NEW WHEELS
Toyota’s smallest crossover comes from India and is based on the Japanese Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Confusing much? Allow Cyril Klopper to explain.
In March this year, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Xr was launched – and the Suzuki Vitara Brezza one month earlier. (We reported on the Suzuki back in April.) Then, on 18 August, Toyota acknowledged that, while the flagship Xr version was the focus of the local launch, the mid-range model, the Xs, offered an excellent value proposition for customers in this category.
The Vitara Brezza and Urban Cruiser are both built at Maruti Suzuki’s plant in Gurgaon in northern India.
What do we have here?
The Urban Cruiser Xs is a subcompact crossover and is the smallest dirt-road vehicle in the Toyota stable. From small to large, they are the Urban Cruiser, C-HR, Rav4, Fortuner, FJ Cruiser, Prado, and the Land Cruiser Cruiser 300. The Rav4 has all-wheel drive, but the C-HR and Urban Cruiser are powered by the front wheels only.
The Urban Cruiser is available in three trim levels: the Xi, Xs, and Xr. You can choose between a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, but there is only one engine choice: a 1,5 ℓ petrol without a turbocharger – the same as in the Suzuki Vitara Brezza… the very same engine.
The cheapest model in the range is the Xi with a manual gearbox at R255 300, and the midway model (as in the accompanying photos) is the Xs automatic at R294 800.
The K15B engine, which is used in several Suzukis, delivers a solid 77 kW of power and 138 Nm of torque, although the powerdelivery figures are conservative, compared to modern 1 ℓ turbocharged engines. With its relatively low vehicle mass of
1 140 kg, the Urban Cruiser is quite nimble, and, although it can only tow 400 kg (1 100 kg when braked), it is, nevertheless, good if you consider its gross weight is only 1 600 kg. The 475 kg load capacity is impressive. This means a family of four can load the luggage compartment full of camping gear without having to worry too much about weight.
Inside and out
The cabin is a comfortable size, like that of the Suzuki Vitara
Brezza – it is, after all, the same car, with only one difference: the badge on the steering wheel. Toyota says it uses its own Toyota Connect software, but we could not see any differences between the icons and features on the touchscreens of the Vitara Brezza and that of the Urban Cruiser. Toyota adds that they have a MyToyota app for your phone that gives you access to certain information about the Urban Cruiser.
On the outside, the Toyota obviously looks like the Suzuki, except for the badges and bumpers – front and rear. The Vitara Brezza uses more chrome on the grille, while the Urban Cruiser fancies itself a small Fortuner with its grille.
How does it compare to its competitors?
The Urban Cruiser Xs competes with the Nissan Magnite Acenta CVT, Hyundai Venue DCT, and the Suzuki Vitara Brezza GL – we’re sorely tempted to refer to the Toyota and Suzuki jointly as the Urban Brezza, but we’ll restrain ourselves.
The Magnite and Venue both have a 1 ℓ turbocharged engine. The Magnite has less power (74 kW) but more torque (160 Nm) than the Urban Cruiser, while the Venue is better in both respects (88 kW and 172 Nm), compared to the Urban Cruiser’s 77 kW and 136 Nm.
The Urban Cruiser’s fuel tank (48 ℓ) holds 3 ℓ more than the Hyundai and 8 ℓ more than the Nissan.
Hyundai gives a seven-year warranty, Nissan gives six, and Suzuki five – compared to Toyota’s three-year warranty.
Everyone’s service plan is valid for three years, except Suzuki, who will look after your vehicle for four years.