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2022 Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Review

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Pros

• Very good attempt at making a mass-market hybrid car
• 20+ kmpl FE in city driving conditions makes the Hyryder cheaper to run than a diesel!
• Seamless hybrid system that makes driving a breeze. A car you will enjoy driving in the city
• Lower emissions will appeal to environmentally-conscious buyers. And those who aren’t ready for an EV yet
• Toyota’s reliability & expertise in hybrid systems is very reassuring
• Compliant ride quality coupled with balanced driving dynamics
• Well-equipped with features such as driving modes, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, ventilated seats, wireless smartphone charging, connected car features, wireless Android Auto + Apple Carplay and more
• Only Crossover in this segment to provide AWD capability
• Toyota’s after-sales quality is usually regarded as top-notch by owners
• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Cons

• Practicality is compromised due to reduced boot space in the full-hybrid variant
• Quality of interior plastics feels more “Maruti” than Toyota. Frankly, the S-Cross cabin feels better in quality
• Interior is narrow and doesn't feel as roomy as some competitors. Rear seat is best for 2 adults
• Missing features such as rain-sensing wipers, premium audio + subwoofer, electric seats, electric parking brake, LED interior lighting, etc.
• Lacks the outright performance of the competition. Runs out of steam above 110 kmph
• Not as engaging to drive as the German competitors, or the Creta / Seltos turbo-petrols
• NVH levels from the drivetrain are surprisingly poor for a hybrid. Sounds from the 3-cylinder engine, electric motor and brake vacuum pump filter into the cabin
• AWD available only on the MT (not the AT) and the mild-hybrid (not full-hybrid)
• The Honda City’s Hybrid system is smoother, more sophisticated & more refined
• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

This review has been jointly compiled with Eddy. Thanks to him for the expert observations!

Introduction

Toyota has been the most successful in selling hybrid cars in India (read Camry). Therefore, it was surprising to see them beaten by Honda in getting Hybrid technology to the mass market. Even though Honda has set the ball rolling with the City e:HEV, it's never too late to respond and Toyota is here with a bang.

Toyota's partnership with Maruti Suzuki has so far been limited to badge engineering by Toyota of an existing Maruti product. The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is the first car in whose development, both companies were involved from an early stage. The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is based on Maruti's Global C platform that also underpins the Brezza as well as S-Cross. Toyota will be making the Urban Cruiser Hyryder at its Bidadi plant and supplying it to Maruti, who will sell it as the Grand Vitara. The Hyryder will come with 2 powertrain options - a mild hybrid using Maruti's proven K15C engine and a Toyota strong hybrid system based on the Yaris Hybrid, which is sold in global markets. The mild hybrid version will have 3 drivetrain options including a 5-speed MT with 2WD, 5-speed MT AWD and a 6-speed AT 2WD. Maruti will probably focus on the mild hybrid version as it's their own powertrain and Toyota will push its strong hybrid as the company plans to lead the charge for hybrids with its future products. The Innova is rumored to be the next in line to use a hybrid powertrain.

The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is an important product for Toyota as it's the company's only way to get people to adopt hybrids in the mass market. Toyota is far behind in the EV race and has no mass market EV options like the Koreans, the Chinese or even the Europeans to get to India any time soon. Till such a time, it's the hybrids that will buy time for the company. Toyota will launch the powertrain in the mid "S", "G" and top-end "V" variants. Only the base "E" variant won't get the strong hybrid option.

While both, the mild hybrid and strong hybrid get 1.5-litre petrol engines, they are completely different motors. The Maruti engine is the ubiquitous 4-pot K15C found in other cars such as the XL6, Ertiga and Brezza. The Toyota 1.5-litre engine is a 3-cylinder unit labelled as the M15A Dynamic Force engine under the TNGA platform. Toyota has set up an assembly plant outside Bangalore for this 1.5-litre TNGA motor.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Price & Brochure

Prices for the different variants of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder will be announced in September 2022.

You can download the 2022 Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder brochure here: Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Brochure.pdf

Exterior

Design & Styling

The Hyryder's styling is a bit of a mixed bag. While it has the traditional proportions of an SUV with a squared-off front and rear, the slim lights and narrow body line don't give it the same presence as the Korean twins, especially considering that at 4,365 mm, it is the longest in the segment. Overall, the design is safe and has no shock or wow factor like the Koreans. Some may find it boring, whereas some may appreciate the simple and clean design.

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is more a Maruti than a Toyota. If you're looking for Toyota-grade build quality and finish, you will be a tad disappointed. It's not as tinny and flimsy as most Marutis. The Hyryder is like the S-Cross - well built but not Euro grade. The doors don't shut with a reassuring thud and the driver's door on our car needed a firm hand to close fully. Panel gaps are tight - typical Japanese precision. Overall, it feels well built, but not overengineered like a proper Toyota. Paint quality, on the other hand, is very good.

Wheels & Tyres

Toyota has equipped the Urban Cruiser Hyryder with decently sized 17" wheels. The 215/60 section tyres provide good ride quality (thanks to the tall profile) and very good grip.

Ground Clearance

Toyota has not revealed the ground clearance of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder. While we did not scrape the underbody anywhere during the test drive, we will leave the final verdict to owners.

Standard & Extended Warranty

As with all Toyotas, the standard warranty for the Urban Cruiser Hyryder is 3 years or 1 lakh km, which can be extendable up to 5 years or 2.2 lakh km. The warranty for the Hybrid battery is valid for 8 years. We always recommend purchasing the maximum possible extended warranty available for added peace of mind.

Safety

It's too early to comment on the safety rating of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder as the car has not yet been tested by GNCAP. However, being based on the Global C platform, it will probably not be very poor. The Maruti Brezza, which is built on the same platform, scored a 4-star rating. To top it off, Toyota has equipped the Hyryder with safety features such as 6 airbags, VSC, ISOFIX child seat mounts, 3-point seatbelts for all 5 occupants, TPMS and 360-degree camera system.

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Interior

Cabin Design & Quality

Step inside the Urban Cruiser Hyryder and you are greeted by a cabin that will feel more familiar if you are coming from a Maruti than a Toyota. There are a lot of parts shared with Maruti cars, especially the new Brezza. The steering wheel and switchgear are identical to the Maruti and so is the infotainment head-unit on top of the dash. The interior is all hard plastics, but there is some soft-touch faux leather used on the dash as well as door pads, which don't make it feel as cheap. What works is the colour palette of black with brown inserts. The chocolate brown inserts on the seats, doors and dashboard make it feel less budget grade and give it a premium look. This colour combo is available only on the strong hybrid. The mild hybrid gets an all-black cabin, which we feel will not be as premium-looking.

The A/C controls are identical to the new Brezza's and feel durable. However, there are a lot of places that feel cheap and bring down the overall feel unbefitting a Toyota. While the side A/C vents feel good to use, the centre A/C vents feel extremely cheap. There is no chrome but cheap silver paint on the A/C slider. The action feels rubbery and the plastic moulding has rough edges around it. Around the knee area there is a piece of brown plastic on the centre console. This should have been padded vs cheap hard plastic. None of the window controls is illuminated except for the driver window switch. All cabin lamps are old school halogen units and not LEDs, which is the norm in this segment. The front seatbase does not get any plastic surround and is instead just covered in carpeting material.

We just wish that the cabin holds up over time and is not like existing Maruti vehicles with rattles surfacing in a few months of ownership.

Space & Comfort

There is a good amount of space at the front with the seats having a pretty decent travel range. Being a typical crossover design, ingress & egress is super easy and you simply walk in and out of the Hyryder. The front seats are comfortable, but not perfect. They are of medium width and larger users will find them a tad narrow.

Driving Position & Ergonomics

The driver seat gets height adjustment and has a good travel range too. What's good is the steering has tilt and telescopic adjustment. This means finding a comfortable driving position is easier. However, I do wish the the telescopic adjustment had a longer range as I have a laid back driving position and prefer the steering to be nearer. My old Ecosport and Corolla have a much longer adjustment range for the steering.

While I was fairly comfortable in my driving position, Eddy wasn't able to find a very comfortable position easily. He found the upper back support to be more intrusive and had to adjust the seat a few times to get comfortable.

Visibility out front is very good. You can see the bonnet when driving and the window line is also not high. The A-pillars are not thick, which means there's no blind spot like in some crossovers.

Cabin Storage

The Hyryder gets multiple storage spaces and buyers won't have much to complain about. The glovebox is of medium size, but it doesn't get a cooling vent. The centre console has a wireless charging pad ahead of the gear lever. Behind the gear lever there are 2 fairly large cupholders and a sliding centre armrest with a small storage box below. All 4 doors can hold a 1 litre bottle, with space left over for knick-knacks.

Air-Conditioning

The Hyryder's automatic climate control system worked well in Bangalore. While the weather was pleasant with no scorching heat, we had parked the car under the sun and the cabin cooled down within a few minutes of us getting back inside. The strong hybrid gets a different A/C compressor than the mild hybrid, since it's not belt driven and is an electrically operated compressor like the inverter A/C at home.

Features

Unique & Noteworthy Features

Toyota and Maruti were never known to load their cars with crazy features. However, the onslaught from the Koreans has resulted in the duo updating their new models with a host of features. The Hyryder, as a result, is pretty well-loaded when it comes to features.

For a starter, the Hyryder is the only Toyota after the 50 lakh Camry to get a sunroof. Not just a normal sunroof, but a proper panoramic sunroof. Remember the Brezza that was launched recently, was the first Maruti car with a sunroof. So, this is a big deal for both Toyota and Maruti.

The Hyryder also gets a 360-degree camera, which is the same as the Baleno and Brezza and it is a serious disappointment. The resolution will make the VGA cameras of early 2000s look like HD units. You cannot imagine this kind of low resolution from a car in 2022 let alone 5 years back. You get a head-up display, which shows good detailed information and what's cool is that in the strong hybrid, it shows the energy flow in the head-up screen allowing you to drive efficiently.

The front seats are ventilated, which was a boon in the afternoon. The strong hybrid gets a virtual display vs the analog dials in the mild hybrid. There is ambient lighting, but only in one colour - white. The lights are very discreet with a small strip on the dash and in the door handle cavity. There's wireless charging for your phone coupled with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Connectivity features with remote operation from the Toyota app have been provided too. These are a norm in today's age.

You also get auto LED headlamps and an auto-dimming IRVM. Strangely there are no fog lamps at all since the headlights are lower down in the bumper. There's a tyre pressure monitoring system provided as well.

Among the omissions are electric seats, which the Korean twins get, rain-sensing wipers, electric parking brake with auto hold (City Hybrid and Creta have this) and rear sunblinds.

Audio System & Sound Quality

The audio system is again typical Maruti grade. The 9" touch screen infotainment system is basically the Maruti SmartPlay Pro+ system rebadged as Smartplay Cast. Lower variants get a 7" unit. The new 9" system is a huge step up from the older Smartplay system. Touch response is far better and the UI is more intuitive as well, resulting in a seamless operation. The system is tuned by Arkamys and plays music through 4 speakers and 2 tweeters. Audio quality is decent but nowhere close to the likes of the JBL and Sony systems in competitor SUVs. While the bass is good, the system lacks clarity and the vocals, especially, are muffled. It gets loud with minimal distortion, but doesn't have a deep thump or clarity. This system gets a 6/10 and with no subwoofer, falls behind the competition.

Rear Passengers

Rear Seat Comfort & Space

Getting in and out of the rear seat of the Hyryder is easy. However, the space between the B-pillar and rear seat isn't very big, which means you don't just walk in and out very easily. Once you are seated at the back it's fairly comfortable with supportive seats.

The rear seats, however, aren't what you would call spacious. The width of the rear bench makes the Hyryder comfortable for 2 people. The 3rd passenger will find it a squeeze. The rear backrest does recline by a single notch, but even in the reclined position, it's not a very relaxed position. In terms of legroom, a 6-footer like me can sit behind myself, but just about. Usually, SUVs are very good when it comes to headroom, but here too, the rear headroom is just acceptable. For a 6-footer it's just about enough of it with ~2 inches to spare if you don't sit upright. If you sit upright, then it's tight.

Boot Space

Boot space is where hybrid cars see the biggest compromise. We saw the Honda City lose 200 litres of boot space in the hybrid version vs the petrol. Similarly, the battery pack in the boot of the Hyryder eats into the space and significantly reduces the available height. You cannot stack suitcases on top of each other as a result. The mild hybrid version does not have this issue and gets a much larger boot. Also, with the strong hybrid, the spare tyre sits below the car and not inside the boot.

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Driving the Urban Cruiser Hyryder 1.5L Hybrid

Toyota's focus was on the hybrid. Hence, it had only that engine option for us to drive. The hybrid powertrain consists of a 3-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine with an output of 91 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 122 Nm @ 4,400 rpm. This petrol engine is coupled with an electric motor that puts out 79 BHP and 141 Nm. The combined power output available at the wheels is 114 BHP. The figures aren't impressive when compared to the turbo petrol engines used by the Koreans and Europeans and that is reflected out on the road as well. The USP of the hybrid is fuel efficiency and not performance. There is a 0.76 kWh battery in the boot that powers the electric motors and is responsible for the drive to the wheels in hybrid mode. The battery specifications are very similar to the Honda City Hybrid, which means you can't really use the Hyryder in EV mode for more than a couple of minutes before the internal combustion engine kicks in to assist. Surprisingly, the Hyryder uses a Li-ion battery vs the Camry which gets a Ni-Mh unit. Li-ion batteries are superior and have a longer life than Ni-Mh batteries.

The Hyryder, unlike the City Hybrid, uses a more conventional hybrid system using a power split device as well as an e-CVT transmission that combines the power from the petrol and electric motors. There is no clever drive lock system like in the City here. As a result, the Hyryder feels like a regular CVT to drive with some correlation between speed and engine rpm.

Keep your foot on the brake and press the blue power button and all you get is a ready symbol on the dash telling you the car is "on". Since it usually starts in EV mode, the internal combustion engine never comes on at idle. You can start off in EV mode in your driveway. It's only when the battery state of charge goes below the threshold that the internal combustion engine comes on to charge the battery. Drive with a light foot and you will hear the petrol engine coming on just to charge the battery and switch off once the battery is charged. At low speeds, inside the city, the Hyryder is quite peppy to drive. The electric torque really helps in closing gaps to the cars in front and makes the Hyryder an absolute breeze to drive in traffic. The petrol engine keeps coming on and off discretely and seamlessly. The only time you will hear the petrol engine rev up is if you drive aggressively. Drive with a heavy foot and you will hear more of the petrol engine as it is used not just to charge the battery, but to also send combined power to the wheels. Within the city, the combination of electric motor and e-CVT results in one of the smoothest drive experiences you can imagine. It feels at home pottering around town and you never get tired even when stuck in traffic.

Out on the highway, things are a little different. You cannot just mash the throttle expecting instant response. Overtaking needs planning and momentum is the name of the game. Progress up to 100-110 km/h is brisk and you will find the Hyryder is able to cruise at triple-digit speeds fairly comfortably. After crossing 110 km/h though, the Hyryder begins to run out of steam. The petrol engine gets more vocal and stays on to provide the power needed. This impacts fuel efficiency. The Hyryder can cruise comfortably once at speed but doesn't like bursts of acceleration for quick overtakes. This car is not for enthusiastic drivers. It's for sedate drivers who love to cruise at 90-100 km/h. Drive sedately and you will be rewarded with a smooth drive experience coupled with excellent efficiency.

The Hyryder gets drive modes that basically alter the throttle response as well as the behaviour of the internal combustion engine. There is a dedicated EV mode button that will let you drive the Hyryder as an EV for the max distance possible. However, if you are heavy on the throttle or the car crosses ~40 km/h or the battery's state of charge is too low, the system will go back from EV mode to hybrid mode. It's basically useful if you want to take the car to drop the kids off at their school bus pick-up point near your house.

Apart from the EV mode, there are 3 drive modes, Normal, Eco and Power. These 3 modes alter the throttle response.

The normal mode is the default mode which is right in the middle of Eco and Power modes. It works best in town and offers the ideal compromise between efficiency and performance. In fact, you really don't need to change it unless you're driving uphill or on undivided highways.

In Eco mode, the internal combustion engine doesn't come on as easily unless you press the throttle a lot more. The response is lazier and it tries to keep it in hybrid mode with the internal combustion engine only charging the battery and not sending power to the wheels unless the accelerator is pressed very firmly.

In Power mode, it's the opposite. Even with a light dab of the throttle, the internal combustion motor comes alive and assists the power delivery. On undivided highways, this is the mode to use to pull off safe overtakes. Throttle response is much sharper and you rarely see the internal combustion engine turning off. Of course, this mode impacts fuel efficiency the most. We used this mode to climb up Nandi hills as the car really struggled to climb up in the other modes.

You also get a "B" mode which is engaged via the gear shifter. This mode provides maximum regen braking. It is very useful when going downhill as it charges up the battery within a few minutes and you can also use this when slowing down while approaching a red light. You can drive in "B" mode to get maximum engine braking.

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

The Hyryder's NVH levels were a bit of a surprise. While the Hyryder did a good job of isolating road noise and outside traffic noise, the powertrain is not like the quiet and serene hybrids we have seen in the Camry or even the City. The 1.5L engine is a 3-cylinder motor and whenever it is turned on, you can feel it in the cabin. When you press the throttle, the 3-cylinder thrum is always audible in the cabin. It's not a refined sporty growl like a 4-pot motor. If the car is idling for long and the battery level drops too low, the petrol motor comes on and the whole cabin initially vibrates like an Alto! This was very apparent and Toyota really needs to improve the NVH levels of this powertrain. We didn't get to drive the mild hybrid, but I strongly believe that it will have better NVH levels than this strong hybrid.

Other than that, you also get different whines inside the cabin from the electric components. When accelerating, there is a high-pitched whine from the electric motor, which is faintly audible. When you apply the brakes, you can hear the regen whine which is common in hybrids. However, one very irritating sound was a 3-second whine, which would keep coming on and off. This was heard when the traffic around was lesser. The sound was traced down to the electric vacuum pump for the mechanical brakes. Since this is a hybrid powertrain, the petrol engine keeps turning on and off. The vacuum system for the brakes is electric vs hydraulic in other cars. This vacuum pump makes a loud whine when it comes on.

What's good, is that road noise and suspension noise are well contained and overall NVH levels aren't too bad, especially for the rear passengers. It's only the front passenger and driver who will notice these whines from the powertrain.

Mileage & Fuel economy

The highlight and the biggest USP of the Hyryder hybrid have to be its fuel efficiency. Inside the city, with a normal driving style that isn't too aggressive, you will comfortably see close to 20 km/l and maybe even more. We drove through some small towns and were able to extract 22 km/l from the Hyryder without trying too hard. The more you use the car in slow moving traffic the better FE you get. The highway is where the FE drops below 20 km/l and when driving uphill, you can see as low as 12 km/l.

For urban commutes, you can easily get a range of 800 km+ range on a full tank. In fact, we drove the Hyryder for close to 2 hours with a lot of idling and a lot of unwanted acceleration, but the fuel gauge never went down and remained at the full level for more than 120 km of driving within town.

The hybrid competes with diesel on running costs and beats it in town. If you drive with the energy flow diagram displayed on the screen, you can actually adapt to driving a hybrid and extract even more FE from it. The trick is to keep the orange IC engine from coming on as much as possible. Throttle input needs to be measured and you will easily see 24-25 km/l on the MID.

Enough space in the engine bay to access everything. Also, the paint quality inside is as good as the outside. Hidden areas in other cars, especially Marutis, aren't as well done usually:


No engine cover to hide all the cables and pipes. Gives the engine bay quite an ungainly appearance when you open the bonnet:


Thick insulation is provided to improve NVH:


This metal cylinder is the electric vacuum pump for the braking system. You can constantly hear a 3-second whine inside the cabin whenever it turns on:


There are 2 separate coolant circuits. The one with the green cap is the coolant circuit for the power control unit which manages the Hybrid powertrain:


The other coolant circuit is for the petrol engine:


Notice the A/C compressor with the high voltage symbol. Being a hybrid, the A/C compressor is an electric unit and not operated by the engine belt conventionally:


Standard 12V battery is for the accessories. In the Camry, this battery is placed in the boot. But with the smaller 3-cylinder engine, Toyota has been able to pack it in the engine bay itself:


Toyota clearly mentions the position of the batteries. It also claims that the A/C oil (ND-Oil 11) is a superior grade oil to the more commonly used grade Oil 8:


Hybrid battery is rated at 0.76 kWh - almost the same as that on the Honda City Hybrid:


Hybrid battery is a Li-Ion unit, unlike the Camry that runs on a nickel-metal hydride battery:

Suspension

Ride Comfort

The Hyryder gets a fairly simple suspension setup with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. The suspension is well-tuned. At slow speeds, there is a hint of underlying firmness. This is probably more to do with the 17" rims than the suspension tuning. At medium speeds, the Hyryder irons out all imperfections and even if you miss spotting a pothole doesn't result in the shock getting transmitted into the cabin. Overall ride comfort at slow speeds is pliant, but not plush.

The firmer setup works well out on the highway. The Hyryder doesn't have vertical movement and handles bad sections of road thrown at it with aplomb. The firmness at slow speeds translates to a stable ride at higher speeds.

Handling & Dynamics

The surprise of the package was the driving dynamics of the Hyryder. High speed stability is very good. To test the handling, we took it up Nandi hills and were pleasantly surprised. I was amazed how easy it was to maintain the line through fast sweeping turns up Nandi hills. It was easy to throw the car into hairpin bends and exit them without running wide. The Hyryder's handling was a surprising revelation. The sad thing was that while climbing uphill, the engine was the limiting factor as it was unable to keep up with the chassis. With the performance on tap, you won't really reach anywhere close to the handling limits of the Hyryder.

Steering

The steering of the Hyryder is also well calibrated. It isn't super light like Maruti cars. There is some amount of weight to it even though it is devoid of feedback. It also self-centers. The steering is well-tuned at slow speeds with some weight and gets heavier as the speed goes up. When pushing it through a series of turns, it has a sharp turn in. It's not vague and doesn't require mid corner corrections to maintain a line.

Braking

Being a hybrid, braking is different compared to conventional cars. Firstly, the Hyryder uses regen braking to recover energy to charge the battery. Secondly, the vacuum booster is electric and doesn't use the pedal and engine like normal braking systems. With disc brakes all-round, braking is good, but needs time to get used to. It's difficult to get a linear braking response. Sometimes you hit a speed breaker a tad faster than you intended to since the braking isn't linear. This needs getting used to. It will catch you off guard initially, but after a while, you get accustomed to it and change your braking style accordingly.

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Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Exterior Images

Front fascia looks clean and butch thanks to the massive grill. While the car has road presence, it's definitely not as much as the Creta or Seltos:


Rear end looks are acceptable to most. Silver skid plates add to the SUV look. This car is a prime candidate for some debadging:


It's easy to see that the Hyryder is one of the longer cars in the segment at 4365mm. It's 50mm longer than the Seltos and 65mm more than the Creta. The cladding runs all around the car and definitely enhances its looks. However, the wheel wells appear a little too large:


The overall design is simple and not overdone and hence, quite elegant:


At first glance, the Hyryder resembles the Brezza from this angle:


DRLs are reasonably bright and double up as turn-indicators:


Front end has just the right amount of chrome in the form of a strip merging with the two headlamps and the Toyota logo in the centre. Bumper sports a huge air dam with a honeycomb mesh grille. Silver skid plate is of good quality and should hide scratches well:


A closer look at the detailing on the radiator grille. The cool weavy pattern is known as herringbone, quite popular in Japan:


LED projector headlights sport a chrome border. We could not check their effectiveness as it was a day drive:


Front camera sits right on top of the number plate:


Very good ground clearance which will be a boon on Indian roads. The underbody is well protected too:


Wipers are the regular Maruti ones - nothing to write home about:


Front passenger door sports a "Hybrid" logo. Piano black ORVMs with integrated turn-indicators house the side view cameras:


Both front door handles have request sensors:


The rear quarter panel glass is quite big and helps make the cabin feel roomier:


17" diamond cut alloys are a welcome sight. 215/60 section Apollo Apterra tyres provide good grip:


Disc brakes have been provided at the rear as well:


Both front and rear wheel wells get full cladding, which helps in reducing NVH levels:


No stickers anywhere mentioning the fuel type on the fuel lid. Be sure to inform the attendant at the fuel station about the Hyryder's diet:


Roof sports silver roof-rails, shark fin antenna and the panoramic sunroof. You get dual tone (black roof) as an option with the blue, white, red and silver colours:


C-shaped split LED tail-lamps look handsome:


Badge with the full brand name on the left. The reverse and indicator lights are housed in a separate cluster below the tail lamps:


Variant badge is pasted on the right, along with (yet another!) Hybrid badge:


Neatly integrated rear camera is placed next to the electromagnetic boot release:


Unlike the cost-cutting we have recently seen in some cars (read VW), the Hyryder gets four parking sensors at the rear. Notice how the exhaust is almost hidden from view:


Spare wheel is mounted underneath the body. It is a full size steel rim. You need to drop the wheel down from inside the boot using a pulley system:

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Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Interior Images

Black + chocolate brown dual-tone interiors. I personally prefer these dark interiors as they are easier to maintain, and hence, look better than lighter shades:


Steering wheel gets tilt + telescopic adjustment. It also feels good to hold with all buttons being easily accessible and intuitive to use:


The head-up display (HUD) pops up as soon as you start the car, and its position is adjustable:


As expected, the wiper and headlight control stalks are from Maruti:


Engine start-stop button is blue in colour indicating it's a hybrid and is labelled "Power". Controls for the HUD adjustment are also seen here:


The MID menu. The display is sharp. You can choose how the speedometer looks - analogue (in the pic above) or digital (in the pic below). Pretty cool:


Digital speedometer and no tachometer. Being a hybrid, all you see is Charge/Eco and Power indicating your driving style:


All windows come with a heavy green tint. This will be very useful in a hot country where sunfilms are banned. No sunshades provided:


Doorpads look good, and have good quality faux leather. The doors shut with a sound comparable to the Maruti S-Cross:


Door handles and all the control switches are from Maruti. Good for cost-cutting, bad for those who are seeking some exclusivity or change. Only driver side power window gets one-touch up / down feature:


All doors can hold a 1 litre bottle and other knick knacks:


Front seats are well contoured with good bolstering. All controls are manual and there is no plastic surround around the seat base which takes away any premium feel:


Centre armrest is very comfortable for both the driver and the passenger. The sliding range is really helpful, even for the shorter drivers:


Seat belts are adjustable for height:


Pedals are well spaced and the dead pedal is quite comfortable. Floor mats, however, could have been of better quality:


Auto-dimming IRVM is par for the segment:


Wireless Android Auto connects seamlessly. Screen resolution is par for the segment. No complaints here:


Energy flow meter shows what's happening with the drivetrain. It is interesting to see whether the petrol engine is being used to charge the battery, provide power or whether it is simply off. You can customize your driving style to extract the maximum fuel efficiency by reducing usage of the petrol motor to the minimum:


Quality of the rear camera is pathetic, to say the least. It feels like the VGA cameras of yore. This is one of our big complaints with the car. The 360 degree camera shows a white car, inspite of the actual car being blue:


Temperature and the air flow control switches are of good quality and feel nice to use. Notice that the controls are identical to the ones in the Brezza. The tiny horizontal buttons right below feel plasticky and of poor quality:


Centre console gets a wireless charging pad, a 12V power outlet and a USB port:


Gear shifter is typical Maruti except for the "B" mode, which is exclusive to the hybrid for the regen mode:


The car has three drive modes - Eco, Normal and Sport, which you can engage via the switch next to the handbrake. There is also an EV mode button, which will try to keep the car in EV mode provided conditions are met such as accelerator input and the battery's state of charge. The front seats are cooled at three levels:


Underneath the armrest is a deep storage bin. Also notice the two cupholders next to the parking brake:


The regular glove compartment is deep, but not very wide. Strangely, it doesn't get a cooling vent - something the cheaper Brezza gets:


Both sunvisors get vanity mirrors with illumination:


Sunroof controls are easily accessible. Interior lights are all regular bulbs, not LEDs. Bluetooth mic is housed in the same assembly, along with a flimsy sunglass holder:


This is how the open sunroof looks from the outside...


...and from inside. While the sunroof is panoramic, it's not the largest one around. However, it opens up a lot more. You can see even the rear glass panel slides inside almost fully. However, the sliding cover is like a very thin cloth and doesn't do much to block out the sun:


The keyfob is quite plain Jane, but it is compact - comfortable to keep in the pocket:


Rear doorpads, like the front ones, have a good amount of faux leather padding and that too not just where you rest your elbows:


Though the doors do not open at 90 degrees, ingress & egress is quite easy:


Ample leg room at the rear. However, the interior width is not enough and that will be a deal breaker for those who want to seat three passengers in the rear:


Even for a 6-footer like me, legroom is more than sufficient even when the front seat is pushed all the way back. No complaints here. Headroom is sufficient but not excessive. If you recline the backrests, you are good. Else it's a close shave with the head liner:


Decent under-thigh support with good legroom means that the chauffeur driven won't have much to complain:


All rear seats get headrests and more importantly, three-point seatbelts. Huge thumbs up for Toyota for not skimping on the 3rd passenger's safety:


The middle seatbelt mechanism:


Centre armrest is wide, comfortable and houses two cupholders:


We could not figure out the utility of this hook. Is it there to hold up the armrest? If yes, what is the need?


ISOFIX child seat mounts on both sides:


The vent next to the rear seat is to cool the hybrid battery pack by taking in the cold air from the cabin and blowing it around the battery enclosure:


Front seatbacks have wide pockets. Notice that the floor is not flat. In fact, the floor hump is quite noticeable - probably due to the fact that there is an AWD variant with the drive shaft running through:


Eddy says the rear A/C vents solve a big problem that his S-Cross has:


Two charging ports provided - one each of USB-A and C-Type, along with a small cubby hole for storage:


The biggest deal breaker in this car - the hybrid battery eats up a lot of space behind the rear seat making it insufficient for a full family's weekend luggage:


The amount of space that you get with the parcel tray in place is even lesser as you cant stack bags. This is a cabin luggage-size bag. Parcel tray has a prominent border to prevent small objects from sliding off. Good touch:


You get marginally more space by removing the tray on the floor of the boot, but it results in a step. For max carrying capacity, you will have to leave the floor tray as well as parcel tray at home:


Top-tether for ISOFIX mounts:


Small hook to hold shopping bags on one side:


Small, incandescent boot light (not LED) and a 12V power outlet in the boot:


Remove the floor tray and lift the flap up to access the tool kit, which is well packed neatly in a Styrofoam casing:


Storage areas with a cover on both sides of the boot. Useful for storing things like a tyre inflator and a bottle of coolant:


You can remove the 6 circular clips by hand to access the hybrid battery pack:


Safety socket that should be opened only by professionals after taking care of grounding using a specific tool:


Rear seatbacks are split in a 60:40 ratio:


Folding the rear seatbacks gives you a lot more cargo space. Seatback do not fold completely flat though:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

A+ review, guys! Thank you for sharing.

Sure looks like the "Brezza" formula, applied to a segment above. Do most things right by mass market standards, without excelling in any particular area, and back it up with "cant-go-wrong" brands, reliability & after-sales service. Question is = will these cars be a runaway success like the Brezza? After all, competition is very fierce here & customer expectations are higher. A lot depends on the pricing too. Adding the hybrid system was a smart move = that is a key differentiator over other crossovers in an FE-obsessed country. But the quality, refinement etc reinstate my belief that Maruti simply cannot build truly premium cars yet. They are stuck in the "mainstream" quality mentality.

Also, received a lot of Reported Posts on this point being a part of Pros as well as Cons:

• Does most things well, but doesn’t excel in any particular area (other than fuel economy)

Please note that was entirely intentional! It's a good as well as a bad thing.

[ajayc123]

Thank you for the comprehensive review, far more detailed than any others available on the planet.

Appreciate your coverage regarding the NHV aspects, a key point that that I was keen to know about.

Also good that you have explicitly called out the battery capacity at 0.76 KWHr. Still curious about the 25 km pure EV range claim. Were you able to make any assessment on that?

[Durango Dude]

Maruti and Toyota will have a lot of "convincing" to do to buyers in order to sell these twins, if priced right people may take the bite, but the top end will retail at close to Rs24L OTR is my guess and at that price there many choices at that price point and below it that are more "convincing" to the buyers to plonk their money on. With just Urban Fuel Efficiency alone you can't convince buyers and charge a huge premium. From the videos one can see that NVH levels are not up to expected standards on hard driving. Plus at that top end asking price there more substantial 7 seater options that are loaded to the gills with features and equipment to entice buyers such as Alcazar and Carens. Toyota and Maruti have their work cut out regards: getting a five seater with compromised boot capacity at the price of a seven seater based on fuel efficiency alone. Even the lower variants: mild hybrids will fall short due to the tall gearing of the 1.5 which is already underwhelming in performance in smaller Brezza will be barely adequate in the Vitara/Hyryder since the USP of these twins would be fuel efficiency. So one can't have a Full Hybrid with 20 kmpl Fuel Efficiency and a mild Hybrid automatic with 10kmpl fuel efficiency. Both the mild and full hybrids have to be evenly matched.

Excellent review as always voted a well deserved 5*. BTW did you get to sample the mild hybrid manual and automatic too?

[AdhikR]

The hybrid Hyryder looks like a decent city car. That said, if range isn't a concern, the Nexon EV twins still look like a better bet - much better performance, negligible running costs, possibly lower prices, decent comfort and better boot space.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thanks for the comprehensive review Viddy and Eddy.

It is strange how Maruti and Toyota have missed their research by so much IMHO. The cons list is rather exhaustive and several aspects are worst in the segment -

1. Worst boot, not only in the segment, perhaps in the entire crossover category.

2. Worst performance specs. The hybrid, with its combined petrol + electric power, still has specs comparable to only the base variant engine from rivals (Toyota 1.5 Hybrid combined - 115ps, 141Nm, Creta/Seltos 1.5 MPi - 115ps, 144Nm, Taigun/Kushaq 1.0 TSi - 115ps, 178Nm). This hybrid should not be compared to the 1.4 TGDi/1.5 TSi from rivals.

Mild hybrid is has engine specs shared with the Brezza, that was considered average, even a segment below.

3. No diesel option, but that was already obvious. What wasn't though - is that this hybrid doesn't compensate for the lack of a diesel option because of weak highway performance.

Looks like Maruti/Toyota is after the 'Kitna Deti Hai' crowd once again with this product, making it a one trick pony really. A lot depends on the pricing now! Pricing for the base engines of competition + another 2L for this added efficiency would be the max I would be looking to pay for what's on offer here!

[yashg]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For a starter, the Hyryder is the only Toyota after the 50 lakh Camry to get a sunroof. Not just a normal sunroof, but a proper panoramic sunroof.

How is the roof liner under the sunroof? Looks quite thin almost a netted fabric like in videos. Won't be of much use during the Indian summer. Also even though they call it panoramic, seems smaller than Creta/Astor.

[sunnsood]

Thank you for another excellent review. For fast few weeks, i was looking forward to this review. This alongside Scorpio N ( I am in the first 25k with introductory pricing) and Kia Seltos are in the final three.

The review makes it clear this car is not for me because
1. If on highway, overtaking needs planning, I have my doubts whether it can perform on par with Seltos or Scorpio N with high hilly driving.
2. I can get Scorpio N and Seltos Diesel at or around 15-17 lakhs range. I feel Hyrder won't even start at 17 for Hybrid.
3. This being the last fossil fuel engine I will buy, I want it to be fun.

[rr06]

Even though its a crowded segment, none of the competition is perfect. Korean twins have compromised on safety & have crazy waiting periods, Germans still have teething issues & have the infamous after sales, MG Astor is a decent option - but again we have reports on severe delays in delivery.

At this price point - if safety is a concern for you & pricing is done right, then Hyryder seems a decent option.

I have been in the market at this price point for quite sometime & somehow nothing has been ticking all the checkboxes so far.

[VNair]

As usual a fantastic review!

Honestly, post this review nothing excites me for this car other than the hybrid engine and its mileage it offers. The quality of interiors are such a let down and so Maruti-ish, which is understandable though. But not at all close to something you would expect from a car which might be priced to the north of 20L.

As for the features, I would be happy not-to-have one just for the sake of it. Eg: the implementation of 360 camera's here.

I don't know if people would choose it over the Brezza, especially if they keep a huge difference in the price.

Pricing would certainly be a key for its success.