Urban Cruiser gains by Toyota moving it up a notch
Take whatever you know about the Toyota Urban Cruiser being a Suzuki Vitara Brezza and toss it in the bin. It’s no longer true. See, while the old Urban Cruiser was the same car as the Brezza, this new one has nothing to do with it. This one rather shares its shoes with the bigger, better brand new Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Which is a good thing. Simply because the Garand Vitara is a bigger better car. So all good. Except of course that this Urban Cruiser also gains the difference in price between Brezza, which is still a thing in Suzuki speak. But not in Toyota talk.
Now we just wait to see what Toyota does in that slightly smaller, yet most significant neck of the woods. Slap a different Toyota badge on the next Brezza, perhaps? But enough about that. Let’s consider this task at hand. To test the all-new, bigger and better Grand Vitara based Toyota Urban Cruiser.
A bigger, bolder, better Urban Cruiser
Well, it’s bigger. It’s also considerably bulked up. Its body is 370 mm longer, and Urban Cruiser is also now slightly wider, and taller, and it rides on a 100 mm longer wheelbase than the outgoing car. It even has a 15mm taller ride height. Bigger, of course also means roomier. And a bit more luxurious, too.
The Urban Cruiser of course now looks completely different. And different to its Suzuki twin too. You cannot hide so significant a dimensional shift, but it’s a surprisingly good looking car. Far better than the old one, we’d say. Neat LED daytime running lights now sit above the auto headlamps each end of a piano black grille and above a significant and an aggressive lower grille.
All that nestles under that sculpted clamshell bonnet. Our tester’s 17” alloys are framed by bold wheel arches, all accentuated by a chrome shoulder line and traditional roof rails. A 3D LED taillight bar stretches the width of the rear. All quite sturdy looking, albeit a tad plasticky in parts.
Bigger cabin has far more space
The cabin is not just bigger. A neat space, it’s highlighted by plush and comfy seats for comfortable ride on any surface. There’s loads of leg room for rear passengers, but it’s important to note that Urban Cruiser is practical and versatile, rather than pretending to be luxurious. So don’t be surprised by hard plastics and some missing spec in this base model.
There’s still enough spec to make Urban Cruiser a bargain though. Creature comforts like a height adjustable driver’s seat, and a reach and rake adjustable power multifunction steering wheel make the base Toyota SUV easy to live with. There’s keyless access and start, power windows, automatic climate, and cruise control and four speaker and tweeter sound.
Albeit simple, the infotainment is easy to use and has everything you need. Wireless CarPlay and Auto is a win. It’s all there, and works well, anyway. Perfect for the average buyer in so price sensitive a neck of the woods.
Urban Cruiser is pleasing to drive
Safety comes via electronic stability and hill control, ABS brakes with Emergency Assist, Vehicle Stability, Hill-Start, and Traction Control. Add driver and passenger, side and curtain airbags, park distance control, and three emergency lock rear seatbelts with top and bottom tether ISOFIX child restraints.
The 77 kW 138 Nm petrol 1.5-litre four appears underpowered on paper, and to be honest, our figures were not that impressive in this automatic car, yet the Urban Cruiser is still pleasing and capable to drive. Overtaking wasn’t a hassle, and even this auto was happy enough to just cruise on the freeway. Even if it’s no dragster.
That’s down to this model’s archaic 4-speed automatic gearbox. Yes, it’s smooth enough and does the job around town, but it’s some way below par on the open road at highway speeds. The slightest additional throttle input causes unnecessarily downshifts to third at anything over 100 km/h. It’s way off some rivals’ six-speed boxes and CVTs.
Auto box better avoided
The auto box also makes the Urban Cruiser annoyingly thrashy and loud. The higher revs it demands also hamper fuel economy. All of which makes us look forward to driving a 5-speed manual. To be honest, we’d not hesitate in taking that even cheaper manual over this auto.
Riding on a rigid new generation platform with MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension, brakes are courtesy of four-wheel discs. Ride quality exceeds expectation with a subtle ride and ease over the bumps. There’s also little and wind noise in the cabin, which makes for easy conversation, even at highway speeds.
Perhaps the most compelling argument in favour of this new Toyota is its price. It is indeed quite a bit more expensive than the old one, but then you also get much more car for that money. One aspect the Suzuki version does star on is warranty and service plan.
But this ones a Toyota after all, so no matter what sits behind the badge, South Africa has huge respect for the brand. That and a well thought out package with all you’d ever imagine at the price, makes this re-badge engineered car a hell of a lot of Toyota for the rand. In fact, the bigger, better, bang for buck Urban Cruiser has grown into quite the swan. – Michele Lupini
Testing & images: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR AT 77 kW 138 Nm 1.5 litre petrol 4-speed automatic FWD TESTED: 0-60 km/h: 5.26 sec 0-100 km/h: 12.18 sec 0-120 km/h: 18.22 sec 400m: 18.2 sec @ 120 km/h 80-120 km/h: 9.98 sec 120-160 km/h: 6.86 sec CLAIMED: VMax: 175 km/h Fuel: 6.1 l/100 km CO2: 142 g/km Range: 750 km Warranty/Service: 3y 100K/4y 60K km LIST PRICE: R369K RATED: 7
