2025 Toyota Urban Cruiser prototype review

June 9, 2025 Matt Allan

We take an early spin in the 2025 Toyota Urban Cruiser to see how this compact crossover is shaping up

Toyota’s EV game has been slow to get going. The famously innovative Japanese brand only launched its first electric car – the bZ4X – in 2022 and we’ve been waiting for a follow-up ever since. Now, though, things are accelerating and along with an estate version of the bZ4X in 2026, the C-HR+ and Urban Cruiser are on their way.

The Urban Cruiser is due to arrive in the UK in early 2026 but EV Powered has been given access to a pre-production model to get an early impression of Toyota’s newest EV.

Toyota calls this a B-SUV – or compact SUV – which is a confusing segment. It covers everything from the £23,500 Vauxhall Frontera to £40,000 versions of the Kia EV3, and from 4m-long models like the Jeep Avenger to the near-4.5m Skoda Elroq.

We don’t know where it will sit within that price bracket, but we do know that physically, the Urban Cruiser sits somewhere in the middle. At 4.285m long it’s a good 20cm longer than a Jeep Avenger or Fiat 600e but around 15cm shorter than a Peugeot E-2008 and 25cm shorter than a Kia EV3.

We also know that, behind the Toyota badge, the Urban Cruiser is the product of a joint project with Suzuki and, under the skin, is the same as the Suzuki E Vitara. It’s not the first time the two Japanese brands have collaborated, but is this badge-sharing exercise the right way for Toyota to boost its EV offering?

Please note, this review is based on a pre-production prototype. We don’t expect massive changes between this and the final version, but we will wait to drive the production version before delivering a definitive verdict.

Design, interior and technology

Toyota says it wants the Urban Cruiser to have a robust and authentic SUV character. That’s shorthand for a tall body, boxy styling and black plastic cladding in all the usual places.

It’s a fairly standard approach and there’s not a huge amount to differentiate the Toyota from its myriad rivals. At the front, the bonnet has a more pronounced slope than some alternatives and Toyota has applied its hammerhead design, which means slimline headlights and a smoother bumper area than the fussy Vitara. Elsewhere the high belt line, hidden rear door handles and chunky bumpers are similar to many rivals.

The Urban Cruiser’s design doesn’t do much to stand out

Inside, things are bland but robust. As with a lot of Toyotas (and Suzukis) there’s a reliance on grey and black plastic and not much flair in the design. The dashboard is a fairly featureless stretch broken up by vertical air vents, and the centre console is a plain affair but with pleasantly simple controls and a handy lower-level storage area. Between them user-friendly physical switches manage the single-zone air conditioning.

While a touch dull to look at, everything even in this pre-production car feels built to last a lifetime – the dash is more solid than the Audi A6 e-tron I drove recently.

The Urban Cruiser also impresses with its interior space, particularly in the rear, where there’s room for an average adult behind a similar sized driver. That comes at the expense of boot space, though, which is just 238 litres. Sacrifice some legroom by sliding the rear bench forwards by up to 16cm and you boost that to 310 litres – enough for a weekly shop – but pretty meagre compared with most rivals.

On the technology front, the Urban Cruiser features a 10.25-digital instrument system that’s bright and clear, and a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen with built-in sat nav, connect services and wireless smartphone mirroring. Sadly, the touchscreen on our car was comically sluggish to respond and too many commonly used features were hidden in sub menus. These are prototype cars, so it’s possible the system will be improved, just don’t count on it.

2025 toyota urban cruiser interior image — The interior isn’t much more interesting to look at but is pleasingly easy to use and robust

Full specification details are still to be confirmed, but Toyota told us that the Urban Cruiser will also feature adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor and adaptive headlights alongside front and rear parking sensors and road sign assist.

Battery, motor and performance

In technical terms, the Urban Cruiser slots fairly centrally among rivals. There are three powertrains – two front-wheel-drive and one all-wheel-drive. Based on low demand for the AWD Yaris Cross, Toyota told us that the UK won’t be getting the AWD version.

That leaves us with the choice of a 49kWh (gross) battery mated to a 142bhp motor, which offers an expected range of 214 miles or a 59.8kWh (net) unit works with a 172bhp motor and predicted range of 265 miles. For reference, the EV3 comes with 58.3 or 81.4kWh, the Elroq offers 49, 59 or 77kWh, and the Stellantis crew come with 50kWh/134bhp or 54kWh/154bhp options.

Output figures for both powertrains are better than then equivalent Stellantis options, but the 201bhp Skoda and Kia offer more oomph. In fairness to the Urban Cruiser, the 172bhp option I drove feels punchy enough for its intended use. A 0-62mph time of 8.7 seconds isn’t quick, but there’s sufficient torque to allow easy motorway merging or nipping away from traffic lights.

Throttle input is nice and linear and the shift between energy recuperation and friction brakes is smooth. There are multiple levels of braking regeneration but, frustratingly, they have to be selected via a touchscreen sub-menu, with the centre console button merely activating or deactivating your chosen setting.

Perhaps more of an issue is the 63kW peak DC charging which delivers a 10-80% charge in 45 minutes. That is well behind the curve. Even the most basic Stellantis models manage 100kW and Kia and Skoda are north of 120kW. While owners might do most charging at home, that sluggishness could be frustrating on the go. More positively, every car gets a heat pump and battery preconditioning as standard.

Also working in the Urban Cruiser’s favour is a composed driving experience. Toyota tells us that the damping was calibrated by Suzuki but approved by Toyota’s engineers, and Suzuki’s gang have done a good job. On rough urban roads the Urban Cruiser smoothed out broken Tarmac and speed bumps well, but still felt pretty controlled on the motorway. Our test car definitely displayed some wind noise at motorway speeds but well within acceptable limits for this class of car. Others reported noticeable road noise from the tyres but our car didn’t throw up anything concerning.

The steering is surprisingly heavy for such an urban-focused car – perhaps too heavy – but that doesn’t mean sporty driving. Considering the market it’s aiming for the secure, stable feel demonstrated is more important than 10/10ths dynamics. That said, all cars feature torque vectoring designed to lessen understeer in fast corners.

Verdict

On first impressions, the Toyota Urban Cruiser is composed, comfortable and competent but technically limited.

How attractive it is and how easy it will be to recommend will rely heavily on cost. Toyota hasn’t given any indication of UK pricing yet, but rumours have circulated of anything between £27,000 and £33,000. At that lower figure, it’s competitive with the Renault 4, Fiat 600e and Jeep Avenger, at the top, you have everything from the EV3 and Elroq to the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

In Germany, prices start at €29,990 – €5,000 less than the entry-level EV3. If the same gap can be maintained in the UK, where EV3 starts at £33,000, then the Urban Cruiser makes reasonable sense. The compromises compared with the class-leading Elroq or EV3 can, to some extent be justified, and it can be viewed as a more spacious, more affordable alternative to models like the Jeep Avenger and Ford Puma Gen-E, or a cheaper rival to the larger E-2008.

However, it’s been suggested that the E Vitara could start at £33,000 and, historically, Toyota versions of shared projects have been more expensive. If that’s the case then the distinctly average range, slow charging and awkward infotainment could leave the Urban Cruiser as a lightweight among hard-hitting heavyweights.

We’ll update this review and how it slots into this packed market once we know more about the Urban Cruiser’s UK price and full specification.