Toyota Hyryder strong hybrid: Side-by-side comparison by a Duster owner

Hyryder is definitely a great looker and technologically far superior SUV but just doesn’t satisfy my personal requirements.

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Toyota HYRYDER (Strong Hybrid) test drive feedback from a Renault Duster (Diesel AMT) owner:

I was in the market for the last few months looking for a suitable replacement for my 2016 Renault Duster (Diesel AMT), though Duster is giving great service, the itch for a new car caught up and hence was on the lookout. I was delighted when Toyota announced Hybrid SUV for India and made a booking for a gaming grey strong hybrid in August and was eagerly waiting for additional details. We know how the teasers, announcements, pre-launch, launch, media drives, price reveal, and instalments of information sharing went with Hyryder.

When I am spending this sum, obviously I wanted a better SUV in most areas compared to my Duster. Hyryder looked very, competent, and handsome inside and out in videos and pictures. I went through a lot of youtube reviews where they highlighted concerns on boot space, 3-cylinder engine refinement/noise etc but I didn’t want to cancel my booking until I see and test drive myself. I was hoping Hyryder will connect with me and somehow feel I can manage the negative points.

Though Ravindu Toyota, Bellandur is on the way to my office, I couldn’t visit for a test drive due to a mismatch of time and heavy traffic on that stretch. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a call offering a test drive at home, I couldn’t be happier, because I wanted my wife and son also to experience the vehicle.

The vehicle came at the promised time, I was floored by the exterior beauty when looked at her from the I floor, elegant stance and fresh design too. I test-drove with my wife and son along with the SA. We drove a decent distance and below is my feedback mostly comparing it to my Duster.

What was impressive:

• Exterior looks are sleek, modern and premium
• Interiors are leaps ahead of Duster’s bane bone cluster
• Silent cabin when the engine is idling and at lower speeds
• Overtaking is quick and predictable within the city compared to the AMT unit of Duster
• Lots of modern features powered by Hybrid technology, safety and economy
• My son is 5.10 and didn’t feel any headroom issues at the rear
• Door pockets at the front and rear doors to accommodate big water bottles

Not so impressive:

• Ride quality on bad roads is not as plush as Duster, the suspension is a bit hard
• 3 pot engine was noisy obviously when driven hard, not for enthusiasts
• AC fan and ventilated seats are too noisy for my taste
• Audio is not great in this premium offer (felt loud, not soothing to hear), but I felt Duster’s unit is decent
• The back seat is definitely cramped compared to Duster
• The duster boot is 475 litres against 250 litres of Hyryder
• As soon as my wife sat at back, she said the space is less and the windows are small
• Even the front seats are a bit narrow and my left knee was hitting the centre console
• Head up a display in front of the driver is not very useful
• A large transmission tunnel hump hinders the rear centre passenger
• In spite of being a new model, surprisingly it didn’t turn heads

Here are some pictures comparing both SUVs from similar angles (It’s not to prove one is better than the other, each has its own strengths):

View from the first floor:

Front cabin (Duster's cabin looks like the 1980s):

Rear seats:

Front view:

Alloys (Duster has Terrano's alloys):

Tyres, headlights, fogs, front grill:

Side profile:

Rearview (Duster's rear is the most boring):

Boot space (Duster has the best in the segment):

My key reasons to cancel

1. Boot Space, Boot Space and Boot Space.
2. I thought my wife and teenage son would fall for HYRYDER’s interiors, especially for the panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, rear AC etc, but I was pleasantly surprised when both told there is nothing significantly better than Duster to consider it as a worthy replacement and they prefer Duster until the one is found. I was happy in a different way.

I had a very pleasant experience with Mr Manjunath of Ravindu Toyota, Bellandur. Appreciate his patience to bring home the vehicle for a test drive and obliging him to cancel my booking without any pressure. Overall I had a good experience dealing with Toyota on booking, follow-ups, test drives and cancellations as anticipated.

Hyryder is definitely a great looker and technologically far superior SUV, just doesn’t satisfy my requirements. This review is purely based on my personal opinion, nothing to offend anybody, thanks for reading !!

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