2018 Toyota Rush launched in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Toyota Malaysia stayed true to its words and as promised, launched the all-new Rush in the country today. The new MPV in Toyota Malaysia line-up looks stunning, highlights a bold new design language and offers a feature loaded cabin. In our market, it will give a tough competition to Honda BR-V.

Prospective buyers can check out the new Rush on Toyota MY website and can advantage from an informative one-minute eighteen-second video. The company also provides an online test drive booking option. It seems like Toyota’s marketing team is very proactive.

Here’s all you need to know about Toyota’s new MPV -

• The new Rush is a seven-seater MPV-SUV crossover that offers the best of both worlds. It carries just the right amount of sporty and comfort element
• On the dimension front, the new Rush measures - 4,435 mm in length, 1,695 mm in width, and 1,705 mm in height. The wheelbase of 2,685 mm is a significant improvement over the previous 2,580 mm figure

• The 2018 Rush benefits from the advance R-BLADE design, thanks to which the MPV portrays a powerful, modern stance
• Few highlighting design elements include - 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlamps, wraparound LED taillight along with the eye-catching body-cladding running all around the Rush
• The Rush interior now features a contemporary design. Included in the new package are chrome and silver accents over the dominating black fittings Option of leather upholstery in range-topping and fabric in base variant are available

• The seating layout is distributed in the 2-3-2 arrangement as before, with 2nd row getting a 60:40 and 3rd row a 50:50 split
• The boot capacity of 217-litre can be extended to 514-litre when seats are thumbed up
• The new Toyota Rush is blessed with the 360-T concept, which Toyota says is ‘a complete suite of innovations.’ It’s there to give you a total advantage of features that are designed to ensure driver’s and passengers safety, seamless connectivity and offers Toyota guarantee as well

• The 2019 Rush specs reveal the following standard features - 6.6-inch DVD-AVX head unit with navigation and screen mirroring function, Paranomic View Monitor with four cameras, single-blown air-con system with rear blower vents, keyless entry and start, Toyota AutoTag built-in SmartTAG, digital video recorder, four electric outlets, and 13 cup holders

• The updated Rush is packed with the ‘Safe-T Plus’ package that includes - a blind spot monitor, six airbags, vehicle stability control, rear-cross traffic alert, and Pre-Collision System. On the passive front are present safety features like hill start assist traction control, ABS with EBD and brake assist, and pedal misoperation control. All this contributes to 2018 Rush 5-star safety rating
• The new Rush is available in two CKD variants - a 1.5G and 1.5S.
  Both the trims are powered by a 2NR-VE 1.5-litre naturally-aspired four-cylinder gasoline engine. This mill produces 105 PS of power at 6000 rpm along with 136 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm

• The power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic gearbox
• Fuel economy figure as claimed by Toyota stands at 15.6 kmpl
• The Rush color options include - Dark Green Metallic, Dark Grey Metallic, Dark Blue Metallic, White, and Silver Metallic
• Toyota Rush price are as follows - RM 93,000 for 1.5G and RM 98,000 for 1.5S (note these are estimated figures)

The Toyota Rush seems to be a promising addition to the Toyota MY family. However, only time will tell how it benefits the company’s sales.