Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid: Are hybrids the new diesels?
So what genes does the Hyryder get from which parent?
The chassis: Suzuki's Global C platform. The one on which the S-Cross for the global markets is based. Incidentally, this platform has a 5 star crash safety rating as well. Smug smile aimed at desh ka loha manufacturers.
The Smart Hybrid Engine: This is Maruti Suzuki's tried and tested 1.5 litre, 4 cylinder K15C series petrol engine, assisted by a mild hybrid system to squeeze out the maximum efficiency from the last drop of fuel available.
The Strong Hybrid Engine: This is the show stopper. Toyota's 1.5 litre, 3 cylinder petrol engine running on the Atkinson's cycle, assisted by an electric motor in a strong hybrid set up. This system has been perfected over decades by Toyota and boy oh boy what a motor this is!
So without further ado, lets find out whether or not the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Strong Hybrid is more than just a long name. Lets begin with how it looks. From the front end it looks stunning with those sleek led DRL's, which also work as the turn indicators. Like many SUVs these days, the headlamp sits lower down and gets led projector treatment. I especially like the carbon fibre finish given to the front grill making it look smaller and more EV like. The car looks well proportioned from the side with the square wheel arches and the right proportion of bulges and creases flowing along the front and rear doors. The rear end looks chique as well with the twin c shaped led tail lamps and the turn indicator cluster at the bottom end on each side. Look at it from any angle and the Hyryder looks elegant and stately. Much like Aishwarya Rai dressed in a long flowing white gown, walking down the red carpet at Cannes.
The interiors feel more Maruti than Toyota and that's not a bad thing. The soft touch materials finished in chocolate brown make the dash look premium. All the switchgear, though carried forward from smaller Marutis, feel of good quality and give a precise tactile feedback upon operation. Something that you can't say about desh ka loha brands or even the Koreans for that matter. The equipment list is long and the specsheet is the best place to go and read it. I'm a man of simple tastes. What matters to me is that all strong hybrid variants get cruise control and keyless go as standard. Everything else is a bonus. The ventilated seats are fairly spacious and comfortable. The steering is adjustable for tilt and reach and finding a good driving position is fairly easy. There are no ergonomic flaws to talk about. Desh ka loha brands have a thing or two to learn here. The large glass area gives you a great driving view with minimal blindspots from the A pillars. The big mirrors give you a good view of what's attacking you from behind. Shut the doors close and you are completely cut off from the din of the outside world. The ambient sound insulation is next level. The car also comes with UV cut glasses all around to keep the cabin legally cooler. What a wonderful place to be, this cabin of the Toyota Hyryder!
What about the driving thrill you ask? The thing about electric motors is that they generate enormous low end torque and then hit a plateau very soon. The thing about petrol engines is that they feel dull in their low end, come to life as the revs climb and give you that punch as you approach the redline. The thing about this hybrid motor is, it does both. At start up and in crawling traffic, the car is mostly in the EV only mode and it feels all plush and quiet and free flowing. Floor the accelerator pedal and the electric motor sends instant torque to the front wheels, much before the petrol motor wakes up, does its stretches and warm up. The baton of acceleration is then taken over by the petrol motor which is by now already spinning in its power band and the pull continues. The switch from electric to petrol motor is so seamless, you just wouldn't know it without looking at the dashboard. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I don't know if we will be able to see 100% electric cars in our lifetime. But this? This is the future delivered today! The only downside to this is when you do reach serious triple digit speeds on the highway and you wish to pick a quick overtake, the petrol engine and the e-cvt combination tend to struggle a bit in gaining pace quick enough. That's where you miss that torquey punch of a diesel motor. In the city though, this is a blast to drive. The icing on the cake being the 20+ kpl mileage that you can achieve, even in the city, making the Hyryder more fuel efficient than most premium motorcycles on sale today.
This is a pseudo SUV for sure with a monocoque chassis and a front wheel drive set up. How does it tackle bad roads then? Like a boss! Potholes, undulations, road joints, moon craters, the Hyryder flattens them all with authority. With a massive ground clearance number, you need not worry much about the underbody touching while scaling large speedbreakers either. The handling is on the money too. The steering is not very direct but does the job fairly well. It's not a car that you would want to throw into a corner but if you ever do, it won't scare you. The brakes too know what is expected of them and deliver just that. The engine braking in the hybrid is actually provided by the electric motor which does the work of regenerating electricity to recharge the batteries. So as you lift off the accelerator, the regen sends an electric whine into an otherwise silent cabin. It's something that's quite quirky and fun.
Enough of the goodies. It's bashing time. Every car has its downside and so does this one. The chink in the Hyryder's armour is most definitely its bootspace in the hybrid variant. Since the batteries eat up space in the boot, the effective bootspace of the Hyryder hybrid is just 265 litres. That's less than that of a Maruti Swift's. Also, the 3 cylinder engine gets quite noisy under hard acceleration and the engine revs may not always be in sync with the acceleration. That rubber band CVT effect, though reduced, it's still there, especially at higher speeds. The top curtain on the sunroof variants is pretty thin and lets in a lot of unwanted heat through the day. Lastly, for a car so well equipped and designed to ecel in traffic, an electronic parking brake with hold function would have been nice.
The Toyota Hyryder sits in a very interesting price range. Starting from around 12 lakhs on road for the base non hybrid to around 23 lakhs for the top end hybrid, with an all wheel drive variant slotted in at around 20 lakhs, it has something to offer to everyone. However, each variant asks for its own pound of flesh as well. The non hybrids have no engine punch at all. The hybrids have no boot space at all. While you get a manual as well as a 6 speed automatic transmission in the non hybrid set up, the all wheel drive comes only in the top end, non hybrid, manual transmission set up. That is it then. Ask not what thou want in thy Hyryder, ask thyself what thy compromise is. The car, it will offer you everything. What it won't do is, offer it all in one variant. Do a test drive and see what floats your boat. If in a fight between your head and your heart, the head usually wins, you will just love the sheer balance of fun and practicality this car has on offer. Add to it, the bulletproof Toyota reliability and the brand value associated with it. For the enthusiasts though, this just doesn't have enough character to pull at your heart strings. As much as I'd hate to say this, desh ka loha brands do that better. Way better.
Enough of the goodies. It's bashing time. Every car has its downside and so does this one. The chink in the Hyryder's armour is most definitely its bootspace in the hybrid variant. Since the batteries eat up space in the boot, the effective bootspace of the Hyryder hybrid is just 265 litres. That's less than that of a Maruti Swift's. Also, the 3 cylinder engine gets quite noisy under hard acceleration and the engine revs may not always be in sync with the acceleration. That rubber band CVT effect, though reduced, it's still there, especially at higher speeds. The top curtain on the sunroof variants is pretty thin and lets in a lot of unwanted heat through the day. Lastly, for a car so well equipped and designed to ecel in traffic, an electronic parking brake with hold function would have been nice.
The Toyota Hyryder sits in a very interesting price range. Starting from around 12 lakhs on road for the base non hybrid to around 23 lakhs for the top end hybrid, with an all wheel drive variant slotted in at around 20 lakhs, it has something to offer to everyone. However, each variant asks for its own pound of flesh as well. The non hybrids have no engine punch at all. The hybrids have no boot space at all. While you get a manual as well as a 6 speed automatic transmission in the non hybrid set up, the all wheel drive comes only in the top end, non hybrid, manual transmission set up. That is it then. Ask not what thou want in thy Hyryder, ask thyself what thy compromise is. The car, it will offer you everything. What it won't do is, offer it all in one variant. Do a test drive and see what floats your boat. If in a fight between your head and your heart, the head usually wins, you will just love the sheer balance of fun and practicality this car has on offer. Add to it, the bulletproof Toyota reliability and the brand value associated with it. For the enthusiasts though, this just doesn't have enough character to pull at your heart strings. As much as I'd hate to say this, desh ka loha brands do that better. Way better.
