Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor - A better Fronx?

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor is the latest offering from the Japanese brand in India. If you think this looks familiar then you're right as this is essentially a rebadged Maruti Suzuki Fronx. It will join the likes of the Glanza, Rumion and Urban Cruiser Hyryder and will contribute to push sales of more affordable Toyota vehicles. Toyota keeps its focus on cars like the Innova Crysta and Hyrcross, Fortuner, Hilux, Camry and so on but also does realise that rebadged Maruti Suzuki cars account for almost half their sales in the country. So does this new crossover offering from Toyota have what it takes to disrupt the sales of its extremely successful Maruti Twin?

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Design

Just like how the Fronx borrows its fascia from the Grand Vitara similarly, the Taisor looks like the Hyryder's younger sibling. Toyota designers have done a pretty neat rework to make this stand apart from the Fronx and more in line with the Toyota portfolio of cars. The grille looks quite handsome with the design much like the one we saw in the Rumion and the chrome strip above it adds a premium flair as it runs into the DRLs. The bumpers too are slightly redesigned but so much that you would notice at first glance.

From the side, the silhouette is obviously identical to the Fronx but your eyes will immediately go to the new 16-inch alloy wheels which personally is my favourite bit of the Taisor. This orange colour scheme that you see is also quite different and is something that is quite stand out. At the rear, the LED taillamps have a C-shaped design on the outer section, but the connected light bar is exactly the same as the Fronx. Overall, I feel the small changes Toyota has made to the Taisor make it look like a bit more appealing package than the Fronx.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Interior

While there are considerable changes on the exterior of the car that you can tell the Taisor apart from the Fronx, on the inside, the 2 cars are identical. Well, except for the logo on the steering wheel. It's still a nice place though. Everything is where you expect it to be and while the materials used around the cabin aren't plush by any means they do not feel cheap either. The seat has a lot of adjustments and even if you're a 6 ft tall person like me, you would easily find your most comfortable driving posture. Even space at the back is quite good with plenty of foot and head space, although, we really wish there would've been a rear armrest just to make long journeys a bit more relaxing.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Features

A heads-up display, cruise control, a 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, automatic climate control, rear air-con vents, a 360-degree camera, automatic LED lamps and rear-wiper with defogger. On the safety front, this top-spec variant features six airbags, traction control, ABS with EBD, and hill-start assist are standard across the range.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Powertrain

Now, just like in the Fronx, in the Taisor as well, the 1.0-litre three-cylinder Boosterjet turbo engine steals the show. It puts out 100PS and 148Nm of torque and can be mated to a 5-speed manual or this six-speed torque converter automatic. It is quite an impressive engine as it feels well-refined and smooth in all aspects. The engine packs a decent amount of low-end performance at around 1,500rpm but you actually feel most of that Boosterjet power is slightly higher in the rev range. Put your foot down and it revs till its redline at 6,000rpm where it starts to get loud and not in a sporty manner. The mild hybrid motor that is there also comes into play but you will barely ever notice it unless you look at your driver's display to check its status.

The torque converter seems to be beautifully mated to this engine. In stop-and-go traffic, it feels almost perfect without breaking a sweat. It doesn't feel sporty per se because it does take its time to figure the right gear out but it is no slouch either. You have paddle shifters as well which do work well but maybe if you want a more engaging and athletic driving feel, the 5-speed manual would be the better pick.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Ride Quality

The ride quality is quite plush and the Taisor deals with most of the bad city roads with a sense of grace. Even though it is based on a hatchback (Baleno/Glanza) its ground clearance is where it actually stands out from a regular hatch and that's quite noticeable in the way it drives as well. On highways, it feels incredibly stable and there isn't much noise that enters the cabin and you would really come to appreciate the Taisor on those long family trips. At slower speeds though, especially when taking on larger potholes, the suspension does feel like it could use more damping as there are a few jitters that flow about the cabin.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor: Verdict

If you're considering getting yourself this Taisor, that's most likely because of the badge that it holds upfront. Yes, Toyota also offers you an additional warranty which is at 1 lakh kilometre or 3 years. Compared to that, Fronx's 3 years or 40,000km warranty looks laughable. It also boils down to what aesthetic you prefer. Even though the differences are very minimal, the Taisor does appear to have a little more going for itself with the outstanding shade that we have here and the prices of the 1.0-litre engine being the exact same for the Fronx and Taisor, I can't help but recommend you to walk towards the Toyota dealership first.