Toyota Urban Cruiser test: not everything is possible
In the electric Toyota Urban Cruiser, we learn that down-to-earth virtues never go out of fashion. But also that fast charging does not always mean fast charging.
Wow, it's fat - we think as we approach the Toyota Urban Cruiser for the first time. An optical illusion: 4.29 meters in length is VW Golf format. Nevertheless, this is a cliché of many car reviews: It's almost bigger on the inside than on the outside. As prestigious as the small SUV looks in the league of the Kia EV3, VW T-Cross or its technical brother Suzuki E-Vitara, it is just as spacious. We are amazed at how much space it has in the back. An everyday talent.
Buttons again at last
Traditional virtues inside too. Perfect entry height, the seat backrest a little hard (but the seats comfortable), solid workmanship and a cockpit that ignores the styling nonsense with huge touchscreens and gives us the good old volume control knob. That's a good thing. We almost miss the separate digital clock with 1980s flair that used to be typical of the brand. It's just strange: despite the many buttons, the seat heating is still on the touchscreen and requires four clicks.
Let's take a drive. Good overview, just the right format for both city and country, and the Urban Cruiser - in our case it's the top model for 40,800 francs (135 kW/184 hp, 61 kWh battery, all-wheel drive, ’Premium«) - always goes off quickly. A pleasant, quiet electric car. The chassis mix is also pleasant: firm in the city and on bends, but comfortable on long journeys.
Charging is the crux of the Urban Cruiser
Unfortunately, traveling is one of those things. Toyota promises a standard range of 395 kilometers for the test version. We manage a maximum of 320 kilometers, which would still be close, because it's cool at the time: we often heat the car. But despite the «Eco» mode, we only manage 281 kilometers, and just before we get home we have to go to the fast charger. Toyota says: 67 kW charging power and 45 minutes for 10 to 80 battery percentages. That is slow. In practice, it's slower on cold days: under 60 kW, we charge from 5 to 100 percent for an hour and a half.
Sorry, but that's not going to work for e-mobility. Autosprint thinks so: Please improve the charging speed soon. After all, the range itself is easily sufficient for everyday use in the suburbs when charging at home. And: there are variants with a range of up to 426 kilometers and the base model (106 kW/144 hp, 49 kWh battery, front-wheel drive, 344 kilometers) from 32,900 francs. That's fair.
Expert opinion
Toyota Urban Cruiser AWD «Premium»
The Urban Cruiser is good and spacious, and in practice the supposedly old-fashioned interior has real advantages. Charging is too slow. But if you rarely travel far, you're well on your way.
Advantages
+ plenty of space
+ analog operation
+ fair price
Disadvantages
- lukewarm range
- slow loading speed
