All-new Toyota Urban Cruiser revealed for 2025

Electric Vehicles  New Launches 

A new year is often accompanied by new resolutions. We’ve all got our own ideas on ways to make changes and try to improve on the way we do things over the coming year. Well, almost all of us. If the unveiling of the upcoming new Toyota Urban Cruiser is any indication, Toyota’s resolution is to keep doing exactly what it's always done and just be better from the start.

The all-new, all-electric Toyota Urban Cruiser made its first public appearance at the Brussels Motor Show at the beginning of January ahead of an expected UK launch towards the end of this summer.

The fact this is just an early peek is both good and bad.

It’s good because we can start to get an idea of what to expect from this compact SUV when it joins the rest of the Toyota lineup available to lease from Gateway2Lease. On the other hand, it’s bad because with the official launch is still six months or so away we have very few concrete details to share with you.

Not that that’s ever stopped us from taking an educated stab in the dark.

Behind the scenes, we do know that the new Toyota Urban Cruiser is part of a joint venture with Suzuki. It shares a platform and powertrain with the Suzuki e Vitara, another new all-electric compact SUV recently unveiled and due to launch in the UK around the same time as the Urban Cruiser. The shared platform is a convenient way to improve manufacturing efficiency while still giving the two brands freedom to modify the styling of the body that sits on top of it.

In the case of the Toyota Urban Cruiser that means a contemporary, tech-influenced design.

The front features a “hammerhead” look with its upwardly curved grille and slim headlight units that are a signature detail for a new generation of Toyota models. It might look like it’s smiling but don’t let that distract you from what is actually quite a rugged and aggressive front end with chunky corners and sharp lines.

It’s the same story from pretty much every angle too.



The side profile reveals more sharp lines to accentuate the rugged shape while the sloped rear window and flowing roofline add a little of that ‘cool urban’ styling that the name implies. The rear end completes the look with wide shoulders that drop off almost vertically to meet the wheels, a chunky bumper befitting the off-road feel of an SUV, and a wrap-around light bar connecting the rear light clusters across the full width of the tailgate.

Being a compact SUV doesn’t restrict the practicality though.

There’s plenty of space for both passengers and stuff, and a sliding rear seat arrangement means you can get the best of both worlds – impressive rear legroom to rival any of its competitors as well as a roomy and practical boot space. You can also choose from 12 different ambient lights settings to change the feel of the interior.

Up front, the slightly lowered horizontal instrument panel and elevated seating provides an excellent all-round view from behind the wheel. Alongside the 10.25-inch driver’s display the dashboard also features a 10.1-inch infotainment system with the two screens seamlessly integrated into a single unit that spans half the dashboard.

The infotainment system offers easy smartphone integration – an essential part of the overall urban-tech feel of the Urban Cruiser. Toyota’s list of premium features also includes a 360-degree camera, JBL sound system, electrically-adjusted driver’s seat, and a fixed sunroof. There’s also an extensive list of safety and driver assistance systems that will come as standard.

And as we said earlier, all of that sits on top of a lightweight new platform designed specifically for a battery EV.

Two battery options for Urban Cruiser

At launch the new Toyota Urban Cruiser will be available with two battery pack options. The least powerful option will come with a 49kWh battery and a single motor providing around 140bhp to the front wheels. The larger option offers a 61kWh battery to increase the power to around 170bhp.

There’s also an AWD option Toyota refers to as “according to market” that adds a second motor to the rear axle and an extra dose of power to take the total up to 182bhp. AWD models will also be fitted with additional selectable drive modes - Trail and Snow for extra assistance in slippery conditions – and a hill descent control system.

We don’t have any official figures yet but the Urban Cruiser’s range should be somewhere in the region of 250 miles on a full charge and charging times should at least be comparable with any of Toyota’s rivals in the compact SUV segment.

If you’re interested, Toyota does have an option on its website to sign up for further updates ahead of the launch. Alternatively, watch this space because you can pretty much guarantee we’ll be shouting about it when the all-new Toyota Urban Cruiser becomes available to lease later in the year.

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