Toyota Urban Crusier - a city dweller is not in the pocket of a Pole?
Looking at the quality of Polish roads, it is not difficult to conclude that for everyday driving a small car with a suspension higher than that of typical "citizens" would be useful, which would make it easier to overcome potholes and extremely high curbs. Fortunately, car manufacturers have already prepared many models that combine the features of a compact car and an SUV. One of them is the Toyota Urban Cruiser.
The short, less than four meters body makes it the ideal vehicle for the city, and the optional all-wheel drive (diesel engine only) allows you to drive comfortably and safely even on slippery or clean surfaces. Of course, an Urban Crusier is not a Land Crusier, so driving off the beaten path is not a good idea, but in not too deep mud or a few centimeters of snow, the little Toyota can handle it. As such, it is the ideal vehicle for travel from places where a snow blower is rarely found. The drive to the rear axle is automatically switched on only when the front wheels slip.
Toyota's styling seems rather controversial. Designers needed to depict the muscularity of an SUV in a small body. Did they succeed? In my opinion, the car looks a little awkward, maybe even a little lethargic, but it remains close enough to the stylistic line of the Japanese manufacturer that it is difficult to blame it for its eccentric appearance. The question, however, is, is Urban Crusier really good compared to its seminary competitors? I have doubts about it.
Under the hood of the cheapest version of the Urban Crusier is the well-known Yaris 1,33 Dual VVT-i engine with 99 hp, which allows a car weighing just over a ton to accelerate to hundreds in 12,5 seconds. Consumption of the gasoline version is relatively low - in the city, Toyota should be content with less than seven liters of gasoline (order - 6,7 liters), and on the highway, fuel consumption can drop to five liters. The champion in efficiency is a 90 hp diesel engine. and very decent torque (205 Nm). The performance of the diesel is similar to the petrol version - in the front-wheel drive version, the diesel will accelerate the Urban Crusier to 100 km / h in 11,7 seconds, while the 4x4 model will need a little more than half a second more. Regardless of the engine version, the urban Toyota can reach speeds of up to 175 km/h. Undoubtedly, the powertrains paired with a six-speed manual transmission do not cause car freaks to have heart palpitations, but they provide dynamics that should be enough in urban conditions. In the US market, the Urban Crusier clone Scion xD is sold with a 128 hp 1.8 engine, which is certainly much more capable on ring roads and highways.
Looking at the price list of Toyota and other competitors, we quickly come to the conclusion that the cost of purchasing the Urban Crusier is outrageously high. The basic version (1.3 petrol engine) can be purchased for approximately 67 thousand. PLN, which is a significant amount for this segment, but to be able to have all-wheel drive you need to purchase the 1,4-liter diesel, which together with the optional 4×4 drive costs a minimum of 91 euros. thousand. zloty! The cheapest version with a diesel engine and drive only on the front axle costs 79 thousand zlotys. zloty This money can be spent on two front-wheel drive Data Dusters! Moreover: for 83 thousand we can get a much larger Kia Sportage with a two-liter diesel engine (163 hp) and all-wheel drive. The Suzuki Grand Vitara, Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai ix35 also cost less than the small Toyota. Some might say the Toyota is a solid car, so it's worth paying extra, but it's worth considering whether it would be better to just go for the 9. more expensive Toyota RAV4 with a 4-litre diesel instead of buying the Urban Crusier in 4x15 version. Interesting - the base Scion xD model in the USA can be bought for just over 42 XNUMX. dollars (excluding taxes), which at today's exchange rate is about a thousand zlotys.
However, you must admit that every Urban Crusier that leaves the Polish showroom is fully equipped. In addition to such obvious elements of standard equipment as airbags and air curtains or ABS, the small city dweller also boasts additional options that do not require additional payment, such as the Start & Stop system (only with the petrol version), the audio system. system, on-board computer and air conditioning. True, Toyota has prepared two configuration options (Luna and Sol), but they differ only in a few options. Poorer equipment has manual air conditioning and steel wheels. Also missing are the lacquered door handles, fog lights, power rear windows, Bluetooth, leather shifter and radio-controlled steering wheel. The only thing that can be purchased for both types of equipment is metallic paint (PLN 1800) and the Life package (reversing sensor, door sills and rear bumper).
Due to its high price, the Toyota Urban Cruiser is and will be as common in Poland as the mid-range convertibles. Unfortunately, the inflated price does not allow it to become a bestseller, like the Yaris or Corolla. It certainly works great in its natural element - the city, but is it worth that kind of money? Most Poles cannot afford such high expenses for city cars.
