Toyota’s latest badge-engineered providing is a compact crossover primarily based on the Fronx.
Between Could 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024, a whopping 44 % of Toyota’s complete gross sales got here from rebadged Maruti merchandise just like the Baleno-based Glanza, Grand Vitara-based Hyryder and Ertiga-based Rumion. This mannequin clearly appears to be working for Toyota, and now, there’s a fourth Maruti-based providing, known as the Toyota City Cruiser Taisor.
Toyota Taisor design
This latest Toyota is a badge-engineered Fronx, which is a good-looking automotive to start with owing to its crossover-esque stance and coupe-like roofline that exert critical attraction. Moreover, Toyota designers have performed a neat job by seamlessly integrating design components that firmly hyperlink it to different fashions from the Japanese model. For instance, its DRLs are much like the Hyryder and the grille, with its honeycomb sample, is much like the pre-facelift Innova Crysta. Because of this, the Taisor appears to be like prefer it is part of the Toyota household when seen from the entrance.
In the event you look carefully, the LEDs within the tail-lights within the outer and tailgate part don’t appear to match.
In comparison with the Fronx, its 16-inch alloys sport a unique design, and on the rear, the outer part of the tail-lamps with C-shaped LEDs are new. The linked LEDs on the tailgate are equivalent to the Fronx, and once you look carefully, the LEDs within the tail-lights within the outer and tailgate part don’t appear to match.
Toyota Taisor inside
In contrast to the surface, the place the Taisor does get an id of its personal, the interiors are bereft of any important differentiation – they’re equivalent to the Fronx by way of the design, color, high quality and even fit-finish. However it’s nonetheless a smart-looking design and the brown-black colors add some vibrancy to the cabin. Ergonomics are spot on – all of the controls are simply inside attain, and there is loads of adjustment to search out the proper driving place. There’s even an adjustable armrest console to get comfy with.
In contrast to the surface, the interiors are bereft of any important differentiation from the Fronx.
The Taisor is spacious and its rear bench is comfy. What’s good is that there are three particular person adjustable headrests and three-point seatbelts too. Sadly, like Maruti, even Toyota doesn’t give load sensors on the again, so even when nobody’s right here, you’ll have to hold the seatbelts fixed. In any other case, the rear seatbelt reminder will annoy you for about 90 seconds initially of each journey.
By way of tools, it packs in a heads-up show, auto LED headlamps, cruise management, a 9-inch touchscreen with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wi-fi charging, rear air-con vents and extra. It additionally packs in a helpful 360-degree digital camera, nonetheless, its decision and show high quality leaves lots to be desired. What’s good, although, is that ESP, hill-start help and ABS with EBD are normal throughout the vary; facet and curtain airbags are reserved for the upper turbo variants.
Toyota Taisor Efficiency
Just like the Fronx, the Toyota Taisor is obtainable with a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed guide and automatic guide transmission (AMT), and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol mated to both a 5-speed guide or 6-speed automated. What’s attention-grabbing is that whereas Toyota instructions a slight premium for the 1.2-litre variants over its Maruti counterpart, the turbo variants are priced at par with the Fronx turbo, with the identical options record. This technique appears to have been adopted to push turbo petrol gross sales within the Taisor, because it contributes lower than 10 % to the Fronx’s gross sales. And in Toyota’s case, it appears to be working because the turbo accounts for almost 45 % of Taisor’s complete gross sales.
The Taisor’s 1.0-litre Boosterjet is among the nicest small capability turbo-petrol items round.
Talking of its 1.0-litre engine, it is among the nicest small capability turbo-petrol items by way of smoothness, efficiency, linearity, in addition to refinement. It feels responsive, revs freely and it spins so eagerly that once you’re driving with verve, the 6,000rpm limiter feels a bit too conservative. There’s a mild-hybrid system too which offers electrical increase to this engine when underneath load, however the distinction is negligible and also you’ll have to take a look at the animation on the MID to know when this mild-hybrid system is at work.
The 6-speed torque converter is easy in its operation. It isn’t an enthusiastic unit per se, because the upshifts are fairly sluggish. Nevertheless, what driving fans will respect is the truth that this gearbox provides you full management in guide mode; it doesn’t upshift robotically. Additionally, the paddle shifters reply to inputs somewhat obediently.
Trip is just a little busy at low speeds.
We timed the Toyota Taisor too, and it sprinted from 0-100kph in 11.86 seconds. For reference, the timing is much like the 120hp Kia Sonet DCT’s 11.94 seconds. Nevertheless, its rolling acceleration instances from 20-80kph and 40-100kph of 6.95 seconds and eight.49 seconds, respectively, are much like the quickest compact SUV available in the market, the 131hp Mahindra XUV 3XO.
At low speeds, the Taisor’s journey high quality feels a bit busy resulting from its stiff suspension setup. On the flipside, it feels steady and assured at triple digit speeds. The steering is mild, turning radius is tight and despite the fact that it isn’t bristling with really feel or suggestions, the Taisor feels fairly participating to drive.
Toyota Taisor verdict
With the Taisor, the Japanese model has opened its showroom to a wider set of patrons, lots of whom are first-time Toyota patrons. The Fronx is a basically sorted automotive to start with, and the Taisor carries ahead these strengths reminiscent of its spacious and sensible cabin, prolonged tools record, and its participating driving manners – turbo-petrol or naturally aspirated petrol, take your choose. Toyota additionally offers a three-year normal guarantee, whereas its Maruti counterpart offers a two-year guarantee, though it’s value mentioning that each provide prolonged guarantee as much as the fifth yr. Therefore, between the Maruti Fronx and Toyota Taisor, the deciding issue is their design and a person’s model desire, by way of gross sales expertise and proximity to a service heart. However whichever you choose, these are compact crossovers you’ll be able to’t go unsuitable with.
Additionally see:
Toyota Innova Crysta, Fortuner, Hilux despatches quickly on maintain in India
Toyota Rumion assessment: Innova’s new sibling
