[Auto] Toyota resurrects the forgotten Urban Cruiser, although the play has a trick

[#Steeven.™]

Remember the maligned and battered Toyota Urban Cruiser? This peculiar model arrived on the European market in 2009 to make its way among the B-segment SUVs. However, the public failed to capture its essence and virtues, relegating it to the deepest part of the sales charts. For this reason, the Japanese firm decided to focus its energies on more "salable" models and ceased its manufacture without making excessive noise.

Now, when it seemed that we had forgotten about it, Toyota returns to this name. But be careful, because this movement has a trick because unlike the previous one, the new Urban Cruiser is not a model developed by them. In this case, those responsible for the project are their Suzuki partners, who as part of their collaboration agreement have given them a product that we have already told you about here.

The new Toyota Urban Cruiser is based on the Suzuki Brezza

Yes, if you follow us and stay up to date, you will have noticed that the new Toyota Urban Cruiser shares genes with the Suzuki Brezza. Therefore, we are facing a model that, barring a last minute setback, will be limited to the Indian market and adjacent countries. Thus, it is not surprising that the aesthetic code of the new Toyota is faithful to that used by the Brezza, as its mission is to contain production costs to the maximum.

The only aesthetic elements that differentiate the Urban Cruiser from the Brezza are located on the front and steering wheel. In both cases, they take on a different appearance and, as necessary, the Toyota logos. The rest of the elements, qualities and equipment possibilities remain unaltered with respect to the base model. This situation also applies to the mechanical offer, which is satisfied with a limited but ecological range.

Under the hood we find the 1.5-liter atmospheric gasoline block that delivers 105 hp of power and a maximum torque of 138 Nm. To be more efficient, it is associated with a micro hybrid system that has an integrated starter generator, start and stop system (ISG) and 48-volt lithium ion battery. Thanks to this technology, it stores energy in deceleration phases that it uses later in acceleration phases.

This system is managed through a five-speed manual transmission that sends power to the front axle. As an option, an automatic transmission with four stages is also available. Finally, the equipment will be very complete, with elements such as hands-free access and starting, light and rain sensors, speed control or infotainment system with touch screen, Bluetooth and USB, among others.