The Toyota Rush is the new­est entrant from the Japanese automakers in Nepal, and it comes to the foray with a lot of expectations. Slated to be the star seven-seater of the moment, all eyes are on the Rush. It is off to a very good start with a considerable num­ber of sales already made. Here, we test out what the Toyota Rush really has to offer.

 

Exterior

Straight off the bat, you can see traces of the MPV DNA in the exte­rior of the Rush. The silhouette is unmistakably reminiscent of a car built to comfortably accommodate more people than a normal car. But, don’t let that fool you, it is by no means just another boring MPV. On the contrary, it is a stylish piece of work to look at.

Aggressive bodylines and delib­erately smooth curves mix well to create a balanced design. Similar design cues are used well through­out the body and the four distinct creases on the bonnet are the first ones you’ll notice when you stare down the sharp cut angular LED headlamps of the Rush.

Move on to the side and you will see the roof-line descends nicely to the spoiler to give the Rush a decent profile. You will also note that the body extends further than the C-Pil­lar to accommodate seven seats. Giving more weight to the profile is the distinct character line that runs across the body and meets the wrap­around tail lights.

 

 

Interiors

The dash is well laid out and pleasing on the eye. The instru­ment panel integrates speedometer and tachometer and is accented by elegant chrome-plated rings. The multi-information display in the cen­ter of the meters show fuel efficiency in an intuitive format, together with an eco-bar indicator.

A seven-inch touchscreen info­tainment system sits on the center of the dash. It does take a slight bit of time to get your bearing with the system, but when you do it provides a host of features from all the audio capabilities to the option of tilting your infotainment screen to your desired angle.

When you’re driving, the chunky steering wheel feels good to hold and has audio and telephone con­trols well integrated into it. The Rush makes quiet a statement for its practicality and utility as a fam­ily vehicle. You can comfortably seat seven people, although third row occupants will be slightly more snug. That does not imply that Toy­ota hasn’t considered the safety and comfort of the third row passengers. It is still a pretty comfortable seat, and you get third row passenger seatbelts too.

Boot space is also adequate with more than enough space to lug around your family’s baggage for a weekend out of the city.

 

 

Performance

The Toyota Rush performs like you would expect a 1.5-liter sev­en-seater to. It does not sprint off the line like Usain Bolt nor does it gallop towards the horizon like a mechanical beast with untam­able horses under the hood. However, even if this was the case, we can’t really see ourselves grin­ning into the rearview mirror and watching our horror stricken family desperately trying to find something to hold on to.

So, to be completely honest, you won’t be finding any “surge of adrenaline” here. That said, the Toy­ota Rush is by no means a slouch. We did have our reservations on the 1.5 liter mill that had the duty of lugging the rather large seven-seater around. Nevertheless, it was a pleas­ant surprise to see it hold its own on the roads.

Under the hood is a 1496cc 4-cyl­inder petrol engine that is mated to either a 5-speed manual transmis­sion or with a 4-speed automatic gearbox in the top specs. As always, Toyota does its best to fill the car with the best-in-class features like VSC (Vehicle Stability Control), TRC (Traction Control System), ESS (Emergency Signal System), ABS (Antilock Braking System), and HAC (Hill-Start Assist Control) embedded in the vehicle.

It is a smooth engine that is decent to drive. It does seem to struggle on steep inclines when the cabin is fully loaded and is not too eager to overtake other cars on the roads. Yet the Rush soldiers on if you’re not reluctant to take the rev-happy engine to the higher rpms.

One thing that you can be certain of is the high level of comfort of the passengers in the car. The Rush soaks up road undulations like a champ and does not disorient pas­senger even at sharp bends. And that is definitely one of the things to look for when buying a seven-seater.

 

 

Verdict

The chances of Toyota coming out with a disappointing product is close to zero, and they’ve kept that record with the Rush. It is a comfort­able car for passengers and we can definitely see it undertaking the role of a family vacation car. And with the Dashain season round the cor­ner, it could be a vehicle of choice for many.