Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Hybrid system explained
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which joins the ever-crowded C-SUV segment of the Indian car market, sets itself apart as being the first strong hybrid in this category. It is also the first mainstream hybrid SUV to be offered in India. It uses the latest iteration of the same Toyota hybrid system which the company debuted first in the Prius in 1997. Now in its fourth generation in the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, over 20 million Toyota hybrids have been sold so far.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: How the hybrid system worksToyota's hybrid system in the Urban Crusier Hyryder uses a 1.5-litre petrol motor that puts out 92PS and 122 Nm. That is paired with an 80PS and 141 Nm electric motor via a CVT for a combined 116PS. The electric motor is fed by a small battery pack that uses regen and the engine to charge up. The Hyryder always starts up in EV mode, and will stay in this mode at say parking or crawling traffic speeds until the battery is depleted. The battery is a small 0.8 kWh pack that sits just behind the rear seats.
The engine only cuts in when you ask for more power, supplementing the electric motor and charging the battery at the same time. At full-bore acceleration, the engine and motor work in conjunction to deliver maximum performance. A power control unit and a power split device work together to manage the two motive sources most efficiently, even allowing the engine to cut out at highway speeds if there's less load on the drivetrain. Toyota says you can drive up to 60 per cent of the time on electric power alone, which we think is a fair claim. The effect is some impressive fuel efficiency stats, the Hyryder is rated at 27.47 kmpl, so a real-world figure between 20 to 24 kmpl seems fully achievable.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Why bring in hybrids now?So far, Toyota has been quite coy in bringing its hybrid tech to India. These powertrains have been limited to the more premium Camry and Vellfire but changing market trends have swung the tide. To start with, Toyota's partnership with Suzuki will help manage the higher costs of bringing in this tech and the volumes that are expected to be generated have helped make a case for the hybrid system to be localized in India. The hybrid powertrains are being manufactured at Toyota's facility in Karnataka where the Urban Crusier Hyryder as well as the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara are being manufactured.
Another major factor playing into Toyota's favour at this time is the decline of diesel as a popular fuel type. Many carmakers have exited the diesel segment, the high costs of making these engines meet the current BS6 emission norms are a major factor, only set to get more difficult as the second stage of CAFE norms is implemented. Also, with diesel fuel prices now not that far behind petrol, many buyers don't see long-term value in choosing these cars any longer. That gives Toyota's hybrid tech a foot in the door, the high localization content of the Hyryder should also mean that Toyota's cars will be priced only at a slight premium to an equivalent diesel. The Toyota SUV is expected to top out at around Rs 18.5 to Rs 19 lakh.
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