Toyota Hyryder 7-Seater SUV Spotted Testing In India For The First Time

We all know that Maruti Suzuki is working on a seven-seater version of the Grand Vitara SUV for the Indian market. The SUV is almost production-ready and is expected to be launched in the market later this year. Due to the ongoing tie-up between Suzuki and Toyota, we will also be getting Toyota’s version of the same 7-seater SUV in the market.

The SUV has now been spotted testing for the first time, and images of the same have surfaced online. The images have been shared by CarDekho on their website, and in this spy picture, we see a heavily camouflaged SUV undergoing testing on Indian roads.

It looks like the SUV was spotted in Karnataka, where Toyota has its manufacturing facility. The rear of the SUV is what we mostly see in the images here. From what is visible, the rear looks sleeker and is definitely different from the 5-seater Toyota Hyryder.

Just like how Maruti Suzuki will be launching the SUV as a 7-seater version of the Grand Vitara, Toyota’s version will be based on the Hyryder. We see the sleek LED tail lamps, which look similar to the ones seen on the 7-seater Grand Vitara.

We get a glimpse of the side profile in one of the images, and it looks very much inspired by the Hyryder. The SUV looks longer, and this has been done in order to accommodate the third-row seats. The alloy wheels are also wrapped, which means they will be getting a new design.

As this is being positioned as an SUV that will sit above the Hyryder, Toyota and Maruti Suzuki will be making cosmetic changes to the exterior design to give it a different identity from the 5-seater version. The headlamps, tail lamps, LED DRLs, bumper, and grille will be different to make it more appealing to customers.

Images of the interior are not available yet, but we expect it to look similar to what we have in the Hyryder. The design might be an evolution of the existing 5-seater SUV, and they might even go for a different colour theme to make it look more premium.

Coming to the features, Toyota will offer premium features like a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, large digital instrument cluster, electrically adjustable front seats, ambient lighting, automatic climate control, ventilated seats, HUD, wireless phone charger, and more. Toyota will also offer a panoramic sunroof, which is common among SUVs in this segment.

Other than these features, Toyota is likely to offer features like a 360-degree camera, 6 airbags as standard, TPMS, electronic parking brake, Level 2 ADAS features, and more. As of now, there is no clarity on the engine and transmission of the upcoming SUV.

But it looks like Toyota and Maruti Suzuki will be using the same engines as the 5-seater version. There will be a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine that generates 101 Bhp and 136 Nm of peak torque. This engine is available with a manual and 6-speed automatic transmission. In the Hyryder, this engine gets the AWD feature too. However, we are not sure whether the 7-seater version will get AWD or not.

The next engine on offer is a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder strong hybrid petrol engine that generates a combined power of 115 Bhp and 122 Nm of peak torque. This engine is available with an e-CVT gearbox only. The SUV will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Alcazar, Kia Carens, and MG Hector Plus in the segment. The Hyryder 7-seater is expected to get launched in the market after Grand Vitara 7-seater's launch.