We say A car that pre-empted the crossover explosion - and is a rare sight on UK roads. Not bad, but far from the best in the sector.Performance Two engines are available, a 1.3 litre petrol engine with 99bhp plus a 1.4 litre D-4D diesel with 89bhp, both come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. With either engine the car can reach a top speed of 109mph with 0-62mph acceleration time at 12.5 seconds.Emissions The petrol engine achieves a fuel economy of 50mpg, with CO2 emissions rated at 129g/km. The D-4D diesel improves these figures slightly with the fuel economy increased to 57mpg but CO2 emissions go up by 1g/km.Driving At lower speeds the Urban Cruiser needs full use of the gearbox to get moving, and in the countryside hills do take their toll. The handling is solid and slightly better with the lighter petrol engine.Feel The engine revs freely, feels peaky and likes to be pushed along. The drift of variable power from the front to rear axles feels seamless depending on demand.Space Has enough space inside for four adults and luggage. Compared to superminis it’s roomy but next to rival compact MPVs it falls short. The boot can capacitate 314 litres which is again considerably less than similar MPVs in the current market.Equipment Just one trim is available for the Urban Cruiser and with that you get features like Bluetooth, climate control and heated mirrors as standard. Some extra equipment like satellite navigation and leather steering wheel can be included as well. Its overall well equipped as standard and there are some nice extras to.Price Pricing range currently varies from £16,245 to £20,154.Quality Toyota has a good record in reliability so expect everything in the Urban Cruiser to be built together to a high standard.Safety Disappointingly the Urban Cruiser only received a three star rating in the Euro NCAP crash safety test. The Toyota does come with a lot of safety equipment including seven airbags, stability control and anti-lock brakes. However the biggest issue appears to be the side pole where the curtain airbag prevented hard contact with the passenger’s head.Pros Compact, chunky styling, decent handling, well equipped inside.Cons Its exact role is unclear and the name doesn’t exactly help, petrol engine needs to be worked hard on hills, safety and interior space falls short compared to rival MPVs.Alternatives Skoda Yeti, Citroen C3 Picasso, Kia Soul, Nissan Qashqai
