Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella First Drive Review: The Sensible Man’s EV

You know it's a big deal when one of the largest automakers in the world, Toyota, enters the electric mobility space. The brand has largely championed hybrids and fuel cell technology and has been rather cautious about electric mobility. But it understands that having EVs is now important and aims to spread its portfolio to a much diverse customer base. And that's where the new Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella comes in. This is the first EV to be co-developed by Suzuki and Toyota. The Maruti Suzuki e Vitara and the UC EBella are essentially badge-engineered cousins. While we’ve driven the e Vitara and told you about its pros and cons, it’s now time to find out if Toyota does things differently. Is the EBella better, different, or simply another option? Read on to find out.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Design

The Urban Cruiser e-Bella shares its underpinnings with the e Vitara, both are based on the Heartect-e platform and are built at Suzuki's Sanand facility for India and the world. But the design language over here is completely different. This is Toyota's ‘hammerhead’ global design language. You see it on the Camry in India, but here I think it gives a completely new look to the SUV.

Compared to the e Vitara, this is a much cleaner design. The bonnet is nice and long. You have this nice piano black closed-off grille over here and the bumper actually is much nicer. body coloured, less body cladding and even a piano black finish on the lower section where there are air intakes. This is a more urban-esque SUV over the rugged styling on the Maruti EV. The headlamp styling is clutter-free but I am not a fan of the LED DRLs. The ice cube shape is very 2000s-like, and should have been more futuristic. The front profile also misses out on any dynamic element that grabs your attention on the EBella, making it a rather dull design. Toyota should’ve opted for more dramatic elements which would resonate better with its EV positioning.

The car has nearly the same proportions as the e Vitara and you can see it in the silhouette as well. The cladding remains the same and the 18-inch alloy wheels with aero covers have been carried over as well. Toyota should’ve opted for a different set on the EBella. The pronounced wheel arches lend a muscular feel, while the rear door handles are integrated into the C-pillar, same as the e Vitara. That said, the only way to tell that this is a Toyota model from the side is the ‘BEV’ badge that you see on the front fender, which is not available on the e Vitara. In case you were wondering, the charging flap is placed on the front-left fender.

The taillights also get the ice-cube theme, much like the LED DRLs. There are no connected lights, and that certainly is not a shortcoming from my end. The bumper gets a clutter-free appearance, much like the front, making for a simple and clean design overall. The EBella scores high on the right proportions and a different visual identity, but it sorely misses out on style lacking a standout element.  

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Interior 

Barring the badge that you see on the steering wheel, there's nothing that will tell you that this is in fact the EBella and not the e Vitara. This is rather common between the badge-engineered cars of Suzuki and Toyota. You continue to get the same dual-tone finish in the cabin, while the seats are upholstered in leatherette and fabric. The front seats get ventilation and the driver's seat is 10-way electrically adjustable. There is also a half sunroof, which is decently big, if not a complete panoramic unit. There’s also a 10.1-inch digital console and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, while the rest of the switches are placed on the centre console, including the gear selector.

I like the fact that there are physical buttons for climate control. There’s also a knob for volume, and the tactile feel is nice to see. You also get wireless charging, two cupholders, terrain modes, and a dedicated button for changing drive modes. However, Toyota, and by extension Maruti Suzuki, have missed out on giving a dedicated button for the ventilated seats, which are embedded into the climate control functions in the touchscreen. The same goes for regenerative braking, given there are no paddle shifters on the steering wheel. I am also not a fan of the user interface of the touchscreen unit. It’s not a bright one and feels dull to use. A brighter, and perhaps, more spirited UI would be exciting to interact with.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Rear Seat 

Moving to the rear seat, the space is good for three average-sized adults. Legroom is fine but under-thigh support could be better. The headroom also feels compromised for tall passengers. Given there’s a battery under the floorboard, you do sit in a slight knees-up position, which tends to compromise on under-thigh support. You do get headrests for all three passengers, as well as three-point seatbelts.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Safety

The EBella gets seven airbags including a knee airbag for the driver, disc brakes, 360-degree camera, electronic parking brake, and an acoustic vehicle alert system. There’s also Level 2 ADAS with Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Collision Alert System, and more. The SUV comes with ISOFIX anchorages on the rear seat.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Boot Capacity

The boot capacity is decent at 308 litres, but I would hardly call it generous. It’s good enough to hold two medium-sized bags at best.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Performance

The Urban Cruiser EBella is available in two battery pack options - 49 kWh and 61 kWh. Both get a single motor setup but the smaller battery pack produces 142 bhp and 193 Nm. We are driving the bigger battery pack option that’s more powerful at 172 bhp and 193 Nm. Performance is quite nice, especially in the sport mode. And if you are out on a highway, you will enjoy driving the car on well paved roads. Performance is quite brisk. This is a swift car and you will find very good acceleration. The steering is quite light at low speeds and weighs up just enough at high speeds. It’s not a very feedback rich steering wheel overall and I think that could’ve been done. Overall feedback could’ve been better in terms of driving dynamics.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Handling & Ride Quality

Handling is nice and does well for the most part, but this is not a very enthusiastic car. This is a family-oriented car and has a rather neutral appeal, and not something that is supposed to keep you entertained. That being said, the EBella has its good moments. Speeds build fast, the lower centre of gravity ensures cornering is sharp, and there is minimal body roll. However, all of this is great on good roads. The suspension is rather firm for a family SUV, and ride quality isn’t as plush as one would expect. This is quite disappointing considering Toyota makes some of the most well-equipped cars when it comes to the ride quality. Be it the Innova Hycross or the Camry, the suspension setup has always remained impressive.

On the Ebella, the suspension is firmly sprung, and is very European like. I understand the car will be exported there in good numbers, but it could’ve done with a more plush suspension setup for Indian roads. The rear suspension bounces a lot at low speeds, and you can feel the undulations transferring to you. The seat cushioning could’ve been better as well.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Battery Range & Regeneration

There are three regeneration modes but you do not feel the regen braking kicking in. There is no one-pedal driving here. You do not get paddle shifters either, which means changing regen modes on the move is not possible. Toyota claims a range of 543 km on a single charge with the bigger battery pack. We saw about 100 km consumed with 75 per cent to spare in our relatively short drive. This translates to a real-world range of about 400 km on full charge. We will test out this claim more effectively when we have the car for a complete road test.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Competition

The EBella balances out very well on performance and practicality, and scores high on function. Having said that, the competition is right up there when it comes to offering a little extra with their respective EVs. The Hyundai Creta Electric, Mahindra BE 6, and Tata Curvv EV are exceptional in many ways. What Toyota misses out on is bringing an X-Factor on the EBella, which should’ve been there when compared to competition. I think Toyota is being a little too cautious with their first EV, and could’ve done a lot more in making it stand out better.

Toyota is kicking off its electric mobility journey with over 500 EV-enabled service touchpoints. The company is offering an 8-year battery warranty and even battery as a service rental programme. And to further ease of purchase, there is a 60 per cent buyback assurance scheme after three years.

Toyota is expected to announce prices later this month. But not before Maruti discloses prices for the e Vitara. And we expect the new EBella to start from around 17 lakh rupees onwards, undercutting its rivals.

Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella: Verdict  

The Toyota Urban Cruiser EBella is the sensible man's EV. It's the right size, has the right number of features and even the right space inside is just the right amount for a family of five. What it misses out is the wow factor that I think could have done better for the car as a whole.Now as an EV and Toyota's first, this should have had some X-factor that I think is just missing on the car. It needs to be slightly louder and I do think that the competition right now is better prepared and better equipped in the segment. So while Toyota is here and will offer this, it needs to do slightly better with the EBella in terms of pricing to really make a mark. That's where the big difference will be.