New Urban Cruiser
The Urban Cruiser doesn’t immediately say 4x4 when you clap eyes on it. The impression is more one of a pumped-up hatchback. Distinctive styling is not something Toyota is known for but the Urban Cruiser has it with those bulging wheel arches, the pronounced shoulder line and a front end that’s chunkier than a Toblerone sandwich. At 3,930mm in length and 1,725mm wide, the Urban Cruiser is certainly a compact customer but the long wheelbase of 2,460mm helps to deliver acceptable levels of interior space. A boot of 314 litres isn’t bad and the 60:40 split rear seats up capacity to 749 litres when lowered.
The Urban Cruiser’s tough looks lead you to expect a certain ruggedness should the worst come to the worst. Sure enough, the body structure incorporates Toyota’s Minimal Intrusion Cabin System which works to absorb impacts, distributing the forces around the vehicle and preserving the integrity of the passenger compartment. Seven airbags are fitted as standard which is impressive in a car of this size and active head restraints protect against whiplash. ABS, Brake Assist, brakeforce distribution, stability control and traction control are also standard, making this one of the best equipped small cars around from a safety perspective.
Saying that all 4x4s are bad for the environment is like asserting that all cats are dangerous. At one extreme you have Tigers with their big pointy teeth and huge V8 luxury 4x4s that are used exclusively for shopping or collecting the kids from school. Toyota is intent on installing its Urban Cruiser at completely the other end of the spectrum alongside the fluffiest kittens. To do this it has installed advanced, fuel efficient engines; the 1.4-litre D-4D unit returns 57.7mpg on the combined cycle with 130g/km CO2 emissions (so the lowest emissions of any four-wheel drive car using an internal combustion engine) and the 1.3-litre petrol gets 51.4mpg and 129g/km with the aid of its Stop & Start technology.
Toyota’s Land Cruiser has won countless admirers down the years for its substance over style approach and monumental off-road ability. The marque’s Urban Cruiser couldn’t really be more different. Available in front-wheel-drive or with a part-time 4x4 set-up that only sends power to the rear when slip is detected, this is no off-roader - but does that matter? Fuel-efficient, strongly built and with sturdy foursquare looks that suggest a certain degree of shielding from the urban jungle, the Urban Cruiser is a sub-compact 4x4 built around the needs of the sector’s buyers. What could make more sense than that?
To be among the very first to see and drive this amazing new car register your interest with Yeomans now!
