Toyota Hyryder Hybrid SUV To Get All-Wheel Drive

Toyota is set to unveil an all-new compact SUV in India on July 1, 2022. Toyota hasn't officially confirmed the name of the compact SUV, but it has been dubbed to be called the Hyryder. Toyota has ran an extensive teaser campaign under the tag line "It's HY time", which hints towards the name too, but there are some reports that the name may carry the Urban Cruiser prefix too. Toyota has rebadged and sold 2 models developed by Maruti Suzuki in India yet, namely the Baleno - which was rebadged as Toyota Glanza - and the Vitara Brezza - which was rebadged as Toyota Urban Cruiser - and the Toyota Hyryder will be the first model from Toyota developed in partnership with Maruti Suzuki. The compact SUV will be rebadged and sold by Maruti Suzuki too, and both the SUVs were spotted testing together in India earlier this year. That rebadged version by Maruti Suzuki is expected to come out in the festive season later this year, around the same time as we expect the Toyota badged version of the newly launched Brezza to hit the market.

Also Read: 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza Launched In India, Prices Here

Maruti Suzuki And Toyota's compact SUVs were spotted testing together
Photo Credit: 91Wheels

Also Read: 2022 Toyota Hyryder: What We Know So Far

While not much is known about the two compact SUVs, Toyota has released multiple teasers for its Hyryder SUV revealing some details. One of the most important detail is possibly that the compact SUV will feature strong hybrid power units in its line up, which will significantly up the fuel economy of the SUVs. Another key detail announced by Toyota is that the SUV is set to feature an all-wheel drive (AWD) system.

Toyota has previewed parts of the SUV's design in its teaser campaign

Technical details are only expected to be revealed tomorrow, but in a series of teasers the company has revealed that the SUV will be the first of its kind since the now-discontinued Renault Duster diesel, to get an all-wheel drive (AWD) system. What an AWD system has in difference to the traditional 4WD system is that an AWD system is on all the time, while the 4WD drive trains have a selectable system, where the vehicle can also be driven in 2-wheel drive modes. Now this may sound like a drawback for AWD initially, but it is actually more advantageous, as an AWD provides all the advantages of a 4-wheel drive system in a day to day driving routine, including added traction on various kinds of slippery road surfaces. A 4WD system on the other hand is not recommended to be turned on unless you're off-roading, as it has a centre locking differential, and isn't ideal to use when you're cornering. But 4WD proves to be a better system off-roads, especially since it usually is equipped with a 4L gear. Since the owners of the Hyryder compact SUV won't be expected to do any serious off-roading, an AWD system will prove to be the better of the duo.

Toyota hasn't revealed much about the compact SUV yet.

Alternatively, the system could also emulate what we have previously seen on some Lexus cars and on the Toyota Vellfire with an electric motor running the rear axle, and the engine powering the front axle. What kind of system Toyota has gone for remains to be seen. Lower variants meanwhile are likely to make use of Maruti Suzuki's new 1.5-litre DualJet engine with mild hybrid tech, and are expected to be offered in a front-wheel drive variant only.