Toyota Rush: How does it stack up against its rivals? 

Introduced to the Philippine market back in 2018, the Rush is currently one of Toyota Motor Philippines’ popular seven-seater MPVs. Like its rivals, the Rush bears SUV-like styling cues, a relatively high ground clearance, and plenty of interior space. Then again, it uses a rather unique chassis that combines a unibody and body-on-frame build. It shares this quality with the Avanza, but this feature is only found on the Rush within its particular SUV-styled MPV market segment. 

The Toyota Rush is actually an MPV, but it does have half of a body-one-frame chassis

That said, how does the Toyota Rush compare against its SUV-like rivals, specifically the Mitsubishi Xpander Cross, Honda BR-V, and Suzuki XL7? 

Toyota Rush: Summary of Specs 

Size-wise, the Rush is 4,435mm long, 1,695mm wide, and 1,705mm in height. Its wheelbase is 2,685mm in length, and it also has a ground clearance of 220mm. Depending on the variant, the Rush’s exterior features include LED headlamps, front fog lamps, a roof rail, LED taillights, among others. 

As far as styling goes, the Rush tries to emulate its larger SUV cousins

Moving on to interiors, the Rush can seat up to seven occupants. It has three rows, and all of its seats are covered in fabric. The aforementioned occupants are then kept cool with an automatic air-conditioning system (AC), or manual AC depending on the variant. Both AC systems do come with rear vents. The driver is also given a push-to-start button, a tilt- and telescopic steering wheel, etc. 

For entertainment, the Rush comes standard with a seven-inch touchscreen with Weblink smartphone connectivity, AUX, USB, and Bluetooth. It is then linked to six speakers for the E variant, and eight speakers for the top-spec G variant. 

Inside the Toyota Rush

Under the hood, the Rush is powered by a 1.5-liter 2NR-VE inline-4 gasoline engine that’s capable of making up to 102 horsepower and 134 Nm of torque. For the E variant, it either gets a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual gearbox which sends power to the vehicle’s rear wheels. The G however, is only available with the aforementioned automatic tranny. 

Safety for the Rush is handled by six airbags, active stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, anti-lock braking, and ISOFIX. 

Currently, the price range for the Rush’s three variants starts from Php 983,000 to Php 1,100,000. 

Toyota Rush vs Mitsubishi Xpander Cross 

When comparing the Toyota Rush vs the Mitsubishi Xpander Cross in terms of size, the latter is the larger vehicle. Specifically, the Mitsubishi-made MPV’s dimensions measure 4,500mm long, 1,800mm wide, and 1,750mm tall. Its wheelbase is also significantly longer than the Rush at 2,775mm. It also has 5mm more ground clearance at 225mm. 

Like its Xpander brothers, the Xpander Cross also gets a futuristic-looking front fascia

As for exterior equipment, it is also better equipped at least when compared with the Rush E AT and MT. It is however on-par with the Rush G with its LED headlamps, LED taillights, and front fog lamps. It also has a roof rail and an abundance of black plastic cladding pieces. 

Like the Rush, the Xpander Cross can comfortably seat up to seven. Its interior features are also comparable to the top-spec Rush with its automatic AC with rear vents, six-piece speaker system, cruise control, and push-to-start button. The Xpander’s steering wheel however is tilt-only, whereas the Rush’s also has telescopic adjustment. 

For onboard entertainment, the Xpander Cross gets a seven-inch touchscreen. It is as large as a unit equipped on the Rush, and it also comes with smartphone mirroring software, as well as USB and Bluetooth connectivity. 

Inside the Mitsubishi-made MPV

In terms of safety, the Xpander Cross has dual front airbags, which is less than what’s available to the Toyota-made model. Other than that, the Mitsubishi-made MPV also has stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, anti-lock braking, and ISOFIX child seat tethers. 

Regarding engines, the Xpander Cross uses a 1.5-liter 4A91 inline-4 gasoline mill. At most, this engine can make up to 103 horsepower and 141 NM of torque. Those numbers are slightly different from what the Rush could produce, but we can safely say that they’re just as powerful as each other. As for transmissions, the Mitsubishi-made MPV is also similar to the top-spec Rush G, in that it also uses a four-speed automatic transmission. 

However, the Xpander is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, whereas the Rush is a rear-wheel-drive (RWD).  

For pricing, the Mitsubishi Xpander Cross can be had for Php 1,225,000. 

Toyota Rush vs Honda BR-V 

When it comes to size, the Honda BR-V is 4,453mm long, 1,735mm wide, and 1,666mm in height. Its wheelbase is 2,662mm long, and it has a ground clearance of 201mm. Like the Xpander Cross, the Honda-made MPV is larger than the Rush. The Toyota model however, has a longer wheelbase and more ground clearance than the Honda model. 

A veteran of the seven-seater MPV market

In comparing the Toyota Rush vs the Honda BR-V when it comes to exterior equipment, the Rush is slightly better as the BR-V only has halogen headlamps. In comparison, the Rush G comes with a pair of LEDs. Like the Rush, the BR-V is also equipped with roof rails, front fog lamps, and LED taillights. 

Interior-wise, the BR-V is similar to its Toyota rival as it’s also a seven-seater. It also has fabric seats, and a manual AC with rear vents. Its steering wheel is tilt-only, but it also comes with a push-to-start button.  

Moving on to its onboard entertainment system, the BR-V uses a seven-inch headunit with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB, and Bluetooth connectivity. As such, it is better than the Rush’s headunit. But then again, it is linked to four speakers which are two less than the six-piece speaker system on-board the Rush G. 

The BR-V's cockpit

With regards to safety, the top-spec BR-V has two airbags. As mentioned above, the Toyota-made MPV has more. The Honda MPV however, also comes standard with anti-lock braking, hill-start assist, stability control, and ISOFIX. It also gets a reverse camera, which is not present on the Rush G. 

As for engines, the BR-V is one of the most powerful models in its segment. That’s because its 1.5-liter inline-4 mill can churn out 120 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. Unlike the Rush, it is a front-wheel-drive model. Also, it is one of the few models within this segment that uses a continuously variant transmission (CVT).  

Currently, the 2021 Honda BR-V's price ranges from Php 1,038,000 to Php 1,158,000. 

Toyota Rush vs Suzuki XL7 

Size-wise, the Suzuki XL7 is marginally larger than the Rush. That’s because it is 4,450mm long, 1,775mm wide, and 1,710mm in height. Its wheelbase meanwhile measures 2,740mm, which is significantly longer than the Toyota model. It does have less ground clearance at 200mm. 

The XL7 is the beefed-up version of the Suzuki Ertiga

In comparing the Suzuki XL7 vs the Toyota Rush when it comes to exterior features, both however are on-par with the top-spec Rush G. To be specific, the Suzuki-made MPV also has LED headlamps, LED taillights, front fog lamps, and roof rails.  

Moving on to interiors, the XL7 has a slightly better cooling system as it is automatic. It also has a larger 10-inch touchscreen, which in itself has more connectivity options in the form of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB, and Bluetooth. And just like the Rush, the XL7 can seat seven, and it also has fabric seats. 

However, the XL7’s speaker system is comparable to the Rush G, as it also has six. For the driver, the Suzuki model also offers less adjustability than the Rush with its tilt-only steering wheel. Although, it is also equipped with a push-to-start button, and it also gets a rear parking camera. 

The XL7's interior

For safety, the XL7 is kitted out with dual front airbags, hill hold control, stability control, ISOFIX, as well as anti-lock braking. The Rush G has more airbags, but otherwise the Suzuki is on par with the Toyota. 

Powering the XL7 is a 1.5-liter K15B inline-4 gasoline engine, which can make up to 103 horsepower and 138 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to its front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. It is as powerful as the Rush and the Xpander Cross, and it even uses a similar transmission system. Unlike the Rush, it is a front-wheel-drive model. 

As of the moment, the Suzuki XL7 GLX AT has a price tag of Php 1,073,000. 

For more comparisons between car models, car buying and selling guides, and car maintenance tips, keep it here on Philkotse.com.