Seven-seat SUV has been designed by Daihatsu and comes with 1.5-litre petrol engine to sit below the C-HR.
Is this a successor for the Avanza?
Toyota’s all-new Rush has just been launched in Indonesia as a seven-seat SUV directly taking on the Honda BR-V and sitting below the C-HR in terms of price and marketing position.
As the three-row Avanza MPV has been around in its second generation since 2011, the Rush comes at right time to more or less replace it because SUVs are now in vogue. The Rush has been developed by Toyota’s small car arm Daihatsu.
Like the Avanza, the Rush has been developed with Indonesian rural roads in mind explaining why it inherits the chassis-on-frame platform.
However, to make the Rush’s ride as comfortable as possible, it gets car-like suspension including struts up front and five-link/ coil spring layout at the rear. Driving ease is made possible via an electrically assisted steering.
Toyota has also tried to make the interior as modern as possible by fitting dual-tone trim, six airbags, automatic climate control system and an infotainment screen on the fascia that can also double as rear-parking camera view.
There’s even a TRD Sportivo styling package to choose from, apart from the regular models using less flashy exterior and interior cues.
The Rush sits on competitive dimensions including 4,435mm length, 1,695mm width and 1,705mm height. The 2,685mm wheelbase length, in particular, is 30mm more than in the BR-V.
Is its engine from the Vios?
Not exactly. The so-tagged 2NR-VE 1.5-litre petrol engine in the Rush has been designed for longitudinal applications with rear-wheel-drive format (like in the Avanza).
The 2NR-FBE unit in the Vios is transversely laid out and drives the front wheels. Even so, outputs aren’t vastly different. The Rush produces 104hp at 6,000rpm and 136Nm of torque at 4,200rpm; the Vios makes 108hp and 140Nm at the same engine speeds.
In an apparent bid to boost the Rush’s reliability on Indonesia roads (and reduce costs, as well), there’s a conventional four-speed torque-converter automatic rather than the Vios’ CVT auto.
Like in its BR-V rival (which uses a more modern monocoque floorplan and transverse engine driving the front wheels via CVT auto), the Rush has disc brakes up front and the drum type at the rear housed within 16-inch wheels.
Will it come to Thailand?
As Toyota wants to maximise its Asean business operations, the Rush would come to Thai shores with zero import duty thanks to Afta trade benefits. That’s how the Avanza came to Thailand, apart from the Sienta and Innova MPVs.
The Thai Toyota office could be playing a similar game of cards like Honda by offering the Rush in either five- or seven-seat form. The BR-V is currently sold at 750,000 baht and an extra 70,000 baht for the three-seat version.
Another rival for the Rush would be the Mitsubishi Xpander SUV-cum-MPV. Although the Indonesia-made Xpander was initially planned for a Thai debut this year, demand in its origin of manufacture is said to be so strong that exports are being help up till next year.
The Xpander also features a 1.5-litre petrol engine but, like in the Rush, is hooked up to a four-speed automatic.
