The newly launched Toyota Urban Cruiser is the latest entrant in the compact SUV segment. The Toyota Urban Cruiser is the latest model to be introduced under the Toyota-Suzuki joint venture. The new compact SUV from Toyota is essentially a rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, and is available in three variants - Mid, High and Premium. Kia marked its debut in the compact SUV segment with the launch of the Sonet sub-four metre SUV. The Kia Sonet is available in two trim lines – Tech-Line which offers HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, and HTX+ variants; and the first-in-segment GT-Line with GTX+ variant. Read below to learn more about the key feature differences between the two models.

Exterior

The Toyota Urban Cruiser gets dual chamber LED projector headlamps with chrome accents which is complemented by two-slat wedge cut front grille with chrome surround and grey finish. The LED fog lamps get chrome accents. To further enhance the style quotient, the vehicle gets dual function LED DRLs and turn indicators in the headlamps. As for sides, the vehicle gets gun metal grey coloured roof rails and 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels. Toyota offers dual-tone colour options in the top-spec ‘Premium’ variant. The dual tone colour options include – spunky blue with sizzling black roof, along with special dual-tone colours – rustic brown with sizzling black roof, and groovy orange with sunny white roof.

To reiterate the ‘Wild by Design’ theme, the Kia Sonet gets the distinctive crown jewel LED headlamps. Additionally, it gets signature tiger nose grille and a three-dimensional ‘stepwell’ geometric grille mesh. The rear section gets heartbeat LED tail lamps and dual muffler design with diffuser fin skid plates for a distinctive appeal. The vehicle will be introduced with a set of crystal cut alloy wheels for a sporty and premium appeal.

Interior

The Toyota Urban Cruiser gets premium dark fabric seats and dual tone interior theme. The vehicle gets leather wrapped steering wheel, a seven-inch Smart Playcast touchscreen audio system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and smartphone-based navigation. Additionally, the vehicle offers front centre sliding armrest with storage, four-door speakers and two tweeters, upper cooled glove box, and five-colour combimeter vibe lights.

In an effort to offer easy access to new features, the Kia Sonet gets a minimalistic centre console. The vehicle offers several first-in-segment features, such as a 10.25-inch HD touchscreen and a navigation system with UVO Connected technologies, BOSE premium seven-speaker system with LED sound mood lights, and ventilated front seats. Additionally, it gets a 4.2-inch colour instrument cluster and 392-litres of boot space.

Engine

Mechanically, the Toyota Urban Cruiser is powered by a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engineto produce 103bhp and 138Nm of torque. This engine comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission and a four-speed automatic unit. All automatic variants receive an advanced lithium-ion battery and an integrated starter generator. The manual variant returns a fuel efficiency figure of 17.03kmpl, while the automatic variant has a fuel efficiency figure of 18.76kmpl.

The Kia Sonet is available in two petrol engine options - a 1.2-litre and a 1.0-litre T-GDI, while the 1.5-litre diesel engine is available in two power tunes. The 1.2-litre petrol engine comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission to produce 81bhp at 6,300rpm and 115Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. The 1.0-litre T-GDI petrol engine produces 117bhp at 6,000rpm and 172Nm of torque between 1,500 – 4,000rpm. This engine is available in six-speed iMT and seven-DCT option. The 1.5 CRDI WGT engine with a six-speed manual transmission produces 97bhp at 4,000rpm and 240Nm of torque between 1,500 – 2,750rpm. The 1.5-litre CRDI VGT engine comes mated to a six-speed automatic transmission to produce 112bhp at 4,000rpm and 250Nm of torque between 1,500 - 2,750rpm.

Conclusion

All three variants of the Toyota Urban Cruiser are available in both manual and automatic transmission options. Moreover, it is backed by Toyota’s quality and good after sales service support. The Kia Sonet is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The Sonet offers several segment-first features and is indeed a strong competitor in its segment.