The All-new Toyota Urban Cruiser is here and let me tell you it is leaps and bounds ahead of the outgoing model. Yes it’s still priced well, but it does come in at just under R50,000 more than the outgoing model.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser is powered by Suzuki’s (Yes Suzuki’s) 1.5 4 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol unit mated to an Auto or manual transmission as previously mentioned. The 1.5 engine produces 77kW and 138Nm and returns a respectable 6.0 litres of petrol per every 100km traveled. Expect around 7.5 to 8.0 litres per 100km in town which is still acceptable.
So what is the Toyota Urban Cruiser, its exactly as its name says, an Urban Cruiser. It does well on the Urban commute, behaves well in traffic and steering as well is suspension is setup well for Urban conditions.
It is a spacious yet compact Crossover SUV ideal for school runs and shopping runs. It can obviously do the holiday run to Cape Town and back, but the lack in power will make it a bit more difficult to overtake at highway speeds.
The cabin is a comfortable place to be in, seating is comfortable and offers good support, there is more than enough leg room. The Urban Cruiser’s interior is cluttered hard plastics but textured in such a way that you would mistake it for more expensive materials.
There are two trim levels available, the Xs and the range topping Xr.
The Xs is only available with a manual transmission but you also get, LED Day Time Running Lights, Push Button Start, Auto Air Con, Multifunctional and Adjustable Steering Wheel, Rear Park Assist and Reverse Camera and Touchscreen Radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Xr is available with a manual or auto transmission, and in addition to the Xs gets Black Roof Rails, Cruise Control, additional Airbags and Speakers and 2-tone paint options
Pricing and Models:
Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 Xs – R329,400
Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 Xr – R347,400
Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 Xr Auto – R369,900
You also get a 3-year/100,000km warranty and a 4-year/60,000km service plan on all models.
The Urban Cruiser is a good all-round package at a competitive price. The New Urban Cruiser in my opinion is just more solidly built and it looks better than the old one.
Final thoughts:
It competes in a heavily congested segment of the market with the likes of the
Chery Tiggo 4Pro; Haval Jolion; Mitsubishi ASX; Hyundai Creta; Kia Sonet and Honda BRV to name a few.
Keep in mind the Chinese competitors comes in fully loaded and literally Turbo Charged at this price point. The Chery Tiggo’s and Haval Jolinon engines are all turbo charged engines except for the entry level spec Chery Tiggo’s. Turbo charged engines makes a massive difference at altitude, it just makes for a more pleasant driving experience.
By MurrayOnCars for CHANGECARS
