Here is why you should buy Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder - Review

 

Recently, we drove the Toyota's Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid and here we will explain you all the details, specifications and how well does it drives also we will find whether the Hyryder Hybrid worth it or not

 

 

With the global alliance between Suzuki and Toyota to share technologies and models, Toyota has now several cars from Maruti Suzuki like the Glanza, Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Rumion and many more in the future. Where Maruti Suzuki gets the techonology and models too. Well, The Toyota UC Hydyer is the twin of the Maruti Suzuki's Grand Vitara. Both the Mid-Size SUVs share the some platform, same powertrains and same gearboxes.

In this thread, we will be explaining about how does the Toyota UC Hyryder Hybrid drives and whether there are any limitations with the Hybrid or not.

 

Design & Dimensions

 

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid is built on the Suzuki C Platform and is very similiar to its twin Grand Vitara, However, Toyota has made some minor changes that look pretty good. On the front there is continous going LED DRLs instead of 3 block DRLs that we've seen on the Grand Vitara. Apart from the DRLs, there is a carbon fibre pattern black grille that really looks amazing and large air intake with a dark grey chin with chrome surrounding the headlights. I personally liked the front design of Toyota UC Hyryder !

 

 

In the rear end, you'll notice that the Toyota UC Hyryder does not have a continous tail light like the one we've seen on the Grand Vitara but nevertheless it doesn't look odd. There is a dark grey chin at the rear bumper too which really improves the rear look too. The C shape tail lights really looks attractive to me !

 

 

Length wise Toyota UC Hyryder measures 4365mm which means that it is longer the koreans twins, Creta and Seltos, However, in width and height the KIA Seltos is taller as well as wider. The ground clearance is 210mm which is pretty good considering other cars in the segment.

 

Interior

 

The interiors of the Toyota UC Hyryder at the first glance will make you feel like you're sitting in the Grand Vitara, However, Toyota has really done a great job in designing the interiors of the UC Hyrdyer. Interiors really feel very plush with a dual tone brown and black theme.

 

 

Surrounded by the brown-black leatherette seats which have a ventilation function and are very comfortable and gives a good bolstering support. The driving position is very commanding and upright.

 

 

There is soft touch dashboard with double stitching on the arround and other design elements which looks like that they've been taken from the Toyota Fortuner and it really feels upmarket. What even makes more premium is the large panoramic sunroof which really adds to the appeal in the interior, However, we have a feedback for the manufacturer here is the shade of the panoramic sunroof is really the one which needs a replacement because it doesn't helps to filter out the heat in interior.

 

 

 

The rear seating experience is also good. Like the front seats, the rear seats are also provides good comfort, cushioning is also very good. However, the headroom will be good for most of the person below six feet but the one who are above than six feet might find some problem in the headroom. With a large centre armrest the offers 2 bottle holders which adds convenience to the rear passengers. There are 2 reading lamps on the side of the grab handles. With 3 headrest on offer there are 3 point seat belts for all the passengers on the front as well as the rear. The interior is secured by 6 airbags too !

 

 

The steering has a leather wrapped around which is exactly the same as the Suzuki Twin with a different logo. With media controls and MID controls on the left there is cruise controls and track change control on the right. Then there is a Head Up Display on offer which have good information to offer for the driver like the speed, how the hybrid system is working and the instantenous average and you can change the height of the HUD according to your comfort. There is 7 inch multi information display cluster which is available on the strong hybrid variants only, it offers a boast of information with good resolution and easy to read texts. It is easily visible whether its a sunny day or a starry night !

 

              

 

What else we loved is the Infotainment system. The 9 inch unit is really responsive that offers wireless android auto and apple carplay voice commands and the the sound output from the speakers was also pretty good. The screen resolution is also very good. It also shows the functioning of the Strong Hybrid System and other vehicle informations like the average and other alerts. It also has a 360 Camera which really helps in tight parking spaces where it makes the vehicle easy to maneuveur

 

               

 

Because of the strong hybrid powertrain, battery installed at the rear, the boot is small at 255 litres which is 100 litres less than the mild hybrid version.

 

Ride, Handling & Performance

 

We'll be focusing on the strong hybrid powertrain in this thread. So the Toyota UC Hyryder is powered by the 1.5 Litre 3 cylinder petrol engine with a Atkinson cycle comprising with 0.76 kW battery pack with a electric motor producing 80 hp of power which not only drives the wheels but also recharges the battery which is mated by a e-cvt gearbox. It also has 3 driving modes - Eco, Normal and Power with a dedicated EV mode. However, you really don't need to use the EV mode because the system automatically switched between the EV mode and the Hybrid mode. However, Toyota states that the you'll be only able to use the completely EV mode when the battery is charged to 40-50%. 

 

                    

 

On slight throttle inputs the car runs on the EV mode, however it switches to the hybrid mode when the battery levels are low. The engine then charges the battery, When the throttle inputs are stronger then you will feel the 3 cylinder clatter and some vibrations were also felt. However, the power surge from the still is very aggressive because there is a 141 NM torque which powered directly to the from 0 RPM to straight 3995 RPM. When you completely banged down the foot then the Hyryder producing 116 bhp in Power mode (Hybrid), it will do 0-100 in a approx of 12 seconds. What I felt while driving was when the Hybrid mode switches to EV mode, the engine feels like it is going to stall, such amount of vibrations are felt.

 

Built on the Suzuki's C platform, like the grand vitara, the brezza, It shares the same platform. The balance and handling is pretty good. However, not the best in the segment but most of us will not find any major problem. The steering is also decent and performs decent at high speeds. However, Steering precision can be improved at higher speeds. Body roll is well contained because of the commanding position the driving feels very confident. 210mm ground clearance easily takes on the broken roads with good confidence. Toyota UC Hyryder has a 4 disc braking setup which simply feels commendable. Also, whenever you brake it will do battery regeneration. Suspensions are the ones which felt simply outstanding, neither they are too soft nor too stiff.

 

However, here we have another feedback for the manufacturer is that the Hybrid version comes equipped with the Mud+Snow tyres which makes sense more in the AWD variants. What Toyota can do is they can provide highway terrain tyres or better brand tyres with soft compound so the road noise can be controlled.

 

 

 

In short, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is the one which your family would love to travel !

 

So, Should you buy the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder ?

 

Well, definitely we recommend this mid size SUV to you. If you want the best service experience as you all know its a toyota product with the best reliability and good amount of features with comfortable ride and handling and good safety features. With more variants on offer in the strong hybrid comparing to grand vitara, UC Hyryder really makes more sense as the strong hybrid starts at Rs 16.46 Lacs (Ex-Showroom) and with all these features, if you want excellent fuel efficiency without compromising on performance it is surely a car with a cherry on top !