Toyota Industry News
LITTLE JOINS LARGE IN TOYOTA’S CRUISER FLEET
By Toyota GB
May 15, 2009 - 10:19:16 AM

New Urban Cruiser on sale now

In terms of scale they are poles apart, but at heart the new Urban Cruiser is every bit a true-blooded Toyota as its mighty Land Cruiser stablemate.

On sale in the UK today the new Urban Cruiser takes the chunky, go-anywhere styling of the Land Cruiser and gives it a contemporary twist, downsizing to suit life on modern city streets. And to meet the demands of today’s customers, it is offered with a choice of both 2WD and AWD versions.

The new Toyota Urban Cruiser brings together three key attributes in a unique package: Toyota’s proven expertise in rugged, all-road vehicle design, the comfort and versatility of a compact hatchback; and class-leading fuel economy and CO₂ emissions, achieved with Toyota Optimal Drive technology.

Its robust design incorporates Toyota’s Active Torque Control all-wheel drive system and high levels of occupant safety. It provides strong on-road traction and confidence-inspiring stability and agility in all weather conditions.

Urban Cruiser’s dimensions are compact and urban-friendly, benefiting from state-of-the-art Toyota packaging know-how, honed in models such as iQ and Yaris. It has all the five-seat spaciousness, practicality and loadspace flexibility of ingenious compact cars, reflecting the diverse lifestyles and requirements of today’s B-segment customers.

It also addresses market demand for environmentally responsible vehicles, with Toyota Optimal Drive technology delivering low fuel consumption and emissions without compromising Urban Cruiser’s performance and driving dynamics.

Toyota expects to sell approximately 2,500 Urban Cruisers in the UK in its first full-year of sales.

A distinctive new car in a diverse segment
New Urban Cruiser has been designed for Europe’s highly competitive B-segment market, which has recently fragmented into several sub-segments. These sub-segments have more than doubled in size since 2002, growth driven by an increasingly diverse cross-section of customers who want more distinctive vehicles that fit in with their lifestyles.

Active lifestyle customer base
Urban Cruiser is designed for customers who are dissatisfied with conventional B-segment hatchbacks and want a vehicle that better expresses their individuality. Typically these people are singles and couples in their 30s and 40s. Urban Cruiser customers will include a significant number who combine an active lifestyle with a high level of environmental awareness but who are not willing to compromise on style.

Rugged exterior, refined interior
Urban Cruiser meets the needs of its target customers with a stylish design that combines the rugged good looks of an all-roader within a compact, urban friendly package. The high quality interior provides five-seat spaciousness, practicality, versatility and a flexible load space, together with more comfort and refinement than is usual in the segment.

Compact, urban-friendly dimensions
Urban Cruiser is 3,930mm long, 1,725mm wide and 1,525mm tall (1,540 with AWD). These dimensions make it ideal for city streets, but in spite of its compact size, its long, 2,460mm wheelbase means there is plenty of room for five on board and ample luggage space.

Driving performance is agile, stable and firmly balanced, qualities that are further improved in the 1.4 D-4D model with AWD.

Class-leading CO₂ emissions with no-compromise driving dynamics
The application of Toyota Optimal Drive technology enables Urban Cruiser to meet the growing demand for socially responsible vehicles. With CO₂ emissions that fall within the 130g/km threshold, it responds to the introduction of emissions-based vehicle taxation, yet still provides a dynamic, enjoyable driving experience both around town and out on the open road.

Urban Cruiser is available with a choice of two highly efficient new engines: a 100bhp (101 DIN hp) 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i petrol engine with Stop & Start technology and an 89bhp (90 DIN hp) 1.4-litre D-4D diesel. The latter is available in the UK exclusively with an AWD powertrain, producing CO₂ emissions of 130g/km – the world’s lowest level for any all-wheel driven passenger car. Urban Cruiser 1.33 Stop & Start produces CO₂ emissions of 129g/km.

Equipment features
All models come equipped as standard with 16-inch high-gloss alloy wheels, Bluetooth, automatic air conditioning, Smart Entry & Start for keyless entry and push-button engine start-up, rear privacy glass and an electrochromic auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

The six-speaker audio system includes an Aux-in socket for connecting personal music players and can playback MP3 files stored on disc. The leather-trimmed steering wheel features additional controls for the music system and Bluetooth operation and the dashboard features Optitron instrumentation, with a radar screen-style design for the concentric speedometer and tachometer displays.

Rear seats on all models have a recline function, those on the AWD model also benefiting from fore and aft slide adjustment. A space-saver spare wheel is provided on the 2WD Urban Cruiser, with a tyre repair kit on the AWD version.