| Week at the Wheel | Toyota Urban Cruiser |

Inside & Out:

As is the norm with these smaller SUVs the Urban Cruiser looks like a steroidal, square, small hatchback. Toyota's designers have managed to carry the look off and their baby SUV shares the same muscular appearance as its larger relative. It's not quite a Land Cruiser post boil-wash but it's a better effort than many. Chromed rims add a small amount of drama to the package to boost the bling factor.

On the inside things are rather more subdued and conventional. The driving position isn't great: the steering wheel lacks the necessary adjustment to lift it clear of the driver's legs, leaving the wheel almost in their lap. It mars the driving experience quite badly as one ends up hunched over the wheel in a style akin to Donkey Kong in Mario Kart. Depending on your frame you may also find that the seats lack support.

These issues aside the controls are light and smooth and good to use and it's Toyota business as usual with simple mouldings and materials very well screwed together. Only the dashboard stands out as something different with the rev counter integrated into the last third of the speedometer - the needles actually sweep towards each other and the whole thing sits in a large silver bezel flanked by two smaller areas that house the warning lights, fuel gauges and the like. It's different, for sure.

Engine & Transmission:

The 1.4-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine (a 1.33-litre petrol unit is the other choice) is a good partner for the Urban Cruiser. Boasting 89bhp and 151lb.ft of torque - the latter available from 1,800- to 2,800rpm - and backed up by good economy it's a willing little powerplant. As usual the output figures don't reflect the driving experience and real world performance is more than acceptable. Engine noise is a little louder than it perhaps should be but Toyota has managed to endow it with a workman like thrummy soundtrack that is in no way unpleasant.

Ride & Handling:

Thankfully off-roader looks don't bring an uncompromised off-roader chassis and the Urban Cruiser is a competent handler on the road, where it will spend its days. The ride quality isn't as good as it could - and perhaps should - be and it fidgets around town rather more than we would like. The four-wheel drive system doesn't generally make itself felt and we didn't have opportunity to test it out as road conditions were good and green laning wasn't on the agenda. Obviously the Urban Cruiser is not intended to be a hardcore off-roader but in certain conditions all-wheel drive can be advantageous.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

A price of £16k makes the Urban Cruiser rather an expensive proposition compared to rivals like the Suzuki SX4, but isn't too far removed from others such as the (much larger) Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Yeti. The Toyota's official combined consumption of almost 60mpg is hard to reproduce as you'd expect - we managed nearer to 45mpg in our week of mixed driving conditions. However, it does yield a CO₂ figure of only 130g/km and the low taxation that such a result brings with it. One thing that isn't ever in doubt with a Toyota is rock solid reliability and quality, while the low insurance group, lengthy service intervals and warranty should equate to long and carefree ownership experience.

Overall:

The people at Toyota show signs of breaking free of their conservative tendencies, in niche models at any rate. The Urban Cruiser is a useful addition to the range and one that aligns with the current market demand well. While the 1.4-litre D4-D engine is the choice of available units, we'd question the inclusion of four-wheel drive. Without it perhaps Toyota could drop the price a little, as that's a sticking point.