Nice with a larger battery and warm buttocks
With the Toyota Urban Cruiser, Toyota not only has a car with that name again for the first time in years, but also a relatively affordable entry-level EV. All the more reason to take a closer look at the entry-level version, because it is already yours for less than 33 grand.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Active – €32,995
The new, electric Toyota Urban Cruiser is already at a disadvantage, because with a starting price of €32,995, the car is €1,000 more expensive than the Suzuki e Vitara. Why is that relevant? Well, these are actually two names for the same car, which was also developed by Suzuki and not by Toyota. We have not been able to discover any serious equipment differences, although Suzuki promises navigation and Toyota only wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The warranty periods (up to 10 years!) are also comparable, although it should be said that the price difference becomes smaller if you want more equipment or a larger battery. Or rather ‘and’, because the two are inextricably linked at both Toyota and Suzuki. Standard you get 48.8 kWh, in the Urban Cruiser good for a range of 344 kilometers.
A version with 61.1 kWh and over 400 kilometers range will cost you at least €35,795, but that is immediately a Dynamic with seat and steering wheel heating, among other things. Funny detail: at Suzuki the cheapest version is always called ‘Select’ regardless of the chosen battery, but the same difference in equipment exists between the two battery variants. Here this is simply categorized under the heading ‘more equipment compared to the 49 kWh version’, but there is no other version name attached to it. The price difference between the two is suddenly much smaller with 61 kWh and seat and steering wheel heating, because the Suzuki then costs €35,395.
From now on we will just leave that Suzuki for what it is, because in practice there are many more factors than just the theoretical prices and equipment. So we focus again entirely on the cheapest version of the Urban Cruiser, which as we now know at least does not have seat and steering wheel heating. Too bad, especially in an EV, but elsewhere this compact ‘cruiser’ partially makes up for that. For example, it always has a sliding and three-part foldable rear seat, climate control, privacy glass, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, keyless start and entry and a whole range of driving aids with adaptive cruise control are always on it. It is a pity that there are only 4 speakers and the upgrade to JBL audio with 8 pieces immediately means the most expensive equipment level. Yet the standard version is nicely complete and that even applies if we only look at the outside. For example, every Urban Cruiser is spruced up with 18-inch light-alloy wheels and the standard paint color is neat metallic, in a moody dark blue. Nothing wrong with that!