Looking for love... Toyota's reborn Urban Cruiser

A shortfall of style, limited cabin space and underwhelming dynamics made the original Toyota Urban Cruiser a little-loved addition to the Japanese carmaker’s range which was discontinued after three years on sale.

Now the Urban Cruiser nameplate is back, attached to the boot of a car developed largely by Suzuki as part of a partnership which has seen versions of the Corolla and Rav4 sold by both carmakers.

It competes in a red-hot segment, taking on the likes of Citroen’s affordable e-C3 Aircross, the cheerily retro Renault 4 and Kia’s impressive EV3.

Prices start at £33,495 for the Design trim tested here and £35,745 for Excel model, with both featuring a 61kWh battery and a 264-mile driving range.

The Design is well-equipped, featuring a 10.1-inch infotainment system, 10.25-inch digital instrument display, heated front seats and steering wheel.

Its climate control system also features a heat pump as standard, helping to preserve energy and accelerate the cabin’s heating.

A raft of standard driver assistance systems includes blind spot monitoring, a rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control and road sign recognition.

Unfortunately, the operating system of the Urban Cruiser’s infotainment system lacks the speed of operation and straightforward operation of the best in class.

Despite a lack of steering wheel reach adjustment, the cabin design and materials look and feel good, aligning more closely to Toyota than anything previously launched by Suzuki.

In the back, there is plenty of room for adult occupants if you shift the sliding rear seats to their rearmost position. However, this reduces the boot to a fairly derisory 265 litres. Even with the seats slid forwards, the 310-litre space falls short of most rivals.

Outside, the Urban Cruiser is only really differentiated from the Suzuki e-Vitara from the front wheels forward, where you will find Toyota’s distinctive “hammerhead” face.

Dynamically, however, there is little trace of the driver appeal Toyota has brought to recent models.

While the steering is well weighted and power delivery is smooth, the suspension falls short of the class standard.

Most at home in urban environments and smooth A-roads. I guess the clue is in its name. On more rural routes the ride is readily undone by potholes and undulations, which elicit somewhat untamed bouncing.

In design terms, the Urban Cruiser is streets away from its staid forebear and the build quality in evidence stands up well to Toyota’s usual high standards.

Unfortunately, in this instance, the partnership between Toyota and Suzuki has yielded a vehicle that is not without compromise.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Design

Price: £33,495

Engine: 61kWh battery

Power: 172bhp

Torque: 193Nm

Transmission: single-speed

Top Speed: 93mph

0-62mph: 8.7 seconds

Range: 264 miles (WLTP combined)

CO2 emissions: 0g/km