In the first week of July 2018, Toyota South Africa will expand its local SUV line-up with the arrival of the new Rush, which will slot in (in terms of price, anyway) below the RAV4. And thanks to a local dealer’s somewhat trigger-happy tendencies on social media, we already know how much it will cost…
The enthusiastic folks over at Freeway Toyota in Johannesburg recently took to Instagram to reveal pricing (see the embedded post below), with the five-speed manual version of the fresh-faced crossover set to come in at R302 900 and the four-speed automatic model at R316 600. Specifications have yet to be revealed, but the post says both variants will be offered in “High” trim (expect the likes of climate control and a centrally mounted touchscreen to ship standard).
Interestingly, the Rush is very closely related to the latest, third-generation version of the Daihatsu Terios, sharing both its styling and its front-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration. Both, of course, are based on the Toyota Avanza platform.
The Rush measures 4 435 mm long, with a wheelbase of 2 685 mm (for reference, that makes its 18 mm shorter than a Honda BR-V with an extra 30 mm between its axles). While the vehicle is offered in seven-seater guise in markets like Indonesia (where it is built), we have it on good authority that only the five-seater will be available in South Africa (at first, at least).
Power comes from the Japanese automaker’s naturally aspirated 1,5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which sends 77 kW and 136 N.m to the rear axle, while ground clearance comes in at a useful 220 mm.
Look out for more details in terms of local specifications soon…
