Toyota HyryderUrban Cruiser Hyryder

What to know about the Hyryder

The Hyryder is the answer for a buyer who wants electric-car economy in traffic without changing how they refuel. The strong hybrid pairs a 1.46-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 114 bhp, and the car will creep through a junction, reverse into a parking slot and idle in a queue on battery alone, which is exactly where a conventional SUV burns fuel standing still.

Toyota’s warranty terms on the hybrid battery and the reliability record behind this powertrain are the second half of the sales pitch, and the seven airbags fitted as standard on every variant is a structural decision no other car here matches. The claimed 21 kmpl is the figure in this listing, and it is in city traffic, where a conventional SUV spends fuel simply standing still, that the hybrid system comes closest to beating it.

The trade-offs are pace, space and silence. The 122 Nm of engine torque is modest, the CVT turns overtaking into a high-revving negotiation once the battery has given what it has, boot space is reduced around the hybrid packaging, and the fan and the engine’s drone are audible under hard acceleration. At 1,795 mm across the mirrors it is also wider than the length suggests, so a basement ramp that swallows a Baleno will make you use the mirrors.

• Self-charging strong hybrid, no plug needed
• Seven airbags as standard on every variant
• Five-star crash structure