Take a look at all the Toyota SUVs and get to know what made them popular in the Indian market
Toyota might have been conservative for the Indian car market to date. But when it comes to SUVs, the Japanese carmaker has given us a handful of desirable SUVs across various shapes and sizes. Here’s a quick overview of all the SUVs offered by Toyota in India to date.
Toyota Urban Cruiser
Over the years, Toyota also shook hands with Suzuki and brought new rebadged vehicles to the Indian market
Toyota already has its own sub-four meter compact SUV ‘Raize’ in other global markets. For the Indian car market, the Japanese carmaker chose a different path altogether. Toyota introduced the Vitara Brezza from Maruti Suzuki by rebadging it under the partnership of two brands. It led to the birth of the Toyota Urban Cruiser.
Compared to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the Toyota Urban Cruiser has a slightly different front-end with a bolder looking grille and fog lamp housings. These changes were made to make the Toyota Urban Cruiser look more like a Toyota car. Apart from these minor tweaks, the Urban Cruiser looks the same as Vitara Brezza in and out.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser gets a 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, same as the Vitara Brezza. Available with a mild-hybrid system as standard, the engine produces 105 PS of maximum power and 138 Nm of maximum torque. The Toyota Urban Cruiser is available with a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic gearbox just like the Vitara Brezza.
The Urban Cruiser has become quite popular in the market. Toyota has played with the variants and offers a longer warranty than the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, which attracts a lot of customers.
Toyota Fortuner
Toyota SUVs have a grand history in India
Easily the most popular and highest-selling SUV in its segment from Toyota in India, the Fortuner needs no introduction. Currently available in its global third-generation, the Toyota Fortuner entered India when it was in its second generation in the global markets. In 2009, Toyota introduced the Fortuner to the Indian market as a competitor to the Ford Endeavour.
The Toyota Fortuner became an instant hit, as people loved the butch stance, tractable and reliable diesel engine and low maintenance costs, especially for an SUV of its size. The desirability quotient of the Fortuner increased even more with the second-generation model that was introduced in 2016. The Fortuner become sleek, sportier and even better equipped than before.
Their products like Fortuner have aged really well in India
Toyota introduced the updated second-generation Fortuner with a facelift last year. With the new facelift, Toyota now also offers the Legender, which is the sportier-looking version of the Fortuner. It shares the same powertrain with the standard model.
The latest iteration of the Toyota Fortuner is on sale in India with two powertrain options – a 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which produces 165 PS of power and 245 Nm of torque, and a 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that pumps out 204 PS of power and 500 Nm of torque.
These engine options are available with 6-speed manual and automatic gearbox options, with the diesel engine also available in the optional four-wheel-drive system.
The Fortuner remains the king of the segment with the highest sales numbers. Currently, the MG Gloster competes with the Fortuner and Ford has exited the Indian market and the Endeavour is not available in the market anymore.
The SUV remains the favourite in the market because of its reliability, maintenance cost and value in the used car market. Toyota Fortuner holds more value in the used car market compared to any other car, which makes it a favourite among many.
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is not available in India from 2020 owing to the arrival of BS6 emission norms. However, the SUV was a popular option in India owing to the ‘Toyota’ brand name and the imposing road presence it offered.
The luxurious and reliable SUV became an upgrade for many Toyota Fortuner buyers. In fact, it is quite popular among the politicians and businessmen in India.
Want to know more about the Toyota SUVs and their history in India?
The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado came in India with the third-generation model, with petrol and diesel engine options. However, the fourth-generation model was launched in India solely with a tractable diesel engine with an automatic gearbox.
Powering the last iteration of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was a 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which produced a maximum power output of 173 PS and a maximum torque output of 410 Nm. This engine was available solely with a 5-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive system as standard.
Toyota Land Cruiser
The Toyota Land Cruiser is the biggest and boldest SUV Toyota has ever produced. The flagship SUV of Toyota was available in India between 2007 and 2020. Toyota discontinued the popular choice in the Indian market after the implementation of the BS6 emission norms. Few people in India also imported the erstwhile J80 and J100 versions much before the official launch of the J200 in India. This shows the popularity of the massive SUV in the Indian market.
Sold between 2007 to 2020, the Toyota Land Cruiser LC 200 served as the range-topping vehicle from Toyota in India. The SUV also received two major facelifts in the course of its existence in India, which included both exterior and interior tweaks.
Powering the India-spec Toyota Land Cruiser LC 200 was a 4.5-litre four-cylinder V8 diesel engine. Toyota offered it with a 6-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive as standard. While the maximum power output of the Land Cruiser’s engine is 265 PS, the peak torque output is 650 Nm.
Bonus Cars
Toyota Innova
Even the cars like Toyota Innova that has been around for years now has evolved very well in the market
Launched first in 2005, the Toyota Innova has received multiple changes since then. Toyota introduced the Innova as the replacement for the Qualis in the Indian market and there is no other car in the segment that could challenge the MPV.
The current iteration is the Innova Crysta facelift that arrived first in 2016. It is an undisputed choice among MPVs, and despite its significant price hikes over all these years, it is still the best selling MPV at its price.
The Toyota Innova is currently available with two engine options – a 2.7-litre petrol engine (165 PS of power and 245 Nm of torque) and a 2.4-litre diesel engine (150 PS of power and 343 Nm of torque). Both these engine options are available with 6-speed manual and automatic transmission options.
It is one of the most spacious cars in the segment. The rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame chassis make it a very comfortable vehicle, especially for the passengers in the rear seats. The Innova Crysta does not have a long list of features. However, the MPV wins on the USP of comfort and space! Just like the Fortuner, the Toyota Innova Crysta also holds onto its used car market value for years.
Toyota Hilux
Toyota is bringing new vehicles to the Indian market including the world-famous Hilux
Toyota has already revealed the Hilux for the Indian market. However, the brand is yet to announce the prices. Toyota plans to begin deliveries in March 2022 and announce the prices just before that. The brand has stopped taking fresh bookings at the moment due to overwhelming response from the market.
The lifestyle pickup truck commands immense respect for its incredible reliability around the world. The Toyota Hilux for India is confirmed to have a 2.8-lite diesel engine from the Fortuner, which produces 204 PS of power and 500 Nm of torque. Even the 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions come from the Fortuner.
Upcoming Toyota SUVs
Make sure that you SWIPE UP and get a glimpse on the upcoming Toyota vehicles too
While Toyota hasn’t confirmed anything, the Japanese carmaker is preparing to launch the updated Urban Cruiser on the lines of the all-new Vitara Brezza. Toyota is also evaluating the possibilities to bring the all-new J300 Land Cruiser, which has already arrived in many global markets. However, due to the supply chain issues and shortage in semiconductors, it has a waiting period of over four years in the Japanese market alone.
Keyword: Toyota SUV Cars In India