The Urban Cruiser is what Toyota's European design studio sees as the future for sport utility vehicles. European city streets are generally narrower than those in the U.S., and gas is very expensive, so it follows that a European SUV would be a runt by American standards.
Toyota says the trapezoidal shapes in the SUV's doors, grille and bumper area are Toyota design elements. This must be exclusively European styling, because no Toyota SUVs in the U.S. carry similar markings. Beyond the trapezoids, the body carries a number of creases, curves and a few chrome accents.
Toyota calls out the wheel arches as a unique styling touch because they disguise the vehicle's "relatively long wheelbase." No exterior specifications were available, but the word "stunted" springs to mind when viewing the wheelbase. So either the SUV is tiny, or the wheel arches are doing a fabulous job.
Overall, the SUV maintains the basic two-box design, even if those boxes are a little smaller and a little more creased than usual.
The interior is where the Urban Cruiser really branches out, borrowing cues from modern furniture. There's a nice blend of organic shapes and some metal bits. Toyota says the new seats are both comfortable and save space over conventional designs.
Another interesting touch is the navigation system. Its information is projected onto an integrated transparent curved screen in the center console. It appears to be a more seamless integration of the system than is found in other vehicles. |
— Reported by
Bill Jackson, cars.com;
images courtesy of the manufacturer |
