talk around it.
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2998 cc
Petrol
72.8 kWh
405 Km
Here is an SUV that wants to play to its own strengths and while there is a twin from another brand in the form of Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, the Hyryder maintains its nonchalant nature. We got behind the wheels of the AWD (All-Wheel Drive) variant of the vehicle to find out just what you need to know before strongly considering this particular model.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Exterior
The exterior appearance of any vehicle is subjective but where the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder scores is its stylish curves and purposeful stance. It isn't the tallest SUV in its segment but finds a good balance between clever design cues and an understated visual profile. The front p[profile of the SUV catches attention at the very first glance with the sleek LED daytime running lights and neatly positioned LED projector headlamps.
The LED DRLs are connected by a chrome garnished bar running horizontally and sitting above the front grille, while the glossy black panel highlighting the chrome bar enhances its visual appeal. The large trapezoidal radiator grille gives the SUV a bold look, while the skid plate sitting at the bottom reflects the SUV's tough character. Moving to the side, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder gets a clean profile. The black lower cladding, sporty alloy wheels, glossy black ORVMs with integrated LED turn indicators and black glass area are the other design elements visible at the side profile of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder.
Moving to the back, the rear profile of the SUV gets LED taillights that come connected by a sleek chrome garnished horizontal bar with the brand logo at the centre. The sculpted tailgate also gets vertically positioned reflector lights on both sides, while the sporty rear skid plate enhances the boldness of the SUV. Adding convenience quotient of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is the rear wiper.
The SUV is available in seven different mono-tone exterior paint themes, while it also gets four different dual-tone paint options on offer. The monotone exterior colours are - Cafe White, Enticing Silver, Gaming Grey, Sportin Red, Midnight Black, Cave Black, and Speedy Blue. The dual-tone exterior colours of the SUV are - Cafe White with Midnight Black, Sportin Red with Midnight Black, Enticing Silver with Midnight Black and Speedy Blue with Midnight Black.
In a nutshell, despite basically being a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder comes with a highly distinctive design that catches attention at the very first glance. The SUV is based on the same platform as the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and shares the same powertrain and many other components as well. Essentially, both the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder are siblings, developed on the same architecture and have similar features. The Urban Cruiser Hyryder comes as a key model in India for the Japanese car manufacturer, as part of the collaboration between Toyota and Suzuki. It follows the path of Glanza, Invicto etc.
Both SUVs are part of a collaboration between Toyota and Suzuki and share the same architecture, powertrain, and many other components. They are essentially siblings, developed on the same platform and have similar features.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Interior
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder comes with a cabin that is identical to that of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Both these SUVs have a largely pleasant interior with a large infotainment screen sitting at the centre-top of the dashboard and a well-appointed driver display unit as well. There are also plenty of usual storage options and charging points, enhancing the SUV's practicality quotient. Being based on the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, the cabin of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder looks premium and practical at the same time.
Strengths - The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder AWD comes with a large nine-inch touchscreen infotainment screen standing at the centre of the dashboard and its connections to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are seamless. The air-conditioning inside the cabin is powerful enough to quickly cool down the entire cabin when the temperature outside is more than 40 degrees on a typical Delhi summer day. A large boot of 373 litres helps in keeping the luggage and groceries easily, while the all-black colour theme of the cabin will appeal to many as it enhances the premiumness.
Weaknesses - The thin sheet under the glass sunroof is just too flimsy to block the sunrays and this can be a bane during hot summer months despite the powerful air-conditioning the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder offers. There is no tyre-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) available in this SUV, which is one of the essential technology-driven features in an AWD variant. The touchscreen infotainment system and the driver display have been picked entirely from Maruti Suzuki models, which are found in lower models like Maruti Suzuki Brezza as well.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Safety
On the safety front, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder comes with six airbags, disc brakes for rear wheels, ABS with EBD, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), rear parking sensors, cruise control, hill assist, and three-pointed seatbelts for all the passengers. However, Toyota could have considered features like ADAS for the SUV, considering ADAS is being offered in many modern vehicles. Toyota also claims that the advanced body structure enhances the rigidity of the SUV, ensuring better protection for the occupants.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Performance
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder V variant is the only one which gets AWD, courtesy of Suzuki AllGrip technology. Here is a variant of the vehicle that is a little extra in terms of abilities beyond the beaten path. The 1.5-litre internal combustion engine is paired to a five-speed manual transmission and there is a dedicated Sport and Snow mode. The Snow mode enables the driver to take the car on terrains like hills, while the Sport mode is meant for people who seek a bit more punch from the powertrain.
In terms of pricing, the variant is priced at ₹17.21 lakh (ex-showroom) and this makes it positioned somewhere in the middle of the E variant and the top-of-the-line V Hybrid with automatic transmission.
Strengths - The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder AWD has more than enough to confidently tackle extremely bad patches of city roads where we pushed it through. The suspension is solid and the SUV never batted an eyelid over the potholes and ungainly speedbreakers on roads. In a nutshell, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder SUV remains rock steady at high speeds which aids the drive trait.
Weaknesses - With just 101 bhp power output on offer, the Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV may seem lacking power when a straight and empty road beckons in front and you seek more thrill. The sixth gear on the manual stick of the SUV is conspicuous by its absence and is missed. Also, the available gears need to be worked regularly in moderate traffic conditions.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder AWD: Verdict
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is a confident SUV that ticks many of the right boxes. On the space, comfort and styling segments, the SUV certainly does jobs well. The feature list onboard the SUV, although not elaborate, is par for the course too.
If you are someone who is considering the SUV and also has the need to tackle challenging urban and semi-urban road conditions frequently, the AWD technology of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder can be a big help. Otherwise, the other variants of this Toyota SUV would deserve more attention. Remember, there is a CNG option available as well, which certainly enhances the appeal of the car.
