When was the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder launched?

On 9th September , Toyota announced the prices of certain variants, while the prices for other variants were disclosed on 28th September. The Hyryder CNG models were released on 30th January, 2023.

What variants does it get?

There are four variants available for this Toyota: E, S, G, and V, each with three different drivetrains: ‘Neo Drive’, a strong hybrid electric, and a CNG. The CNG option is exclusively available in the S and G variants.

What features are available in the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder?

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder boasts an attractive exterior with split LED headlamps, gloss-black grille, honeycomb air dam, contrast-coloured front skid plate, black roof, dual-tone alloy wheels, and C-shaped LED tail lamps. It comes in seven single-tone and four dual-tone colour options, including Sporting Red, Speedy Blue, Enticing Silver, Cafe White, Gaming Grey, Cave Black, and Midnight Black.

The interior features a dual-tone black and brown scheme that is highlighted by silver trim. This, along with the soft-touch materials on the lower dashboard/door pads, plus the nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatible) lend it an overall premium feel. Other variant-dependent features include the 360-degree camera, automatic climate, and connected car technology.

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What are the engine, performance, and specifications of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder?

Powering the strong-hybrid self-charging electric version is the combination of a 1.5-litre 91bhp/122Nm petrol engine (with an e-drive transmission) and a 79bhp/141Nm electric motor that collectively pumps out a reasonable 114bhp. This drivetrain can even run in pure EV mode, thereby delivering substantially improved fuel economy with lower emission levels.

The Neo Drive iteration uses Suzuki’s 1.5-litre 102bhp/136Nm K-series petrol unit (with Integrated Starter Generator tech). Transmission duties are carried out by either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. The CNG version is primarily based on this motor.

Is the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder a safe car?

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder has not yet been rated or crash-tested

What are the rivals to the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder?

This Toyota competes against the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Mahindra Scorpio-N/XUV700, and Tata Harrier.

Pros

• The suspension system provides a comfortable ride over various road surfaces.
• The hybrid system reduces reliance on petrol, leading to improved fuel economy.
• The vehicle’s hybrid powertrain allows for a smooth transition between electric and engine propulsion.
• Toyota’s extensive sales and service network provides reliable support, while the vehicle’s resale value is exceptional.
• The car’s ample power makes it easy to navigate through both city and highway traffic, even with a full passenger load.

Cons

• The headroom on the rear bench may be uncomfortable for taller passengers.
• The placement of the hybrid battery under the car’s boot results in a reduction of overall boot space.
• Although most of the materials are high-quality, some areas could benefit from improvements in material quality.

Design and Dimensions

With European-esque styling going for it, the Hyryder looks even more handsome in darker shades. Catching attention is it’s the sleek-split headlamp design while the rest of the fascia is also fresh to the eyes and looks appeasing, if not too flashy or too poignant. In profile, the contrast roof adds a necessary character to the silhouette, which otherwise looks quite plane-jane in single-tone.

What’d have done wonders to the overall stance of the Hyryder is a taller height. A taller bodyshell would not only have credited the Hyryder more street presence, but it would have also helped with second-row headroom. Otherwise, the long-nose, squared-off wheel arches, missing shoulder line, and upright tailgate with an abrupt cut at the tail lamp level gives the Hyryder a unique silhouette.

At the back, the sleek pair of tail lamps is brilliantly designed to accommodate two C-section crab-pincer-like illuminations. Apart from them, the vertically-stacked rear reflectors integrating into the body’s creases are notable design elements at the back.

Interior Look and Quality

Highlighting its hybrid nature on the inside is a ‘blue’-finished start/stop button. There’s an all-digital instrument cluster here which gives out loads of information, but we’d have preferred slightly better graphics/interface as this one starts to look boring after a while. Next up, with the nine-inch touchscreen unit stacked atop you get the newest interface from Maruti. It inherently wears a dark theme, which would be preferable to those who run similar dark themes on their phones.

Next, the brown-black dual-tone cabin gets soft-touch finishes cleverly used on the brown colour inserts, and these won’t be soiled easily compared to, say, white/beige interior. Then, their combination with silver inserts feels nice too. And the ergonomics all around won’t give a reason to complain either. All the buttons are easy to reach and although not the finest, they feel built to last.

On the flip side, plastic in some areas – like on and around the gear lever, the lower half of the dashboard, and dead buttons on the centre console – doesn’t feel at home in a car asking over Rs 18-20 lakh.

Space and Comfort

While the seats are large and supportive, the seat base could have been wider. But the backrest holds you snugly and there’s also good support lower down the neck. Add to it the ventilated seat function, which comes as a relief in our scorching summers. Moving to the back, there’s ample leg space, thanks to the long wheelbase, but the headroom here is surely compromised.

For my height (I am 5’5”), only a couple of centimetres were left to spare above my head. So, the taller passengers would be brushing their heads on the ceiling. But thankfully, the seat recline angle and the seat base are fairly comfortable. Then, space for the middle passenger is hampered by the air vents and raised floor. On the upside though, the provision of large windows, rear-quarter windows, and a massive panoramic sunroof make the second-row bench a good place to spend long hours in.

Boot space and Practicality

On the practicality-front, there’s space below the centre console to accommodate a large smartphone, two cupholders in the centre console, and some space below the driver’s armrest as well. Even the door pads are large enough to hold a litre bottle with a large space behind it. Now, boot space is a small compromise hybrid buyers will have to bear. At 225 litres, it is 100 litres less compared to the non-hybrid versions, owing to the placement of the battery pack, but that’s a fair tradeoff. The boot space can still swallow a couple of cabin-size bags with a little room to spare.

Features and Safety Equipment

To keep up with the competition, there’s an overflowing feature list here. You get an LED for the projector, DRLs, and tail lamps, 17-inch dual-tone wheels, and a panoramic sunroof. Adding to creature comfort is a nine-inch floating touchscreen with wireless smartphone connectivity, cooled front seats, auto AC, ambient lighting, cruise control, auto headlamps, wireless charger, a 360-degree camera, heads-up display, auto-dimming IRVM, and Toyota’s i-Connect connected car tech.

In terms of safety, it comes with six airbags, disc brakes for rear wheels, ABS with EBD, TPMS, rear parking sensors, three-pointed seat belts for all passengers, and hill assist. The only things the Hyryder misses out on are some feel-good features, like electric adjustment for seats, some level of ADAS, and a premium sound system.

Fuel Economy

At the end of our tested fuel-efficiency run, the Hyryder Hyrbid returned a mileage of 17.7kmpl in the city and an even more impressive 27.38kmpl on the highway. A bigger battery size could have improved the city mileage further. On the other hand, out on the highway, the battery was being continuously charged and in turn, it shut off the engine regularly when cruising. With a realistic overall mileage of just over 20kmpl and a fuel tank capacity of 45 litres, a realistic range of around 900 kilometres can be expected between tankfuls.

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conclusion

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is priced between Rs. 11.14 Lakh and Rs. 20.19 Lakh, featuring a range of variants with different powertrains, including hybrid and CNG options. With a stylish design, a variety of color options, and a feature-rich interior, the Hyryder offers a comfortable and technologically advanced driving experience. Its hybrid powertrain provides excellent fuel efficiency, with a strong emphasis on reducing environmental impact. While the car has a spacious and well-equipped interior, some areas may benefit from improved material quality. Overall, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder competes in the mid-size SUV. Segment with notable rivals such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Mahindra Scorpio-N/XUV700, and Tata Harrier.