So
what
happens
when
the
carmaker
best
known
for
making
the
Indian
politico’s
favourite
SUV
–
the
Toyota
Fortuner
–
decides
to
come
out
trying
to
deliver
a
knockout
blow
to
the
Creta
in
the
first
round
itself?
Well,
you
get
a
rather
handsome
beast
with
an
overly
long
name
–
the
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder.
Sorry
but
that
had
to
be
said.
However,
that
Hyryder
name
should
give
you
an
inkling
of
Toyota’s
secret
KO
punch.
So
does
the
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
have
what
it
takes
to
KO
the
Creta
or
is
just
too
much
hot
air
that
leaves
you ‘hy’ for
the
moment?
We
drove
the
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
in
Bangalore
to
find
out…
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
Exterior
Design
–
Sharp
But
A
Bit
Too
Fuzzy
Toyota
has
not
held
back
with
the
design
of
the
new
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder.
(God,
that’s
a
mouthful).
However,
while
its
sharp
lines
give
it
a
very
stylish
look,
there
are
far
too
many
details
to
concentrate
on,
which
can
leave
your
head
a
bit
fuzzy.
Take
the
front
end
as
an
example.
The
Hyryder
has
gone
for
the
split
headlamp
look
which
has
become
quite
popular
with
the
SUVs
of
today.
There
are
twin
LED
daytime
running
lights
at
the
top
which
are
connected
to
the
Toyota
badge
at
the
centre
by
strips
of
chrome
that
also
run
through
a
crystal
acrylic
upper
grille
element.
Sitting
underneath
the
sculpted
front
bumper,
in
their
chrome-surrounded
enclosures
are
the
LED
projector
headlamps
that
surround
the
gaping
trapezoidal
lower
grille.
Underneath
this
grille
sits
what
appears
to
be
a
splitter
element,
though
it
seems
more
of
a
styling
thing
than
an
actual
aerodynamic
element.
The
sides
of
the
Hyryder
are
where
all
the
bulges
and
creases
take
centre
stage.
Viewed
from
the
side,
the
bonnet
creases
and
domes
seem
more
prominent.
The
Hyryder
features
some
rather
chunky
wheelarches
with
surrounds
made
from
plastic.
These
wheelarches
play
host
to
the
rather
good-looking
17-inch
alloy
wheels
that
look
to
be
a
size
too
small.
Other
design
elements
on
the
sides
include
the
black
ORVMs,
a
bit
of
chrome
on
the
windows
and
the
floating
roof
design
that
gives
the
D-pillar
a
dual-tone
look.
At
the
rear,
the
Hyryder
is
busy
as
usual
with
sleek
LED
brake
lights
connected
by
a
bar
of
chrome
hosting
the
Toyota
badge.
The
turn
signals
and
the
reversing
lights
are
housed
in
vertically
stacked
units
on
either
edge
of
the
sculpted
tail
section
of
the
SUV.
Other
features
at
the
rear
include
an
integrated
roof
spoiler
that
plays
host
to
the
third
brake
light
and
a
faux
skid
plate.
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
Interior
–
Highly
Feature
Packed
Luxurious
Command
Centre
The
interior
of
the
Hyryder
is
where
you
begin
to
appreciate
Toyota’s
decision
to
cram
as
much
as
possible
into
its
Creta-rivalling
SUV.
The
Toyota
Hyryder’s
interior
features
a
dual-tone
black
and
brown
theme
which
looks
very
tastefully
done
and
gives
the
SUV
a
very
premium
feel.
There
are
soft-touch
materials
everywhere
and
the
large
panoramic
sunroof
makes
the
cabin
feel
very
spacious
and
airy.
However,
the
hard
plastic
sections
are
not
that
hard
to
find
and
do
feel
like
a
big
letdown.
The
multi-layered
dashboard
plays
host
to
a
digital
driver’s
display
on
the
right
and
a
9-inch
touchscreen
unit
at
the
centre
that
dominates
the
central
section
of
the
SUV.
The
Toyota
Hyryder
features
support
for
Android
Auto
and
Apple
CarPlay
and
can
take
commands
from
the
voice
assistants
from
both
Android
and
iOS.
The
display
also
acts
as
the
output
screen
for
the
360-degree
camera.
The
Toyota
Hyryder
features
a
host
of
connected
car
features
like
remote
ignition
on/of,
remote
AC
control,
door
lock/unlock,
stolen
vehicle
tracker
and
immobilizer
all
of
which
can
be
accessed
through
Toyota’s
app
and
can
also
be
triggered
using
a
connected
smartwatch.
Other
highlights
on
the
feature
packed
Hyryder
include
ventilated
front
seats,
sliding
front
armrest,
reclining
rear
seats
with
a
60:40
split
for
more
storage
if
you
need
it
(you’ll
definitely
need
it
thanks
to
that
tiny
255-litre
boot).
Other
features
include
a
heads
up
display,
paddle
shifters,
wireless
charging
pad,
rear
a/c
vents
and
USB
ports,
ambient
lighting
and
a
light
for
the
trunk
and
many
more.
Safety-wise,
the
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
sports
six
airbags,
ABS
with
EBD,
vehicle
stablity
control,
hill
hold
control,
hill
descent
control,
all
wheel
disc
brakes,
3-point
seat
belts
for
the
rear
passengers
and
a
TPMS
system.
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
Specs
&
Dimensions
–
A
Highlight
Reel
For
Mileage
Lovers
The
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
features
two
powertrain
options
–
a
1.5-litre
mild
hybrid
system
from
partner
in
badges-swapping
crime
Maruti
Suzuki
and
its
own
1.5-litre
Atkinson
cycle
engine
with
a
proper
self-charging
hybrid
system
similar
to
the
one
seen
on
the
Camry.
The
Maruti-derived
mild-hybrid
setup
is
well
known
to
fans
of
that
brand
and
owners
of
the
smaller
Urban
Cruiser.
The
1.5-litre
N.A.
petrol
engine
is
paired
with
an
integrated
starter
generator
and
it
produces
101.65bhp
and
136.8Nm
of
peak
torque.
This
mild
hybrid
setup
is
offered
with
either
a
5-speed
manual
or
a
6-speed
automatic
transmission
which
send
power
to
either
the
front
wheels
or
all
four
depending
on
the
configuration
you
choose.
The
second
powertrain
option
is
the
self-charging
strong
hybrid
setup
(and
is
the
one
we
drove,
more
on
that
later)
with
a
1.5-litre
Atkinson
cycle
engine
and
a
single
electric
motor.
The
engine
produces
91.1bhp
and
122Nm
of
peak
torque
while
the
motor
delivers
79.1bhp
and
141Nm
of
peak
torque.
However,
peak
system
output
is
limited
to
just
114bhp
to
help
deliver
the
mind-boggling
claimed
mileage
figure
of
27.97km/l.
This
strong
hybrid
setup
is
only
offered
with
an
e-CVT
gearbox
that
sends
power
to
the
front
wheels.
The
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
is
4,365mm
long,
1,795mm
wide
and
1,645mm
tall.
The
wheelbase
of
the
Hyryder
is
2,600mm
and
the
SUV
weighs
1,755
kilogrammes
in
its
heaviest
strong
hybrid
guise.
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
Driving
Impressions:
Smooth
Operator
–
Fuel
Sipper
Maybe?
As
stated
earlier,
we
got
to
drive
the
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
in
its
strong
hybrid
guise.
Toyota’s
strong
hybrid
powertrain
is
built
for
sipping
fuel.
Unfortunately,
we
didn’t
get
to
test
out
Toyota’s
bonkers
mileage
figure
due
to
the
vagaries
that
surrounded
this ‘first
drive’.
However,
in
our
limited
time
behind
the
wheel
of
the
Toyota
Hyryder,
we
found
the
powertrain
to
be
tuned
to
sip
as
less
as
possible
of
the
black
gold
in
its
tank.
In
both
Eco
and
Normal
modes,
the
response
when
you
mash
down
the
accelerator
is
quite
lethargic
which
ramps
up
to
acceptable
levels
in
Power
mode
while
the
EV
mode
is
as
silent
as
the
grave.
The
battery
regen
mode
makes
one-pedal
driving
possible
in
the
Hyryder
which
does
sometimes
seem
like
witchcraft.
Thankfully,
all
the
boiling
and
toiling
under
the
bonnet
is
barely
noticeable
and
most
of
the
time
you
feel
like
you’re
driving
a
regular
petrol
car
made
for
Indian
conditions.
The
CVT
gearbox
seems
quite
laid
back
and
those
looking
for
a
bit
of
fun
will
hate
its
take
a
chill
pill
nature.
The
Hyryder
features
a
rather
stiff
suspension
setup
to
counteract
the
weight
of
the
batteries
for
the
hybrid
system,
which
sit
in
the
boot.
This
can
be
felt,
especially
at
the
rear,
when
the
SUV
goes
over
rough
patches
at
higher
speeds
(not
nice).
The
Hyryder
does
exhibit
a
fair
amount
of
body
roll
but
not
enough
to
feel
like
you’re
holding
on
for
dear
life
when
falling
off
a
merry-go-round.
The
steering
wheel
is
a
Maruti
Suzuki
parts
bin
special
and
the
feel
is
also
typical
of
the
brand.
At
low
speeds,
the
steering
feels
light,
which
should
help
in
city
conditions.
However,
at
higher
speeds,
we
do
wish
the
steering
wheel
felt
a
bit
more
weighty
in
our
hands.
The
brakes
on
the
all-new
Hyryder
are
discs
all
around
and
they
offer
quite
a
good
bit
of
bite
and
progression.
The
pedal
itself
does
not
offer
much
in
terms
of
travel
and
is
quite
easy
to
operate.
The
NVH
levels
inside
the
cabin
of
the
Hyryder
are
some
of
the
best
around.
We
were
barely
able
to
hear
the
outside
world,
especially
in
EV
mode,
which
was
a
bit
disconcerting.
Final
Thoughts
On
The
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
–
Almost
A
Euphoria-Inducing
KO
Punch
The
Toyota
Urban
Cruiser
Hyryder
is
a
rather
brilliant
SUV
which
combines
some
rather
sharp
looks,
a
boatload
of
tech
and
some
witchcraft
levels
of
hybrid
goodness.
While
Toyota
does
seem
to
have
quite
a
brilliant
package
in
the
Hyryder,
we’ll
only
know
if
it
can
knock
out
the
Creta
when
the
Japanese
marque
reveals
the
price
tag
and
allows
us
to
actually
properly
test
the
SUV
in
the
real
world…
