Mid-spec Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor vs Top-spec Tata Punch: The Complete On-paper Comparison

Toyota has recently re-entered the sub-4 metre SUV market with the sixth car (Urban Cruiser Taisor) co-shared with Suzuki. Apart from the slightly re-iterated looks, it packs enough features to take on the segment. 

But given that the mid-spec Taisor is priced very close to the top-spec Tata Punch, there’s bound to be some cross shopping between the two. So, which one makes more sense? Let’s find out

Price

It is pretty evident from the pricing that the Tata Punch undercuts the Toyota Taisor by a large margin. The difference between the manual “G” variant of the Taisor and manual “Creative” variant of the Punch is of Rs 97,000 and the difference between the automatic variants is of  Rs 1.77 lakh. 

Dimensions

Considering the segment difference, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor is unsurprisingly larger than the Tata Punch. But it is worth noticing that the height of the Punch is more than that of the Taisor’s. 

Features

Both the cars stack-up almost equally when it comes to comfort and convenience features. However, you do get six airbags in the Taisor, whereas the Punch only offers dual airbags.

Depending on the variant you decide upon, few features may vary in both the cars, but these specific respective variants are more or less similar in the creature comfort aspect.

Powertrain

As seen in the table above, there is a substantial difference between the two cars in terms of powertrain specifications. While the Taisor in its “G” variant gets a turbo-petrol engine, the Punch on the other hand gets a naturally aspirated engine with less power in comparison. 

Additionally, the Taisor “G” variant gets a 6-speed automatic transmission (torque converter) along with paddle-shifters, which is undeniably more sophisticated than the Punch’s AMT.

While both these variants don’t get the option of a CNG powertrain, you can opt for the CNG on higher trims on the Punch. CNG variant in the Taisor is limited to the base “E” variant only.while 

Verdict

Ultimately, your choice hinges on selecting between a micro-SUV or a crossover, with both offering features at par.

With the Toyota Taisor, you get a slightly bigger car and a better powertrain package. Not only is its engine more powerful, but its transmission is more refined. Both the cars are more or less similar in terms of features, so if you don’t mind paying the extra premium over the Punch, the Taisor will definitely offer you a better experience. 

That being said, if you don’t want to make that extra stretch, you still won’t go wrong with the Punch. Despite being smaller, it still offers plenty of space inside and we already know about its immaculate safety score. It's comfortable, and while the engine won’t give you performance thrills, it still gets the job done. So in this case, the Punch seems more value for money, but if you can, making the jump to the Taisor is worth the extra money.