All Hands on Deck

The all-wheel-drive version of the Hyryder came to town and we just had to show it around

- Jim Gorde

THE TOYOTA URBAN CRUISER HYRYDER IS A good-looking car to behold but what's even better is the choice of four powertrains-hybrid, petrol manual FWD, automatic FWD, and this one, the petrol manual AWD. This packs the "neoDrive" 1.5-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine with a five-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive.

The Hyryder is Toyota's entry in the mid-size SUV segment, one that has become the most talked about and seen the most action of late, with entrants from across the world. At 4.365 millimetres long with a 2.6-metre-long wheelbase, it affords the comfort and space for four, even five passengers, with plenty of room for cargo. The 373-litre boot takes care of that.

Right, we've been in the hybrid before. This isn't that. This version uses Suzuki's "K15C" motor-from the Grand Vitara connection and delivers the same 103 hp and 137 Nm of torque.