Get ready for the new SUV from Toyota, the Urban Cruiser HyRyder. It is the big brother of Toyota’s much welcomed Urban Cruiser. The Urban Cruiser as we know, is the older sibling to Maruti Suzuki’s Brezza. Much like their older siblings the new HyRyder and its Maruti Suzuki counterpart will be hitting the Indian roads soon. To start off the show Toyota is launching the HyRyder with a lot of new features among a lot of anticipation. Let’s look into some of its technicalities and see how it might fit into our SUV market.
Toyota Urban Cruiser & Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder
We have already informed you about the upcoming Maruti YFG & the Toyota D22. Most probably Urban Cruiser HyRyder is not a new variant of the existing car but a mid-sized SUV cousin of the compact Urban Cruiser. As of now, Urban Cruiser is a sub 4metre compact SUV. However, the new HyRyder will be around 4320mm, 1700 mm wide and 1685 mm high. The increase in size will reflect on the improved leg room, better boot space and more comfort on the inside.
The leaked pictures show a striking similarity between the Perouda X Concept previously unveiled in 2018. Although the official unveil of the product will come on July 1st, 2022, we can safely believe that Urban Cruiser HyRyder is the much awaited Creta competitor from Toyota, the D22.
This brings us to another important point, Maruti Suzuki could soon be launching the YFG.
Engine & Powertrain of Urban Cruiser D22 & Maruti YFG
The new HyRyder will be powered by a 1.5litre K15B petrol engine sourced from Maruti Suzuki with mild hybrid (all-wheel drive) and strong hybrid technology (front wheel drive) options. The mild hybrid format will produce a power of 103hp while the strong hybrid module will go up to 116hp. The strong hybrid powertrain will be available with an automatic power transfer technology that will allow the driver to toggle between engine-only, hybrid and pure-electric modes. This is aimed to make the SUV more fuel efficient.
As for transmission, the engine can be coupled with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission system. Toyota has also announced that the HyRyder will be available as a petrol variant only. Seeing the fact that Toyota is borrowing the engine and transmission from Maruti Suzuki, we can expect their version of HyRyder to be petrol powered too.
Exterior Design of Urban Cruiser HyRyder
Toyota has tweaked the design of its new compact SUV to suit the current trends. The new HyRyder is not an exact copy of the older Urban Cruiser, but will gain a new look for itself. In the front, the SUV gets a massive grille, flanked by headlights placed in a black surround background.
Above that is a twin LED DRL setup on both sides, with a thick chrome strip connecting the DRLs and a Toyota logo in the centre. The SUV is fitted with a lot of ground clearance, squared off wheel arches along with 17-inch alloy wheels. Rear end is expected to have a bulky cladding that gives the distinctive SUV look and feel to the car.
Interior of Urban Cruiser HyRyder
On the inside, the latest standards are ensured with powered driver seat, wireless phone charger, head up display unit, and drive mode controls and sunroofs. From the leaked images, we can confirm that the seats look taller & spacious. We can also expect heated seats from the company. As for safety the SUV comes with a 360-degree camera, cruise control, electronic stability control and ISOFIX child seat mounts.
One issue that the previous Vitara Brezza or Urban Cruiser faced was the poor safety ratings achieved by the models. While, the design is inherently safe, lack of good features resulted in poor ratings. However, Urban Cruiser HyRyder will most probably have 6 airbags as there is a new mandate for the same. This will make sure that the Japanese car will have better NCAP ratings for this model. So, Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder will be appealing even to the safety conscious drivers in the country. More details about the exterior and interior designs are awaited after the official launch of the SUV on 1st July 2022.
On Road Price & Competition of Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder
The new HyRyder is expected to be priced around ₹11-14 lakhs and we can expect the Maruti Suzuki version of the SUV to be priced around ₹10 – 13 Lakhs. As per the current trends, we can expect Maruti Suzuki to offer some premium features at the same price or Toyota could come with a slightly higher feature set and charge a premium for the same model.
With the SUV market in a constant demand these new SUVs will face fierce competition from Hyundai Creta along with the Kia Seltos, VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, and MG Astor. While the Korean companies have the numbers advantage, the German companies have the better image in the eyes of hard core automobile enthusiasts. However, the crowd loves Maruti Suzuki & the affordable pricing of the company will ensure that Maruti Suzuki YFG & the Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder makes the best impression on the people.
