Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor is a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Fronx. However, there are few subtle differences between two crossovers. We got
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Toyota and Maruti Suzuki entered into a partnership back in 2016. And it has been proven to be quite successful for both manufacturers. In fact, Toyota revealed that between May 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, over 40 per cent of sales came through rebadged Maruti Suzuki vehicles. The latest model to reach Toyota’s stable from Maruti Suzuki is the Urban Cruiser Taisor, it is a rebranded version of the Fronx. So, how is the Taisor different from the Fronx and should you consider it over the Fronx? We got to experience the Taisor for a few hours and here is our first drive review of it.
2024 Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Exteriors
The design of the Fronx has been very well received by the Indian market and Toyota has continued with it but there are few subtle changes. Up-front, the Taisor gets a new grille that is inspired by the one seen on the Innova Hycross. It has hexagonal elements and there is also a slim chrome strip that connects the redesigned LED Daytime Running Lamps. The front bumper also gets a subtle few design tweaks but the headlamp units have been carried over.
On the sides, the Taisor has the same coupe like crossover-ish design with a chunky body cladding and a new set of alloy wheels which still measure 16-inch in size but now have a new design which frankly, we do prefer over Fronx’s alloy wheel design. At the rear, the only difference is the new LED elements for the tail lamps that look sharper than the Fronx’s and it continues to come with a lightbar.
2024 Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Cabin
The cabin is finished in a dual-tone theme of black and brown. The dashboard has a layered design and the centre stage is taken by the touchscreen infotainment system which comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There is automatic climate control, a wireless charger, twin cupholders, bottle holders, cruise control, a head-up display, and a multi-information display with a multi-function steering wheel. The only difference between the cabin of the Fronx and Taisor is the badge on the steering wheel.
The cabin is quite practical and everything is where you expect it to be. The is a 360-degree parking camera on offer but the resolution is not good. The seats are supportive and the upholstery itself is finished in dual-tone theme. However, it is still cloth upholstery, and Toyota is not offering a leatherette finish and the cabin would have felt a bit better with beige upholstery. There is also no electric sunroof and ventilated seats on offer. While that is okay, considering the segment, it would have been nice if the MID did not have the two sticks to control it. One thing that we did notice is that the windshield is quite narrow which means that there is a bit of adjustment period that a person might have to go through.
The rear seats are quite spacious and it has ample amount of knee room and headroom for a person with a height of 5’8. The rear bench can seat three at once and the middle occupant also gets a three-point seatbelt and a headrest. There is a USB socket, a Type C socket and rear AC vents. Unfortunately, there is no centre armrest and load sensors are also missing so the seatbelt reminder keeps buzzing for 90 seconds. The boot space is the same 308 litres but the loading lip is quite high so loading heavy bags could be a chore. There is also a 60:40 split seat in case you need to move in larger items.
2024 Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Drive
Toyota is offering the Taisor with three powertrain options. There is a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, the same engine is available with a CNG drivetrain as well. Finally, there is the 1.0-litre turbocharged engine. The 1.2-litre petrol engine gets a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT whereas the CNG powertrain only gets a manual gearbox. The turbo petrol engine also gets a 5-speed manual gearbox but there is also a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission with paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.
We drove the Taisor which was equipped with a turbo petrol engine paired with the automatic transmission. The engine produces 100 bhp and 147 Nm. Despite being a three-cylinder unit, there are no vibrations at idle. Right off the bat, the car moves ahead smoothly as the creep function is finely tuned. The shifts are smooth and the engine delivers power in a linear manner. The turbo kicks in at approximately 2,000 rpm and that is when the throttle response gets sharper and the engine pulls strongly till its redline. It is important to note that the engine does not feel as strong as what some rivals have to offer. What we appreciate though is that in manual mode, the gearbox will not upshift automatically and will keep bouncing off the rev-limiter. The paddle shifters can be used to take manual control of the gearbox, the downshifts are quick but the upshifts do feel laggy sometimes.
In terms of the ride quality, the Taisor stays planted and feels flat through the corners. But because of this firm suspension, the car does feel a bit unsettled while driving on broken roads. The steering feels light in the city and it weighs up decently when doing highway speeds.
2024 Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Verdict
With the Urban Cruiser Taisor, Toyota is entering the crossover segment, it can be considered as the most affordable SUV in the manufacturer’s portfolio. In terms of pricing, the Taisor costs ₹20,000 more than the Fronx when compared variant-to-variant. Where the difference between the two cars is that the Maruti Suzuki offers 2 years or 40,000 km whereas Toyota offers 3 years or 1 lakh km of warranty as standard. Then there is the factor of brand loyalty and the fact that there is a possibility that the waiting period for the Taisor would be less than the Fronx.
First Published Date: 11 Jun 2024, 10:00 AM IST