Toyota unveils its first compact SUV 'Urban Cruiser Hyryder' for India, bookings start

Japanese car manufacturer Toyota, on Friday, unveiled its debut compact SUV, ‘Urban Cruiser Hyryder’ for India. This new SUV, which has been built jointly with homegrown automaker Maruti Suzuki India, will be available in mild-hybrid as well as in strong-hybrid powertrain options.

The mild-hybrid powertrains will be offered in four different trims options - E, S, G, and V, while the strong-hybrid versions will be available for sale in three trims - S, G, and V. In addition to this, Toyota has also stated that the new Urban Cruiser Hyryder will go on sale starting August 2022 and has started accepting bookings at both Toyota dealerships and via online mode for Rs 25,000.

Price and competition

Toyota still hasn’t revealed the prices of its new SUV and is likely to announce the same sometime next month. The SUV will be built at the company’s Bidadi plant in Karnataka. Toyota’s new Urban Cruiser Hyryder will go up against the likes of Hyundai Creta, Skoda Kushaq, Kia Seltos and Volkswagen Taigun.

Design and details

Toyota’s new Urban Cruiser Hyryder comes with a fresh styling theme that mimics the company’s newer SUVs sold available internationally. The new SUV features double-layer LED DRLs, sporty front bumpers and full-LED headlamps.

Apart from this, the new Hyryder’s strong hybrid models also feature a prominent Hybrid badging on the doors, similar to the full hybrid Toyota models that are sold overseas. In terms of rear design, the new Toyota Hyryder gets slim C-shaped tail-lights and dual C-shaped parking lamps.
 
 In terms of interior, the new SUV’s dashboard layout features a similar layout as its Glanza, Maruti Suzuki’s Baleno and the recently launched Brezza. The new Hyryder gets a dual-tone black and brown theme interior, which is padded with leather on the dash and with soft-touch materials running on the door pads. It should be noted that only the full hybrid versions will receive the dual-tone interior treatment while the mild-hybrid versions will only feature all-black interiors.

Powertrain and hybrid tech

Toyota’s new Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which is also its first midsize SUV in India to get a strong hybrid technology, employs the company’s fourth-generation e-drive hybrid tech. The new SUV features a 1.5-litre TNGA Atkinson Cycle engine that churns out 92hp and 122Nm of torque and is paired to an electric motor that develops 79hp and 141Nm of torque.

The car also features a power control unit, which Toyota claims can control more than 100A of current. Toyota Hyryder’s hybrid system is paired with a 177.6V lithium-ion battery and is claimed to offer an electric-only range of up to 25km.

Toyota also offers the Neo Drive engine, which is essentially Maruti Suzuki's 1.5-litre K15C mild-hybrid power plant with Integrated Starter Generator (ISG), with the new Hyryder SUV. This engine is already available on Maruti Suzuki’s new Brezza, XL6 and the Ertiga, and produces 103hp and 137Nm torque.

Toyota’s new Urban Cruiser Hyryder will be available in either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox an option.

Safety and features

In terms of safety, the new Urban Cruiser Hyryder gets six airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, tyre pressure monitoring system, hill-hold assist, ESP, 3-point seatbelts for all rear passengers, and hill descent control. Apart from this, Toyota has also promised drive modes with all AWD versions.

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder’s higher variants will come with bells and whistles like a fully digital instrument cluster, heads-up display, panoramic sunroof, connected car tech, voice assist with Google and Siri compatibility, 360-degree camera and wireless charger among others. The new SUV also gets 17-inch alloy wheels and cooled seats.