Toyota Urban Cruiser first image revealed; features Fortuner-like front grille

KUALA LUMPUR: A couple of days back, Toyota released the first teaser image of its upcoming compact SUV - Urban Cruiser, with a “Coming soon” tag for Indian roads. Based on Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the model is born out of the pact between the two Japanese automobile giants. The latest update is the world-exclusive first image of the Urban Cruiser, which is posted by Autocar India. Let’s have a look.

As expected, this time, Toyota has tweaked a lot of bits to give the SUV its own identity, which it missed while rebadging the Toyota Glanza based on Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Noticeably different, Urban Cruiser gets a dual-slat grille inspired by the Fortuner, cuts, and creases in the front bumper, an in-built faux bull bar, and a faux skid plate with brushed-metal-effect. The SUV also incorporates chrome treatment all around the body. 

However, if one ignores these soft parts changes, the upcoming Toyota SUV looks identical to the car on which it is based.

Inside the cabin, the Urban Cruiser will have the same technological features as Vitara Brezza. However, it is likely to get lighter-coloured materials and upholstery for further distinction.

In terms of oily bits, the Urban Cruiser houses the donor vehicle’s engine, viz. 1.5-litre petrol unit producing 105 PS of power and 138 Nm of torque. The transmission duties will be handled by a 5-speed MT or a 4-speed AT, depending on the trim.

Here comes a twist, the automaker will also offer the Urban Cruiser with a mild-hybrid tech incorporating fuel-saving engine stop-start with both gearbox options. In contrast, Suzuki offers it with the automatic only. The said technology would help the manual variant in getting a better fuel economy.

The Toyota-Suzuki alliance has started dishing out the new models at the global level. Another latest product under this is the Suzuki ACross, which is essentially a rebadged version of Toyota RAV4 compact crossover, present in several international markets, including Malaysia. For ACross, Suzuki is planning to launch the model in UK & other European markets soon.

Coming back to the Urban Cruiser, the model is set for launch in India in the coming weeks, we hope that Toyota brings this compact SUV to the local market also.

Also read: Toyota GR Yaris is likely to hit Malaysian shores soon