Toyota Urban Cruiser: Here’s What To Expect

What can Toyota bring to the highly contested sub-4m SUV segment in India

The alliance between Suzuki and Toyota for sharing products in India is about to give us its second offering. Toyota will soon enter the sub-4m SUV segment with the Urban Cruiser, which will be based on the facelifted Maruti Vitara Brezza. Here’s what you can expect from this shared model:

Distinguishing cosmetic tweaks

Unlike the Maruti Baleno-based Toyota Glanza, the Urban Cruiser won’t just be a rebadged Brezza. Toyota will actually make some design changes to the front fascia to differentiate it from the Maruti model. It is expected to be offered in different exterior paint options as well.

Graphic rendering for representational purposes only

It will be a petrol-only offering

The Urban Cruiser will be powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine found in the Brezza. It will be offered with both 5-speed MT and 4-speed AT options while producing 105PS and 138Nm. Both variants are likely to get mild-hybrid tech with engine-idle stop-start feature to help improve its fuel efficiency. While Maruti may consider reintroducing a diesel in the BS6 era, the Toyota SUV is expected to remain a petrol offering.

Same feature list as Vitara Brezza

The Urban Cruiser will have the same equipment as offered in the 2020 Vitara Brezza. The feature set includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, auto AC, rain-sensing wipers and cruise control. Toyota is likely to introduce the Urban Cruiser with a better equipped entry variant likely based on the Vxi or Zxi trim of the Brezza. Changes to the interior will likely be limited to the badges, colour theme (preferably dual-tone compared to all-black Brezza) and the upholstery.

Competitive pricing

While the Urban Cruiser is expected to cost the same as the Vitara Brezza, some variants could undercut corresponding variants of the Maruti SUV. The Brezza is currently priced between Rs 7.34 lakh and Rs 11.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and the Urban Cruiser is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 8.5 lakh to Rs 11.5 lakh as well.

Better warranty package

After-sales services are a big part of the Toyota ownership experience. As seen in the case of the Glanza, the Urban Cruiser could get a better warranty package than what Maruti offers. The Vitara Brezza comes with a 2-year/40,000km coverage as standard while the Urban Cruiser will likely get a 3-year/1 lakh km package as standard and 3-year free roadside assistance as well.

Launch By October 2020

The global pandemic and the nationwide lockdown has likely delayed the arrival of the Toyota Urban Cruiser. It is now expected to be launched right ahead of the festive season in the second half of 2020, i.e, sometime between August and October.

Rivals

The Toyota Urban Cruiser will compete with its donor model, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, as well as the Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300. It will also face competition from upcoming sub-4m SUVs like the Kia Sonet, Renault HBC and Nissan EM2.