The new Toyota Urban Cruiser is a Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30 rivalling EV

First the Mk1 Ford Escort RS, and now the erm… Toyota Urban Cruiser. It’s been a big day for carmakers bringing back iconic nameplates from the past.

Okay, maybe the slightly strange-looking, Qashqai-rivalling crossover thing from the late 2000s didn’t exactly establish itself as a household name in Europe, but at least Urban Cruiser is a better moniker than the one Toyota gave its larger EV SUV. Yeah, we’re looking at you, bZ4X.

Anyway, the new Urban Cruiser is the Toyota-badged twin of the recently unveiled Suzuki e-Vitara, and it’s here to try and nab some sales from cars like the Kia EV3, the Volvo EX30, the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Skoda Elroq, the Peugeot e-2008 (and its Stellantis siblings) and the new Ford Puma Gen-E. Plenty of competition, then.

Both the e-Vitara and the Urban Cruiser sit on a new, dedicated electric platform and, like the Suzuki, the Toyota will be offered with either a 49kWh or a 61kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery. There are no projected range figures just yet, but Toyota has said the 49kWh car will get a 142bhp front-wheel drive setup, while the larger battery can be had with 172bhp and front-wheel drive or 181bhp and all-wheel drive. 

The exterior design was previewed by the Urban SUV Concept in December last year, and Toyota describes the look as “impactful” and says the Urban Cruiser has an “authentic SUV character, communicated by a powerful lower body section”. Wheels will be 18 or 19in depending on spec and you’ll be able to have it with a contrasting black roof. Oh, and although it looks quite chunky it’s actually only slightly larger than the Toyota Yaris Cross.

Despite that, the new platform allows for an extra 140mm in the wheelbase compared to the Yaris Cross, meaning there should be a fair bit more room inside. The rear bench slides to aid legroom even further, and up front you get a very similar look to the e-Vitara with a 10.25in digital dash and 10.1in infotainment screen. All Urban Cruisers will come with a heat pump as standard and we’re told that all trims in the UK will include a pre-collision system, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree parking camera and lane keep assist.

Toyota still plans to have six EVs using dedicated platforms on sale in Europe by 2026, but with just the bZ4X and now this Urban Cruiser so far it’s certainly looking like it’ll be a busy 2025.