Toyota Rush vs Honda BR-V: Comparison of specs, features, price & more

In the Philippine automotive market both in the past and in current times, Filipinos appear to have taken a liking to vehicles that are capable of fitting the most people and that’s not surprising at all because as we all know, we are a fastidiously family-oriented people who would like their entire family be able to come together in unison within one vehicle.

Enter the third row, which a lot of manufacturers have worked hard to fit into their MPVs, SUVs and now on their subcompact SUVs.

And yes indeed, these compact SUVs that come with a third row and can indeed fit seven people come with a whole host of advantages like the obvious one which added passenger is seating all the while retaining a manageable size.

While there actually three vehicles from three major manufacturers that are now competing in this segment, let Philkotse.com focus on only two in order to compare them better: Honda BR-V vs Toyota Rush Philippines.

The veteran vs the new-comer. A classic story of rivalry don't you think?

>>> Refer to our expert reviews to have deeper understanding of these two compact SUVs: 

• Toyota Rush Philippines Review
• Honda BR-V Philippines Review

While there aren’t much in terms of variances between the new Toyota Rush vs Honda BR-V's length the significant differences between the two models we can see from the comparison table above are the vehicle’s difference in width, height, and ground clearance.

Now from the differences in height alone, we can easily say that the Toyota Rush will have better headroom especially for taller folk but the difference tough is quite minute so it isn’t a deal-breaker at all for the BR-V. The Honda BR-V 2019 is notably much wider and will be much friendlier in terms of elbowroom.

Despite being shorter than the Rush, the Honda BR-V height will mean that it’s potentially a much more aerodynamic vehicle and also might have less body roll than the Rush.

The Honda BR-V features a lower overall height and lower ground clearance than the Rush

In terms of ground clearance though, where even a single millimeter can become important, the Rush, which has an SUV like ground clearance of 220 mm, comes out on top and will undoubtedly handle rough roads, speed humps and bumps better.

In terms of comparing their external features though, it’s a bit all over the place. First, the Rush has two variants that have those cool looking 17 inch two-tone allow wheels whereas the BR-V comes standard with 16 inches.  

Toyota Rush 2018/2019 Philippines Review & Road Test || Price, Specs, Buying advice & More

Second, is that the Rush doesn’t have daytime running lights whereas the BR-V does. The Rush’s LED headlights are multi-reflector LEDs whereas the ones on the BR-V are Halogen headlamps.

As you might have surmised based on the aforementioned exterior features, there isn’t actually a clear cut winner but upon considering that the Toyota Rush is actually built on a sturdy, body on frame, a good many will certainly lean towards the Toyota contender.

Toyota Rush looks like a miniature version of the Fortuner

In terms of looks, we grant that this will be a more subjective matter but in considering that the BR-V didn’t change much from its initial release, the newer Toyota Rush 2019 has a much more refined and more modern design.

Winner: Toyota Rush

By virtue of its higher ground clearance and its body on frame build, we shall have to give this category to the Toyota Rush

>>> Related: Second hand Toyota Rush for sale

With what’s under the hood, the Honda BR-V is powered by SOHC inline-4 engine with VTEC while the Toyota Rush has a DOHC inline-4 with VVT-i. Based on the figures above, the BR-V, despite having a similarly sized engine to the Rush actually makes more power and torque while being much more mechanically simpler in lieu of having only a single overhead cam.

The only downside, to us at least, for the BR-V, is that Honda only offers a CVT transmission for the model whereas Toyota gives you either a manual or an automatic. 

Toyota Rush is armed with the DOHC Dual VVT-I Inline-4 engine

SOHC i-VTEC Inline 4 engine under the hood of Honda BR-V

While we at Philkotse.com or any person for that matter likes more power, we would also prefer that an automotive consumer be given an option to buy a manual variant of a vehicle. So our verdict for this will definitely be in favor of the Toyota Rush as it can actually come with a manual and it has a rear-wheel-drive layout. If that isn’t a recipe for fun to drive, we don’t know what is.

>>> Read more car comparison in the same segment: 

• [Auto Brawl 101] Xpander vs Rush: Who takes the crown?
• Toyota Rush vs Ford Ecosport: The battle of the compact SUVs!
• Toyota Rush vs Avanza - 2 MPVs from the same manufacturer: Which is better?

In terms of cargo space, the BR-V and the Rush are quite similar. These two vehicles are also quite similar in that you can stow away the rearmost seats to further extend said cargo space. The Rush though has two variants; the E and the G that only come with five seats and although that would mean more cargo space, the BR-V’s two variants comes standard with seven seats.

BR-V's interior highlighting the seats

Here's the one on the Toyota Rush

As for onboard equipment, the Toyota Rush definitely comes out on top. It has eight speakers compared to the BR-V’s measly four, it comes with a push to start button which is, of course, better than the traditional rotary start that the BR-V has, it has Weblink for its seven inch touchscreen, and it has an automatic climate control as opposed to the BR-V’s manual climate control and lastly, the Rush has 2 more in the way of 12 volt sockets whereas the BR-V gets only one.

Heck, even the Rush’s steering wheel is better as it’s actually covered in leather as opposed to the BR-V’s plain urethane.

The 2019 Toyota Rush's dashboard and steering wheel

Here's the one on the 2019 Honda BR-V

Now let’s get the similarities out of the way first. Both vehicles have an anti-lock braking system, electronic brake-force distribution and stability control, ISOFIX, hill start assist, and an alarm with stabilizer.

The Rush has a whopping six SRS airbags spread around its interior. And that fact shows that the Rush got a five-star safety rating from ASEAN NCAP. And yes, for this one, we’ll give it to the Toyota Rush.

The Rush got a five-star safety rating from ASEAN NCAP

While minute differences in dimensions and performance numbers can be ignored and are somewhat negligible, the differences in the prices between the two MPVs are quite apparent with the Toyota Rush comes with a much more affordable, lowest spec variant and even the top of the line “G” costs less than the top of the line “V” of the BR-V.

While we can say that it’s really up to you in the end, the Toyota Rush is much more affordable, has more in terms of safety equipment, has both a manual and an automatic variant, is rear-wheel-drive, and in total is just too good to pass up.

And while it is indeed less powerful than the BR-V, its body on frame construction and that impressive ground clearance make the Rush takes the proverbial cake. Please also remember that this comparison article only serves as a reference for you to make your own conclusions.

To check out other vehicles, you can also take a peek at our list of cars for sale in the Philippines where we list both new and used cars from all the major car brands available in the country.