We’re of course referring to the just-unveiled
Toyota Rush and its sister car you see here, the Daihatsu Terios. The twins
replace a duo that has been around for over a decade. They will take on
SUV-flavoured MPVs such as the Honda BR-V and Mitsubishi Xpander.
As with many Toyota models in Indonesia, there’s a
Daihatsu twin offering the same car with slightly altered styling and a lower
price tag. What many don’t realise is that Daihatsu – now wholly-owned by
Toyota – takes the lead in many of these projects and manufactures the cars for
both brands. That’s the case with the new Rush-Terios, although only the
Toyota-badged car will be exported to other emerging markets.
The new Terios is underpinned by an overhauled
platform, which means that it retains the front engine, rear-wheel drive
layout. Handling stability and ride comfort, NVH levels and fuel efficiency
have all been improved, Daihatsu says.
Terios gets a new engine – the
2NR-VE 1.5 litre Dual VVT-i unit makes 104 PS at 6,000 rpm and 136 Nm of torque
at 4,200 rpm. It’s around 25% more efficient than the previous mill. Gearbox
options are a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic. The 2NR has been in
the Toyota Avanza/Daihatsu Xenia since 2015, and is the same engine we get in
the new Perodua Myvi.
Like the Rush, the seven-seater Terios is 4,435 mm
long and 1,695 mm wide, which is 18 mm shorter and 40 mm narrower than the
Honda, although its 2,685 mm wheelbase is 23 mm longer than the BR-V’s. Ground
clearance is a high 220 mm, which is a valuable feature in Indonesia (BR-V 201
mm).
Daihatsu says that cabin length is up by 170 mm,
which increases tandem distance by 45 mm (distance between first and second
rows) and and cargo area length by 150 mm. The expanded luggage space is large
enough for four of the gallon bottles that are widely used in Indonesia.
While the Rush uses dark chrome for the front grille
for a sportier face, the Terios comes with chrome horizontal slats, matched
with chrome foglamp housings. Like the Rush, the headlamps are LED units. It’s
the same at the back, but with the addition of black trim bridging the long
wraparound tail lamps.
