Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol

The pros or advantages of Urban Cruiser petrol are:

• With the hybrid tech, the Urban Cruiser petrol delivers class-leading fuel efficiency of 18.76kmpl
• Well-priced and fairly loaded base HIGH variant
• Fairly large dimensions lend the Urban Cruiser good road presence; reasonable boot space and ground clearance too
• LED lighting available as standard will earn the Urban Cruiser style points, especially at night
• Toyota’s smooth service and ownership experience
• Easier to find spares and competent mechanic outside of the authorised chain as it’s based on a popular Maruti Suzuki car

The Toyota Urban Cruiser petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Hybrid not available with manual transmission
• No turbo petrol engine option; turbos have better low- and mid-range torque and better drivability
• Automatic transmission is of the gas-guzzling torque converter type and a 4-speed unit at that
• Missing ‘wow’ features like front parking sensors, sunroof, telematics, ventilated seats, premium music system, tyre pressure monitoring, air purifier, etc.
• Notable feature omissions like telescopic steering, rear AC vents, 3-point seatbelt for the middle passenger
• Rs. 5,000 - 15,000 more expensive than the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
• Authorised service network reach is no match for the Maruti Suzuki’s

What Is The Price Of Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol?

The Toyota Urban Cruiser petrol is available in 3 variants - MID, HIGH and PREMIUM. All 3 variants are available with a manual transmission as well as an automatic transmission. The Urban Cruiser manual prices start at Rs. 8.4 lakh and go up to Rs. 9.80 lakh. The Urban Cruiser automatic costs between Rs. 9.80 and 11.30 lakh.

Compared to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza’s comparable variants, the Urban Cruiser is Rs. 5,000 to 15,000 more expensive. The High and Premium automatic carry a higher premium.

Compared to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the Urban Cruiser is Rs. 5,000 to 15,000 more expensive. The High and Premium automatic carry a higher premium. Here’s the price list of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza petrol for quick reference:

Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol Mid - Base Model Features & Review

The base LXI trim of the Toyota Urban Cruiser costs Rs. 8.4 lakh with the manual transmission and Rs. 9.8 lakh with the automatic (ex-showroom). It gets the following notable features:

• Std Safety Features
• Music System
• Day/Night IRVM
• Steering Mounted Audio Controls
• Dual-tone Interior w/ Brown Fabric Seats
• Rear Defogger
• 4 speakers
• Full Wheel Covers
• LED Projector Headlamps
• CD, Aux, USB, Bluetooth
• LED Tail Lamps
• Hill Start Assist (AT only)
• Dual-function LED DRLs
• Driver Side Power Window Auto Up/Down
• Keyless Entry w/ Push-button Start/Stop
• All Power Windows
• Rear Seat Flip & Fold
• Gear Position/Shift Indicator
• Green Tinted Glass on all Windows
• Front & Boot Power Outlet
• Luggage Hook in Boot
• Auto AC
• All Doors Bottle Holders
• Adjustable Front & Rear Headrests
• Passenger-side Vanity Mirror
• Electrically Adjustable & Foldable ORVMs
• MID w/ Tachometer & Gear Shift Indicator
• Glovebox & Footwell Illumination
• Tilt Steering
• Dead Pedal
• Double glove box

Since the Toyota Urban Cruiser MID is based on the VXI variant of the Brezza, it gets most of the must-have features and is worth buying. This recommendation holds for manual as well as automatic transmission. The only reason to skip this one would be if you want better value for money with the High variant.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol MID vs HIGH Variant

The price difference between the Urban Cruiser MID and HIGH variant is Rs. 75,000 for the manual transmission and Rs. 85,000 in the case of automatic transmission. The Toyota Urban Cruiser High variant costs Rs. 9.15 lakh with the manual and Rs. 10.65 lakh with the automatic transmission (ex-showroom). The HIGH variant adds the following features to the mix:

• 7-inch Touchscreen Infotainment System
• Cruise Control
• Parcel Tray
• Alloy Wheels
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• Height-adjustable Driver Seat
• Boot Lamp w/ Power Socket
• 60:40 Split Rear Seat
• Rear Wiper & Washer
• Silver Skid Plates
• Steering Mounted Bluetooth Calling Controls
• Rear Center Armrest w/ Cup Holder
• Sunglass Holder
• Front Map Lamp
• Lamp w/ Passenger-side Vanity Mirror
• Multi Colour Meter Illumination

While most of the additional features of the HIGH variant fall in the good-to-have category, they improve the in-cabin and ownership experience. From a value perspective too, the HIGH is better than the MID and offers better value for money than the other two variants.

If you’re interested in the automatic transmission, then the bigger Rs. 85,000 price difference is one thing to swallow. Another thing to note is that because of its Rs. 10 lakh + ex-showroom price, it’ll cost you much more. However, if the on-road price difference turns out to be greater than Rs. 1.0 lakh, then we’d advise you to go for the MID automatic instead of the HIGH automatic.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol HIGH vs PREMIUM Variant

The price difference between the Urban Cruiser HIGH and PREMIUM variant is Rs. 65,000 and costs Rs. 9.80 lakh with the manual and Rs. 11.30 lakh with the automatic transmission (ex-showroom).

The notable additional features of the Urban Cruiser PREMIUM variant are:

• LED Front Fog Lamps 
• Automatic Headlamps
• Rain-sensing Wipers
• Machined Alloy Wheels
• Rear Parking Camera
• Sliding Front Centre Armrest With Storage
• Auto Fold ORVMs
• Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
• Auto-Dimming IRVM
• Cooled Upper Glove Box
• Height-adjustable Front Seatbelts
• Body + Roof Coloured ORVM
• 2 Tweeters
• Dual-tone Exterior Colour Option

The PREMIUM variant gets mostly good-to-have features and barely any must-have features. It’s also expensive for what it’s offering. So, we wouldn’t recommend this variant to most buyers. You should instead go with the HIGH variant, which offers much better value for money and a better mix of must-have and good-to-have features.

Which Variant Of The 2020 Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol Should You Buy?

The MID variant seems overpriced and we’d suggest you skip this variant for the HIGH trim, which offers better value for money. If you want better value for money, then you should consider the HIGH variant. This is our top-recommended variant and it also has a better balance of good-to-have and must-have features.

The PREMIUM variant offers a poor VFM variant than the HIGH and it also doesn’t get enough must-have features to warrant an upgrade either. We’d suggest you buy the Urban Cruiser HIGH trim.

For buyers interested in the automatic transmission, the Urban Cruiser MID is the most affordable option and the only one under Rs. 10 lakh. If you can’t stretch your budget further, then this variant is worth buying. However, if you don’t mind jumping the Rs. 10 lakh ex-showroom price barrier, then HIGH will offer better value for money. It’s worth noting that the HIGH variant may cost significantly more on-road in many states due to higher taxes on cars costing more than Rs. 10 lakh. If the on-road price difference between the MID and HIGH automatic stays under Rs. 1.0 lakh, we’d suggest you go for the HIGH variant. Just like the manual transmission variants, we’d advise against buying the PREMIUM variant.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The 2020 Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol?

Since the Toyota Urban Cruiser shares its 1.5L petrol engine with the Brezza, it doesn’t have class-leading specs like those of the turbo petrol engine. But it’s still much better than the Sonet/Venue 1.2 and WRV, which churn out double-digit horsepower figures. The Urban Cruiser’s torque-to-weight ratio of 122Nm/tonne is nowhere near the 150Nm/t mark like the Venue and XUV300. But it’s also far better than SUVs with a smaller, non-turbo petrol engine.

While many small SUVs have moved on to 6-speed manual transmissions, the Urban Cruiser petrol is still stuck with a 5-speed shifter. It gets worse with the automatic. Newer cars like the Venue and Sonet use a modern 7-speed DCT automatic. The Urban Cruiser uses a conventional torque converter automatic like the EcoSport. What hurts it big time is the ratios as it’s a 4-speed gearbox and in an age where carmakers are offering at least 6 ratios with an automatic.

The Urban Cruiser petrol automatic leads in one area - mileage. It promises ~1.75kmpl better than the Urban Cruiser automatic and has a class-leading mileage figure of 18.76kmpl despite using a gas-guzzling torque-converter automatic transmission. Part of this efficiency comes from the inclusion of hybrid technology, which is only available with automatic transmission. Therefore, the Urban Cruiser MT delivers a respectable-but-not-impressive 17.03kmpl. This is also one of the reasons why the Urban Cruiser petrol automatic is Rs. 1.4 - 1.5 lakh more expensive than the manual when Rs. 1.0 lakh is the norm. Its higher mileage figure saves you on fuel cost and pays you back about Rs. 22,000 in 50,000km and Rs. 30,000 in 70,000km. Moreover, the Urban Cruiser automatic also gets the hill-start safety feature.

What Are The Dimensions Of The 2020 Toyota Urban Cruiser?

The Urban Cruiser is fairly big and can hold its ground against bigger SUVs like XUV300, Nexon and EcoSport. The Urban Cruiser has a 328-litre boot space and 200mm ground clearance. It’s wider than the Venue, WRV and EcoSport but not as wide as the XUV and Nexon. So, to sum it up, the Toyota Urban Cruiser’s dimensions are middle-of-the-road but satisfactory just like the engine specs.

What Are The Colour Options Of The 2020 Toyota Urban Cruiser?

The 2020 Urban Cruiser is available in the following 9 colour options:

• Orange (MID and HIGH only)
• Silver
• White
• Blue (MID and HIGH only)
• Grey
• Brown (MID and HIGH only)
• Brown with black roof (PREMIUM only for extra Rs. 18k)
• Orange with black roof (PREMIUM only for extra Rs. 18k)
• Blue with black roof (PREMIUM only for extra Rs. 18k)

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.