Badge engineering might sound puzzling to most owners, for carmakers it makes sense for a variety of reasons. It means more products that come to showrooms and that brings more people. For Toyota, it has been a successful move and the next step is of course plugging the gaps in the range. This leads to the Urban Cruiser Taisor- a rebadged Fronx from Maruti Suzuki and it now is the most affordable way to get a Toyota SUV in your garage. Here, we review the top-end turbo automatic to see more.
Exteriors
It is not just a Fronx with a Toyota badge as instead the folks at Toyota have done certain changes to make it more relatable to the Toyota family. While the shape is like the Fronx, the Taisor looks different from the front thanks to the different looking DRLs and a grille which is similar to other Toyota cars. This orange shade also is quite attractive while the car has different 16-inch alloy wheels. The rear tail-lamps are also new and overall, the car looks attractive and appealing while not being like the Fronx as well. You can get dual tone options and the colours on offer include Cafe White, Enticing Silver, Sportin Red, Lucent Orange plus Gaming Grey.
Interiors
Here, it is nearly like the Fronx with only the logo on the steering wheel being different. That said, the brown plus black combination looks premium and the design is nice too. The driving position is comfortable while the touchscreen is the same 9-inch unit as on the Fronx. There are plenty of physical buttons and quality is decent with bits shared with other Maruti hatchbacks. The rear seats might be low due to the roofline but have individual headrests plus ample comfort-even for tall passengers.
However, like Maruti cars, there is a beep which you must deal with since there are no load sensors. Features wise, the head-up display is unique and can be customised as well for viewer angles plus you get a 360-degree camera, climate control, wireless charging, cruise control, LED headlamps, paddle shifters, 6 airbags, ESP, rear air con vents etc. The quality of the camera display could be better and the same can be said for the audio system. There is no sunroof as well.
Also read: Toyota Hyryder Review
Engine Performance
The Urban Cruiser Taisor shares its engines with the Fronx which is not a surprise including a 1.2l petrol with a manual plus AMT while the turbo petrol 1.0 here comes with a manual or a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters. We drove the top-end version with the 100 bhp and 148Nm with the automatic. At low speed, there are hardly any vibrations plus it is smooth while the torque converter automatic is perfect for traffic. The light steering, small size and the good 190mm ground clearance is also helpful here.
The Taisor does not make as much power as other turbo rivals but it is a smooth motor if not having quite the same exciting push. It is smooth and gets to speeds easily. The gearbox is compliant enough but you need paddle sifters to drive it hard plus fast. The efficiency is brilliant though for a turbo petrol as you will get closer to 15 kmpl. The car has a firm ride though and there is slight body roll over the Glanza on which it is based but it is quite stable when pushed hard but not as dynamically sharp as rivals.
Verdict
The Urban Cruiser Taisor is more expensive than the Fronx but has a longer warranty too. Prices start from Rs 7.7 lakh while what you see here, the top-end model retails at Rs 13.04 lakh. The top-end Taisor seems expensive but you get a fun turbo petrol powertrain and it is much more entertaining than the AMT 1.2 but for buyers on the budget the AMT 1.2 makes more sense. That said, the Turbo Taisor has a more premium driving experience and the looks alone make it a good buy. If you need a quick, small and efficiency yet stylish crossover SUV, look at this Toyota.
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