Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder pros and cons — Fortuner who?

The Urban Cruiser Hyryder is currently Toyota’s second best selling car in India, ranking ahead of the Fortuner and the Glanza. It is also the first product that has been jointly engineered by Toyota and Maruti Suzuki under their global alliance. What makes the Hyryder rank so high among the best selling Toyota cars in India? Here are the key Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder pros and cons.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder pros

Only all-wheel drive in the segment

The Toyota Hyryder is the only car in the segment that gets the option of an AWD configuration (apart from its sibling, the Maruti Grand Vitara). The AWD variants are only available with a manual transmission though, and there’s no option for an automatic with an AWD system. 

Bulletproof reliability

Reliability is synonymous with Toyota, and Maruti Suzuki cars are known to be highly reliable as well. This translates directly into the Hyryder being a super reliable SUV. The petrol variants get Suzuki’s tried and tested K-Series engine and the hybrid variants get Toyota’s hybrid system, neither of which you can go wrong with. 

Cheaper hybrid variants 

The Toyota Hyryder hybrid variants in India are cheaper than the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara hybrid variants, primarily because the hybrid technology on these SUVs has been developed by Toyota, and Maruti Suzuki sources the tech from the former for the Grand Vitara. 

Related: Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara pros and cons — Missed opportunity?

Toyota’s famed aftersales experience

Apart from reliability, one aspect that Toyota India is well known for is its aftersales experience. Its prices are usually affordable, and the service experience is relatively hassle-free, particularly the one-hour turnaround time.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder cons

Underpowered petrol and CNG variants

The Toyota Hyryder petrol and CNG variants are underpowered, and this is highlighted more when you experience other SUVs in the same segment. The size and weight of the car make this even more bothersome.

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Expensive petrol and CNG variants

Conversely, the petrol and CNG variants of the Hyryder are more expensive than those of the Maruti Grand Vitara, due to the K15 engines being sourced from Maruti Suzuki. This makes the Maruti Grand Vitara petrol and CNG variants seem more appealing.

Also Read: Is it the end of the diesel era?

Poor packaging

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder falls behind on rear seat space, which is a key factor considering the segment that it plays in. The boot space is also compromised, especially on the hybrid variants, due to the awkward placement of the battery pack.