The Drive Report: Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder.

Upon having driven the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara’s mild-hybrid version immediately after driving the punchier strong-hybrid (henceforth referred to as “hybrid”), I was, like many others, left underwhelmed by the palpable power deficit between the two. The hilly terrain came with winding roads and sharp u-turns where the mild-hybrid, unassisted by the supplementary 117.6 V battery, really struggled on steep inclines.

Driving the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder from the Delhi airport to Greater Noida, I wasn’t quite sure what my main gripe had been. Not because it’s a Toyota. The two models are identical in every conceivable way, born out of a global alliance between Maruti Suzuki and Toyota. To give a little context, the Grand Vitara/Hyryder marks both Maruti Suzuki’s and Toyota’s entry into uncharted waters. For the former, it’s about entering a highly competitive space that’s a shade or two more premium than the cars that have been Maruti Suzuki’s best-selling mainstays. For Toyota, a brand that deals almost exclusively in “premium” SUVs, it was another attempt at capturing a volume-driven segment. And thus the Grand Vitara/Hyryder was born, combining Maruti Suzuki’s cost-effective engineering with Toyota’s famed, industry-leading hybrid tech.

The Toyota badge

While this may be an entirely subjective matter, the Hyryder (mild hybrid, in this case) is the better-looking car. Perhaps it’s the Toyota badge and what it evokes, perhaps it’s the cleaner grille design but it’s an arguably more neatly packaged model, with more tasteful use of chrome. The LED projector headlamps, twin-LED DRLs and an overall square-jawed visage is perfectly aligned with Toyota’s staggeringly successful line of SUVs. In the city, with mild traffic, the Maruti Suzuki-developed naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol seemed sufficient. At least initially. This was the manual version, and with judicious-enough shifting, I managed to hunt down the meat of the powerband often enough to dispel any notions that this was, in fact, a slightly slothful motor.
The fact is that Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker has risen in ranks, all the way to the top, because its cars stand for one thing over everything else: build quality and toughness. Think of the last time you saw a Toyota broken down by the side of the road? Better yet, think of the last time you sat in or drove a Toyota that showed signs of mechanical trouble? And even though these badge-engineered cars come from Maruti Suzuki’s plant, you buy an Urban Cruiser Hyryder because the badge represents something.

The 105 bhp on the 1.5-litre petrol engine seems perfectly adequate for most forms of city driving.

The interiors too are more or less identical, so the Hyryder offers ample space, optimally calibrated ground height making it a very practical SUV to drive in the city. It gets the same nine-inch infotainment screen as its Maruti Suzuki counterpart, but where it truly excels is in the overall dashboard quality, with swathes of soft-touch leatherette material mixed with top-shelf hard plastics, a stark black colour palette and features which include steering-mounted controls, wireless charging and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (not wireless in the case of the manual, mild-hybrid), HUD and hi-res reversing cameras. On the space front, the mild-hybrid pips the hybrid, offering a solid 100 litres of additional storage space, with there being no electric battery.

Still, the 105 bhp on the 1.5-litre petrol engine seems perfectly adequate for most forms of city driving. Except the spirited one, as I discovered while making a dash to the airport, burdened with the task of crossing, not one but two state lines on the way back from Greater Noida. This is not an engine that likes to be rushed. Redlining produces an uncomfortable whine, and the initial gearing isn’t tall enough to really get the juices flowing. Stick it in third, then quickly shift to fourth and the SUV, much like its name suggests, likes to settle into a cruising space and stay there. I did find myself wishing for the added punch provided by the electric battery.

Excellent ride quality

Where the Hyryder excels is in its ride quality. It is far superior than what you’d expect from the segment, so good that you forget about potholes and other forms of disturbances that crawl their way to the driver’s spine. It’s supple but not to the point where the SUV loses composure or wallows about. The monocoque ensures a stable, composed ride. That isn’t to say this is a tool for the enthusiast. No, the Hyryder is a purely logical proposition, aimed at comfort and practicality and providing large helpings of both. It isn’t the most sensational car, but in the city, if not endowed with a budget to purchase the strong hybrid (the mild-hybrid version costs Rs 10.48 lakh), it’s the one you’d want. And Toyota’s impeccable service network is the cherry on this carb-heavy cake.