Toyota Urban Cruiser

The new Urban Cruiser is now available in South Africa and it has become a handsome SUV. Image: Motorpress

New Urban Cruiser: Toyota’s funky SUV now with sharper styling and more kit

Toyota has beefed up the styling of its new Urban Cruiser and added more standard kit in its competitvely priced three-model line up.

Toyota Urban Cruiser

The new Urban Cruiser is now available in South Africa and it has become a handsome SUV. Image: Motorpress

The new Urban Cruiser has been launched by Toyota and this new version is longer with a starting price of below R330 000.

Toyota has beefed up the styling of its new Urban Cruiser and added more standard kit in its competitively priced three-model line up.

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TOYOTA SAYS THE NEW URBAN CRUISER HAS MOVED FROM CROSSVER TO SUV

South Africans looking to start their SUV journey with Toyota can look at the Urban Cruiser, which is positioned below the locally-built Corolla Cross, according to IOL.

The larger SUV is priced from R392 900. Pricing for the Urban Cruiser’s trio of models kicks off at R329 400 for the entry-level 1.5 Xs manual.

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Buyers get more features with the 1.5 XR (MT) which is pegged at R347 400 and tops out at R369 900 for the four-speed automatic transmission.

THERE’S MORE ROOM AND EXTRA GROUND CLEARANCE IN THE LATEST MODEL

The big decision the carmaker made was to increase the body length by 370mm, the wheelbase has subsequently also been lengthed.

In terms of interior space, the cabin is roomier thanks to the new model being slightly wider and taller than the outgoing model, and of course, the Urban Cruiser sits higher off the ground thanks to an additional 25mm of extra height over the previous generation.

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AppleCarPlay is standard in the new model with a multi-function steering wheel also available. Image: Motorpress

A seven-inch infotainment touchscreen with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay enabled is available.

As before, there’s only one engine available a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine delivering 77kW and 138Nm of torque. 

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One aspect that Toyota has placed a lot of emphasis is the safety systems, and here the Urban Cruiser benefits from VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) and HAC (Hill Assist Control) to all models.

The XR-grade models gain side and curtain airbags on top of the standard driver and passenger bags. Rounding off the safety and security package across the range is ABS with EBD, ISOFIX and an alarm/immobiliser system.