The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is the newest entrant in the growing midsize SUV segment and has been co-developed with Maruti Suzuki, which will also have a sister model that is set to be unveiled later this month. The Hyryder holds the distinction of being the only model in the segment that comes with a strong-hybrid powertrain, which can even be run in pure-EV mode.
The Urban Cruiser Hyryder will have its work cut out against the popular Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, as well as the VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor and Nissan Kicks. We compare how the Hyryder stacks up on paper against its rivals in terms of size, engine options and specifications.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs rivals: dimensions
| Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs rivals: dimensions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Hyryder | Creta | Seltos | Taigun | Kushaq | Astor | Kicks | |
| Length | 4365mm | 4300mm | 4315mm | 4221mm | 4225mm | 4323mm | 4384mm | |
| Width | 1795mm | 1790mm | 1800mm | 1760mm | 1760mm | 1809mm | 1813mm | |
| Height | 1635mm | 1635mm | 1645mm | 1612mm | 1612mm | 1650mm | 1669mm | |
| Wheelbase | 2600mm | 2610mm | 2610mm | 2651mm | 2651mm | 2585mm | 2673mm | |
| Wheel size | 17-inch | 17-inch | 17-inch | 17-inch | 17-inch | 17-inch | 17-inch | |
The Urban Cruiser Hyryder measures 4,365mm in length, 1,795mm in width, 1,635mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,600mm. That makes it the second longest SUV in its class, only 19mm shorter than the Kicks.
In terms of height and width, however, the Hyryder falls somewhere in the middle. It is wider than the Creta, Kushaq and Taigun, but narrower than the Seltos, Astor and Kicks. And while its height is at par with the Creta and more than the Kushaq and Taigun, it is lower than the Seltos, Astor and Kicks. The Hyryder has one of the shortest wheelbases, at 2,600mm, which is 15mm greater than the Astor, but it is shorter than all the other SUVs in this class. All SUVs ride on 17-inch wheels.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs rivals: engine and gearbox
| Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs rivals: engine and specs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Hyryder | Creta | Seltos | Taigun | Kushaq | Astor | Kicks | |
| Type | 4 cyls NA mild-hybrid/3 cyls NA strong-hybrid | 4 cyls NA/4 cyls Turbo | 4 cyls NA/4 cyls Turbo | 3 cyls Turbo/4 cyls Turbo | 3 cyls Turbo/4 cyls Turbo | 4 cyls NA/3 cyls Turbo | 4 cyls NAl/4 cyls Turbo | |
| Displacement | 1462cc/1490cc | 1497cc/1353cc | 1497cc/1353cc | 999cc/1498cc | 999cc/1498cc | 1498cc/1349cc | 1498cc/1330cc | |
| Power | 103hp/115hp | 115hp/140hp | 115hp/140hp | 115hp/150hp | 115hp/150hp | 110hp/140hp | 106hp/156hp | |
| Torque | 135Nm/- | 144Nm/242Nm | 144Nm/242Nm | 178Nm/250Nm | 178Nm/250Nm | 144Nm/220Nm | 142Nm/245Nm | |
| MT gearbox | 5-speed/- | 6-speed/- | 6-speed/6-speed | 6-speed/6-speed | 6-speed/6-speed | 5-speed/- | 6-speed/6-speed | |
| AT gearbox | 6-speed torque converter/e-drive transmission | CVT/7-speed DCT | CVT/7-speed DCT | 6-speed torque converter/7-speed DCT | 6-speed torque converter/7-speed DCT | CVT/6-speed torque converter | -/CVT | |
While the base petrol engine for most SUVs in this class is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated motor, the Kushaq and the Taigun get a smaller 1.0-litre turbocharged unit. The Hyryder also uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine, but uniquely with a mild-hybrid system. In terms of power, the Korean duo and the Skoda-VW siblings are the most powerful, producing 115hp. Meanwhile, the Astor and the Kicks have slightly lower outputs, at 110hp and 106hp, respectively. The Hyryder, with its base 1.5 petrol engine is the least powerful of the lot, with 103hp on tap. All SUVs produce a similar level of torque, although the Kushaq and Taigun have a considerable advantage, thanks to turbocharging.
When it comes to the higher-spec petrol engine, all SUVs use a turbocharged petrol unit, except for the Hyryder. The Kicks, with its 156hp, 1.3 turbo-petrol engine, is the most powerful of the lot, while the Skoda-VW duo come in next, making 150hp from their 1.5 TSI units. The Creta, Seltos and Astor produce an identical 140hp, but while the Korean duo are powered by a 1.4-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, the Astor uses a 1.3-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol unit.
As for the Hyryder, the higher-spec petrol engine is also a naturally aspirated unit, but it comes paired with a strong hybrid system. The 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, Atkinson Cycle engine produces 92hp and 122Nm of torque, and is paired to an electric motor that makes 79hp and 141Nm; combined, the hybrid powerplant produces 115hp. The Hyryder’s overall power output may be considerably less than all its rivals, but thanks to a 177.6V lithium-ion battery in its boot, the Hyryder boasts of an electric-only range of up to 25km. The overall efficiency of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid under test conditions is expected to be around 24-25kpl, which would make it the best in class.
As for the manual gearbox options, while most SUVs use a 6-speed unit, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder uses a 5-speed unit. Uniquely, for the automatic gearbox, all rivals use a mix of either a torque converter, DCT or CVT gearboxes, while the Hyryder use an e-drive transmission for its strong hybrid powertrain.
Here, we have only considered the petrol engine options for each of these SUVs. Although, it is worth pointing out that the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta are also available with a diesel engine, while all other SUVs are petrol-only models.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs rivals: price
| Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs rivals: price | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Hyryder | Creta | Seltos | Taigun (1.0/1.5) | Kushaq (1.0/1.5) | Astor | Kicks |
| Petrol | - | Rs 10.44 - 17.22 lakh | Rs 10.49 - 15.45 lakh | - | - | Rs 10.22 - 15.58 lakh | Rs 9.50 - 10.00 lakh |
| Turbo-petrol | - | rs 15.58 - 18.15 lakh | Rs 16.05 - 18.29 lakh | Rs 11.40 - 16.90 lakh / Rs 18.60 lakh | Rs 11.29 - 16.09 lakh / Rs 17.19 - 17.79 lakh | Rs 16.48 - 18.13 lakh | Rs 12.30 - 14.90 lakh |
| Diesel | - | Rs 10.94 - 18.24 lakh | Rs 11.39 - 18.65 lakh | - | - | - | - |
| Mild-hybrid petrol | Rs 17.09 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Strong-hybrid petrol | Rs 15.11 - 18.99 lakh | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The strong hybrid variants of the Toyota Hyryder are priced between Rs 15.11 lakh-18.99 lakh, while the top-spec mild hybrid AT variant is priced at Rs 17.09 lakh. Toyota has yet to announce the prices for the remaining variants.
Although the petrol hybrid powertrains on the Hyryder do not make for a direct rival to its conventional petrol and diesel-powered rivals, the strong hybrid variants can be alternatives to the higher-spec diesel versions of the Creta and Seltos. In that regard, the Hyryder’s top-spec strong-hybrid variant is Rs 75,000 more expensive than the top-spec Creta diesel-AT, and Rs 34,000 more expensive than the Seltos. The Hyryder commands a decent premium, but the gains in efficiency will more than make up for the additional cost in the longer run.
Meanwhile, prices for the top-spec mild hybrid AT variant of the Hyryder and the top-spec Creta NA petrol-AT are almost at par with each other, the former being more expensive by just Rs 2,000. However, the difference is much larger in the case of the Seltos, where the Hyryder is more expensive by Rs 1.65 lakh. It again narrows down in case of the MG Astor 1.5 NA petrol-AT where the difference Rs 47,000.
Lastly, the Kushaq, Taigun and Kicks are only available with turbo-petrol engines. The top-spec 1.0-litre turbo-petrol-AT variants on the Kushaq and Taigun have a difference of Rs 98,000 and Rs 17,000 respectively when compared to the Hyryder. The Kicks, meanwhile, is the most affordable of the lot by a fair margin.
It remains to be seen how Toyota positions the mild-hybrid MT AWD variant of the Hyryder as that too will be a huge differentiating factor in this segment.
Would you pick the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder over any of its rivals? Let us know in the comments below.
Also See:
Toyota Hyryder: features you get in each variant
2022 Toyota Hyryder image gallery
from Autocar Indiahttps://cdni.autocarindia.com/ExtraImages/20220704052304_Hyryder%20comparison.jpg
