Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor Review: Makes A Lot Of Sense

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor is a Maruti Suzuki Fronx dressed in Toyota clothes. And while it is the first time we are reviewing either of the two, I will not make any more references to the Fronx throughout this review. 

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor does come in a familiar packaging, but it offers a better brand value and perception in terms of reliability and after sales support. It also comes with aggressive styling with some clear differences from its Maruti Suzuki twin, which in my opinion, look better. But if Fronx didn’t exist – what would the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor offer to its customers? Let’s find out in this review:

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor Review: Pricing and Variants in India

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor is priced at ₹7.21 lakh onwards (ex-showroom Delhi) post the GST cuts announced last month, going up till 12.06 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the top-end spec. The car is available in 12 variants across drivetrains and transmissions. The Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor comes in two engine options – a 1 litre 3 cylinder turbocharged K10 engine and another 1.2 litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine which makes 88 bhp of power. Here is the full list of all the variants and their prices. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi:

• Taisor E (base variant) – ₹7.26 lakh
• Taisor S Manual – ₹8.98 lakh
• Taisor E CNG- ₹9.10 lakh

• Taisor S Plus – ₹9.35 lakhTaisor S AT – ₹9.57 lakh
• Taisor S Plus AT – ₹9.93 lakh
• Taisor  G Turbo – ₹10.90 lakh
• Taisor V Turbo – ₹12.25 lakh
• Taisor V Turbo Dual Tone – ₹12.42 lakh
• Taisor G Tubro AT – ₹12.76 lakh
• Taisor V Turbo AT – ₹13.72 lakh
• Taisor V Dual Tone AT – ₹13.89 lakh

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor Review: Exterior and Styling

I will start with how the car looks from the outside. No, I am not going to say it is a “Fronx in Toyota clothes” here also. Here, I would like to highlight how much of a difference that makes in terms of the styling. The Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor comes with certain elements that make it different from its sibling from Maruti Suzuki. In my honest opinion, it looks slightly better with the more angular rather than aggressive elements like the LED headlamps with the strips-like design as compared to the triple-LEDs. I also like the Toyota grille design more than Maruti Suzuki.

Now since this is the first car among the two that we are reviewing, I will also talk about this design independently. The Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor has one of the most proportionate designs in the sub 4-meter sub compact SUV segment. Although it is too small to be called an “SUV,” I love this design as a big hatchback but not as an SUV. It is proportionate, it looks aggressive, and has more subtle styling elements which I personally prefer.

What I like the most about this design is that despite looking so modern and aggressive, the Toyota Taisor still has room for modifications. This looks like a design which if enhanced tastefully, will turn heads everywhere. So yes, overall it is a proportionate design which goes better as a hatchback than a compact SUV. It is a big hatchback with ground clearance and big wheel arches and a bulky stance. I like the Toyota design language more than the Maruti one, but that is a personal preference.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor Review: Interior and Comfort

Inside also the Urban Cruiser Taisor has a nice cabin. I like how simple everything is inside this cabin but it still manages to look modern and there is a premium touch to it as well. Best part about this is that most controls on the dashboard are physical buttons – something that is very much appreciated amid all the touch-based controls for air conditioning, volume, and more. In the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor, the amount of touch controls is absolutely spot on – limited to mostly the infotainment system.

The quality and fit and finish of everything is also pretty good. The interiors have a nice dual tone scheme with the black and maroon colours and there are soft touch materials in sufficient places. The seats are also offer sufficient space and are quite comfortable, but in terms of cushioning and support, I found them to be a little behind as compared to cars like the Hyundai Exter or the Kia Sonet, or even the Skoda Kylaq’s seats seem to have better cushioning and support despite having a smaller thigh support and a rather narrow backrest.

But however, it is still a comfortable seat and there is no issue with either the amount of thigh support or the way these seats keep you in place. They are, however, slightly thinner than I personally like. On the back also there is ample space in the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor and it won’t be uncomfortable even with three people in the back seat. The leg room is sufficient and the thigh support is also pretty good. Here also, the seats just look and feel slightly thinner than many other competitors but then again, not a deal breaker. For long drives, both the front and rear seats are good enough and won’t make your body hurt after a few hundred kilometers of driving.

And when it comes to features, we are getting pretty much all the creature comforts, barring a couple of things that you can definitely live without. We are getting a nice infotainment display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, we have automatic climate control, there is a 360-degree camera, and we also get a heads-up display, which I honestly never ended up using.

Yes, we don’t get seat ventilation or sunroof – something that has become more of a norm in this segment of cars, but that isn’t too much of a deal breaker.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor Review: Safety and Tech

Now coming to the safety part, this car gets pretty much everything you can ask for. We are getting 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, engine immobilizer, and more. Basically this car ticks all the basic checkboxes. We are also getting a 360-degree camera and hill hold assist. However, the 360-degree camera isn’t the most accurate that I have tested in this segment.

In terms of other tech, we are getting a heads-up display, a 10.25-inch infotainment setup and a semi-digital instrument cluster which shows information like trip details, compass, power and torque output, and more vital information about the vehicle. What I found to be missing here is a sunroof and ventilated seats but that is not a deal breaker since both these features aren’t really necessary in terms of enhancing your driving experience and have more to do with comfort and luxury.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor Review: Performance and Handling

Now coming to the main and most important thing in a car according to me, it is the performance and drivability. Here, the Toyota Taisor was surprisingly good, especially the turbo variant which we tested for this review. This is a 1-litre turbo petrol K10 engine from Maruti Suzuki which makes 98.6 bhp of power and 147.6 Nm of torque, sending all of that to the front wheels of the car. 

While 98.6 bhp of power may sound less, it is sufficient for a car this size. This car is absolutely smooth in the lower ends and is also punchy thanks to the turbocharged K10 engine. While there is a bit of a turbo lag and it really goes after 1,500 or 2,000 RPM, but once you are past the turbo lag, this car can be quick enough for those overtakes on the highways. 

Yes, the Urban Cruiser Taisor is not meant to be driven hard but it can hold its own if you push it a little. The chassis balance is very good and the car was quite stable even at higher speeds despite how light it is. It handles quite well and is easy to maneuver in tight spaces and crowded traffic.

Even the steering is pretty good. It is soft but has enough feedback and gets tighter as you gain speed – typical electric steering behaviour and nothing wrong with it. Works absolutely fine. However, one thing I have noticed in Maruti Suzuki steering wheels is that over time, these tend to lose feedback and have to be put back in place. I did not feel that the steering on the Taisor will be similar but only a long term ownership will answer this question. So far, this is a good steering wheel.

And coming to my favourite part of this car’s overall performance and driving dynamics – the fuel efficiency. Now this three cylinder turbo petrol engine is not only super fun to drive, it is also super efficient. The Urban Crusier Taisor’s Turbo manual variant comes with a mild hybrid setup. This allows the car to put out a claimed fuel efficiency of up to 20 kmpl. However, during my time with the car, it was easily able to put out an average of over 15 kmpl in the city. Do note that I drove this car for a week only in Delhi with all the traffic – despit the start-stop traffic in many cases, the Taisor was easily able to put out an average of up to 16 kmpl. That is really good, especially given that both of my own petrol cars give me less than 12 kmpl in the city.

The only thing that I kept asking for with the Taisor was another gear. Now this is a 5-speed manual transmission and it needed one more gear in the manual shifter. Because given how refined the K10 engine is, you come into 5th gear rather quickly at a speed of 60 kmph or something. Beyond that, the speed and vibrations only increase and there are no more gears left to stabilise it. This issue most people will not face in the city but it did leave me asking for another gear every time the car went over 80 kmph of speed.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor?

So that was the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor – the Toyota version of the Maruti Fronx. In the beginning I said that this will be a standalone review without any references to the Fronx so I think I can slip in one towards the end. Now, this is a brilliant city car. Anyone who wants a small-ish car which has enough ground clearance to take on any potholes or bumps, which looks good, is reliable, fun to drive and practical – the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor offers one of the best options. It is a complete package barring a couple of creature comfort features.

A couple of things that I didn’t like are just nitpickings at this point given just how much sense this car makes for an average Indian city buyer. The heads-up displays on these cars are not something I’m a huge fan of. Secondly, the gears. It needed one more gear in the manual shifter. Given how refined the K10 engine is, you come into 5th gear rather quickly at a speed of 60 kmph or something. Beyond that, the speed and vibrations only increase and there are no more gears left to stabilise it. The second issue most people will not face in the city but it did leave me asking for another gear every time the car went over 80 kmph of speed.

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 8.2/10

• Design and Build: 7/10
• Features and Tech: 8/10
• Performance: 6/10
• Comfort and Space: 9/10
• Fuel Efficiency: 7/10

First reviewed in October 2025.