It used to be that you’d have to wait until you make manager or higher to afford an SUV because it’s usually priced well above a million. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you should know by now that the wait is over. Want to own an SUV that’s ‘automatic’ but are on a really tight budget? Allow me to tell you about my week with the 2019 Toyota Rush 1.5 E A/T. Design Overall, it still looks more like an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle, i.e. Avanza) than the RAV4 but, and it’s been said before, it has bit of Fortuner in it, especially on profile view. Toyota spared no expense on the body’s sheet metal, giving it plenty of curves from the hood, along the sides and even the hatch, to make the basic, utilitarian shape appear more upscale. It has a shark’s fin antenna, a rear spoiler for added flair, blacked out front/rear bumpers and rocker panels, plus skid plates that give a nice contrast to the unit’s body color. Stock wheel size is 16 inches but seeing as the wheel well appears to have extra space, rock some 18s to make this baby look a lot better. Cabin Even though it’s slimmer than a typical SUV, the interior space is still impressive. What’s going to ‘wow’ you is the cargo space where a third row is fittend in the G trim. All that cabin space is going to be great for road trips with friends or the girlfriend. Plus a tall vehicle gives you confidence to take on heavy EDSA traffic and torrential rains. It is massive relative to this Rush’s size and even compared to vehicles in its segment. The driver’s seat feels smaller than it should be, which is surprising considering this model is available not just in Asia but in South Africa, the Middle East, among others. As a P998,000 SUV, the panels in the cabin are understandably plain plastic, although it has been enhanced by giving the bottom panels a lighter finish and some chrome accents. The three-spoked steering wheel is simple and comes only with audio controls on the left spoke. Two things I loved about the cabin though: the second row aircon vents and the seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with tilt function. The last part allows you to angle the screen up or down to reduce the glare. Drive The gasoline engine is perfectly suited for city driving. It has a 1.5L displacement and puts out 102 PS and 134 Nm of torque. It feels super snappy coming from a standstill and will do great in bumper-to-bumper traffic if you’re the type who likes to keep with the flow of traffic. Where it feels wanting is on longer straights when I was pushing it and during overtaking. As the automatic transmission only has four gears, it stays a lot longer in second gear, which in turn pushes the RPM way past 2k. You do get the pull needed to speed up but it doesn’t really help your fuel budget. It may not make such a big dent as I still averaged 8.9 kilometers per liter in pure city driving but I could have done better and saved a lot more fuel had I not pushed it a lot. As the frame is based on the Avanza, expect similar ride dynamics. Alone and unladen, the already stiff suspension was exacerbated by the roughness of EDSA. Slim and tall doesn’t really give it great rollover resistance. Just for starters The Rush is a prime example of why Toyota continues to be the market leader in the Philippines. They know the demand and adjust their products accordingly. There wasn’t an SUV priced this low before, but since you asked for it, you got it! I say ‘for starters’ because this model specifically targets young professionals looking to buy their first vehicle, and want it to be an SUV. More mature buyers who can afford to be more selective because of bigger budgets can opt for the Fortuner or the RAV4.  If it’s an ‘automatic’ vehicle you want with a big cabin and high ground clearance without the painfully high acquisition and fuel costs, the 2019 Toyota Rush 1.5 E A/T could just be your intro to the SUV segment. Text and photos by Eric Tipan