TOYOTA URBAN CRUISER
Toyota enters the hotly contested compact SUV segment with the Urban Cruiser, the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
IN EARLY 2019, TOYOTA announced a joint product development effort with Suzuki, including technology transfer by bringing together Toyota's strength in electrification and Suzuki's mastery in developing compact vehicles. While we haven't seen an electrified Maruti Suzuki yet, as a part of this partnership, we have already seen the Toyota Glanza, a rebadged Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Now with the Vitara Brezza being supplied to Toyota and rebadged as the Urban Cruiser, Toyota will be able to gain a foothold in the crowded compact SUV segment.
How different is it?
At first glance, the Toyota and Suzuki appear identical, however look really closely and subtle differences are visible. The Vitara Brezza's grille has been swapped for Toyota's own dual-slat version, clearly inspired by the Fortuner's. The front bumper has been redesigned and so have the (faux) skid plates (at both ends) along with chrome fog lamp surrounds. Together, these changes do make the Urban Cruiser a wee bit more SUV-like. The alloys get the Toyota logo and the thick chrome plate on the boot lid now reads Urban Cruiser in a font similar to Land Cruiser. These really are very subtle changes and it will be very hard to differentiate the Urban Cruiser from the Vitara Brezza at first glance unless you're an automotive nerd.
On the inside, the seven-inch Smart Playcast touchscreen turns on with the Toyota logo while the steering wheel also has the T logo. I know that's obvious, but that is literally how small the differences are. Everything else is identical and the cabin continues to be functional. Like with the Glanza, the Urban Cruiser is available only in the more loaded trim variants — Mid, High and Premium, with the Mid being equivalent to Vitara Brezza's VXI, a fairly well-equipped model that gets LED headlamps and taillamps, auto climate control and 2-DIN audio with Bluetooth among others. What we drove was the range-topping Premium festooned with the aforementioned touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, rain-sensing wipers, autodimming ORVM and 16-inch diamond-cut alloys.
How does it drive?
The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated K-series engine is among the most refined powerplants on any compact car in India. It's inaudible at idle and when you give it the beans no vibrations filter
It is hard to differentiate between the two SUVs unless you're a nerd
into the cabin, thanks to it being a 4-cylinder. The throttle is responsive, and while there's no outright burst of torque that you get on the turbo mills, this engine does enjoy being revved hard all the way to its 6200rpm limiter. Triple-digit speeds are attained effortlessly and despite the democratisation of turbo-petrols these days, this naturally aspirated engine stands out thanks to its punchy mid-range and top-end pull. What adds to the ease of driving is the buttery smooth five-speed manual gearbox with short and precise throws and a light steering and clutch that make driving in traffic hassle-free. There's also an automatic gearbox on option(a four-speed torque converter), but this manual would be my pick thanks to its crisp shifts that provide a near-perfect dose of driving engagement you expect from a finely engineered Japanese gearbox.
Ride quality is sophisticated and you don't need to slow down while approaching broken roads. This is after all based on the S-Cross platform and it has a robust feel to it that's missing on the new Maruti Suzukis. The way the Urban Cruiser flattens out ruts and potholes is confidence inspiring and you can cover miles without feeling tired and what goes well with the good ride quality is the equally good handling. The sorted chassis and a balanced suspension setup keeps the Urban Cruiser planted around the twisties. The chassis is communicative, full of feedback and you know what's happening underneath. There is however some scope for improvement. The steering feels lifeless and the tyres could have been better for these Apollos make screeching and squealing noises the moment you show even the slightest enthusiasm around corners.
The Urban Cruiser is priced at a `500015,000 premium over the Vitara Brezza but Toyota is justifying the premium by offering a significantly longer three year/1,00,000km warranty compared to Maruti Suzuki's two year/40,000km warranty. Also, with the Toyota badge comes a sense of long-term reliability and trust that has customers never leaving the fold. Unlike other rivals that draw your attention with a gazillion gadgets, the Urban Cruiser's appeal lies in its strong and refined powertrain that reminds you of just how fine Japanese engineering is, a good ride quality, robust chassis and Toyota's impeccable reputation for quality and durability. If these factors are important to you, the Urban Cruiser is certainly worth consideration.L