2020 Toyota Urban Cruiser price comparison vs Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300 and Ford EcoSport

The burgeoning compact SUV market has had not one, but two, new entrants recently, with the Toyota Urban Cruiser being the latest launch, hot on the heels of the Kia Sonet. Both of which are closely related to successful compact SUVs already available in the market - the Kia Sonet sharing mechanicals with the Hyundai Venue and a marginally more diverse variant lineup, and the Toyota Urban Cruiser being a badge-engineered version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.

The Urban Cruiser, however, doesn't offer a no-frills variant, with the range instead starting with the aptly-named Mid variant at Rs 8.40 lakh, going up to the High variant at Rs 9.15 lakh and Premium variant at Rs 9.8 lakh, with the automatic variants costing between Rs 1.4 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh more than the corresponding manual-equipped variants. The Urban Cruiser also gets standard LED lighting all around, keyless entry, push-button start and automatic climate control to name a few, though it does miss out on headline features like ventilated seats, wireless charging, connected technology, a sunroof, and choice of more than two airbags, when compared to some of the newer entrants in the segment.

The Mid variant (16-inch steel wheels, and all standard features) compares directly to the Maruti Suzuki Brezza VXi variant and costs Rs 5,000 more. The Urban Cruiser High variant (which adds 16-inch alloy wheels, 7-inch touchscreen, and cruise control) compares to the Brezza ZXi and is between Rs 5,000-15,000 more depending on whether you're shopping for a manual or automatic. The Urban Cruiser Premium (which adds 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, auto wipers, auto-dimming RVM and LED fog lamps) compares to the ZXi Plus variant, with the same price difference. The dual-tone variants of the Urban Cruiser are between Rs 8,000-25,000 more expensive than the single-shade Premium variants of the Urban Cruiser that they're exclusively available on. Notably, the main differentiation comes in the Urban Cruiser's after-sales package, with the Toyota offering a 3-year/1 lakh km warranty with road-side assistance on all variants, compared to the Brezza's standard 2-year/40,000km warranty.

The Toyota Urban Cruiser slots right in with other mid-variants of top compact SUVs on sale currently, with no major price variances when comparing spec-to-spec. For example, it's priced Rs 5,000 less than the Kia Sonet HTK+, but Rs 3,000 more than the Hyundai Venue S Plus. For the price, like the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, the Toyota Urban Cruiser offers a larger than segment-average cabin and boot.

Under the lightly tweaked exteriors of the Urban Cruiser, which includes a Toyota SUV family grille and redesigned bumpers, the compact SUV is identical to the Brezza. The Urban Cruiser is powered by the same 1.5-litre K15 naturally-aspirated petrol engine, paired with the same 5-speed manual transmission, or 4-speed torque convertor automatic, with the addition of a mild-hybrid/auto start-stop system as found on the Brezza. This also means that the Urban Cruiser is not available with a diesel engine, with Toyota dropping its 1.4-litre D-4D diesel that was last available in the Platinum Etios compact sedan, with the move to BSVI. Of the compact SUVs available, only the Urban Cruiser and Brezza are petrol-only.