Entered a Toyota showroom to check out few of their cars. Selected the Toyota Avanza because you feel the need to go for an MPV. Decidedly the salesperson tells you that the Avanza has got a waiting period of a month plus. He tells you to check out the Toyota Rush. The 2018 Toyota Rush is also another hot selling item but its demand is a bit lesser than that of the Avanza. Now, there you are standing in the showroom, all confused. What do you do? You turn to us for expert advice. So, here is our expert comment on which one should you go for if you were stuck with this conundrum.

1) Looks

Both the Toyota Avanza as well as the Toyota Rush seem quite butch. The Avanza is an MPV while the Rush is an SUV. If you look at each of them, you will realize that they are built on ladder frame chassis and hence the ruggedness to the design as well. The grille design in the Avanza seems classier than in the Rush. It has got chrome on it while the Rush has got blacked out elements. In terms of the wheels, the Toyota Avanza has got smaller 15-inch units while the Rush has 17-inches. At the back, both get LED lighting.

 

If you check the dimensions, the Toyota Avanza turns out to be the smaller car of the two. Its length, width and height are 4,190 mm x 1,660 mm x 1,695 mm respectively. The length, width, and height of the Toyota Rush are 4,435 mm x 1,695 mm x 1,705 mm respectively.

2) Inside story

The cabin of both the cars is similar in some aspects. The dashboard layout is similar. However, the Avanza uses a plain fabric and the Rush offers leather upholstery. The steering wheel is similar but then the instrument console of the Rush looks a bit more premium. In the Toyota Rush, one can opt for five or seven-seat configuration. No such deal with the Avanza which offers only seven seats. Features in the Toyota Avanza include manual air conditioning, 6.2-inch touchscreen with USB and Bluetooth compatibility, optional navigation, steering wheel audio controls and charging ports. Rear seat occupants get roof-mounted air conditioning vents.

The roof mounted air conditioning vents are available in the 2018 Toyota Rush as well. Features in the Rush include automatic dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, Aux, USB, and Bluetooth with Weblink Connectivity for iOS and Android with the 7.0-inch touchscreen system. Boot space of the Rush is slightly better at 230 litres while that of the Avanza stands at 190 litres. Of course, tumbling the seats ahead will result in more space in both the vehicles here.

The wheelbase of the Toyota Rush stands at 2,685 mm while the Avanza’s is 2,655 mm. This shows that the Rush has more space inside the cabin.

3) Engine and performance

Like their underpinnings, both the cars here share their engines too. The motor in contention is the 1.5-litre engine. This one is a petrol and naturally aspirated. It makes 103 PS of power in the Avanza and 1 PS less in the Rush. The torque rating in the Avanza again is higher at 136 Nm compared to the 134 Nm in the Rush. Power in both is channelled to the road via the rear wheels. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.

4) Chassis

Both the vehicles, as discussed before, are based on a ladder frame chassis. McPherson at the front and coil springs at the back. This set up lends them with a soft suspension setting and by virtue of the same, a bouncy nature when it comes to going over bumps. Load the vehicles and they will absorb all the bumps that our roads can throw at them. The handling too is a bit soggy. It also means that one has to take things very easily in these vehicles.

The turning radius is 4.2 metre in the Avanza while that of the Rush is slightly higher at 5.2 metre. Navigating the Avanza through crowded streets will be easier than the Rush. Ground clearance of the Toyota Rush though is higher at 220 mm compared to the Avanza’s 200 mm.

5) Safety features

Both the vehicles are evenly matched in terms of the safety features they offer. The Toyota Rush safety features include six airbags, ABS with EBD, Stability Control and rear parking sensors. The Toyota Avanza in the meanwhile offers dual airbags, ISOFIX tethers, ABS with EBD and an immobilizer.

In terms of the GNCAP safety rating, both scored four stars each.

Final words

The Toyota Avanza is priced lower than the Rush. The Toyota Avanza price starts from Php 1,000,000 whereas the Toyota Rush price begins from Php 1,070,000. While the Rush is the more modern of the two, it also offers more safety features and the traditional SUV stance. While you will not go wrong with either of these Toyotas, the Rush is the better of the two. It is our choice here.