The Japanese carmaker has unveiled its first electric car in India, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella. The Urban Cruiser Ebella is the Toyota Version of the upcoming Maruti e Vitara, and will compete with the Hyundai Creta Electric, Mahindra BE 6, Tata Curvv EV, MG ZS EV, and VinFast VF6. With up to 543 km range, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella is offered with two battery pack options and offers amenities like a panoramic glass roof and a Level-2 ADAS safety suite. Here is everything you need to know about the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella: Dimensions and Design
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella is 4,285 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, 1,640 tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm.
While the Urban Cruiser Ebella bears close resemblance to the Maruti e Vitara, the front end differs a little and looks sleeker, thanks to a differently designed headlamp cluster, which houses monopod triangular LED headlamps and segment DRLs, connected by a thick blacked-out grille section. Compared to the Maruti e-Vitara, the front bumper is smoother and is flanked by vertical air ducts. Unlike the Maruti e-Vitara, the Urban Cruiser Ebella does not feature fog lamps. Like most SUVs of today, chunky black body cladding covers the bottom of the Urban Cruiser Ebella, and like the Maruti e Vitara, the rear door handles are in the C-pillars, as the Toyota electric SUV sits on 18-inch aerodynamically designed alloy wheels. The sloping roofline gives it a coupe SUV effect that, along with the absence of roof rails, agrees well with the curvy silhouette. At the back, like the headlamps, the tail lamps are segmented, but are not connected by any light bar, like most modern SUVs.
As far as colour options are concerned, there are five monotone and four dual-tone colour options. The monotone options include Cafe White, Bluish Black, Gaming Grey, Sportin Red and Enticing Silver. The dual-tone options include a black roof with Cafe White, Land Breeze Green, Sportin Red and Enticing Silver. Accessory options are also available, consisting of side moulding, garnishes, rear camera upgrades, and exterior detailing.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella: Interior and Features
On the inside, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella is completely identical to the Maruti e Vitara, barring the Toyota logo on the steering. There is a dual-tone black and tan interior theme, leatherette upholstery, and a two-spoke leatherette wrapped squarish steering wheel. The layered dashboard has a dual-screen panel for a 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and large, squarish AC vents with brushed aluminium surrounds. It is important to appreciate Toyota for opting for physical buttons for HVAC instead of integrating these controls in touchscreen.
In terms of features, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella offers a 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, sliding, reclining, and 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats, 12-colour ambient lighting, a JBL sound system, 10-way adjustable driver’s seat, panoramic Glass Roof, ventilated front seats, wireless charger, 360-degree camera, and more.
For the safety equipment, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella offers 7 airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, and an electronic parking brake, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), electronic stability control, acoustic vehicle alert system (AVAS), front and rear parking sensors, a Level-2 ADAS safety suite, and more.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella: Battery and Range
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella is offered with two battery pack options. A 49-kWh battery connected to a front axle-mounted electric motor produces 144 PS power and 189 Nm peak torque, and offers a claimed range of 440 km. A 61-kWh battery connected to a front axle-mounted electric motor produces 174 PS power and 189 Nm peak torque, and offers a claimed range of 543 km.
The base E1 variant is available with the smaller 49 kWh battery pack, and the E2 and E3 variants are available with the larger 61 kWh battery pack.
Toyota says that it will sell the Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella with a BaaS (Battery As A Service) rental scheme, like the one seen with MG electric cars.
Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella: Price and Rivals
The Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella is expected to be priced at Rs. 18 to 21 lakh (ex-showroom), and it will rival the Hyundai Creta Electric, Tata Curvv EV, Mahindra BE 6, VinFast VF6, and MG ZS EV.
