The Toyota Rush has finally arrived on Philippine shores. Toyota Motor Philippines unveiled its all-new SUV to the media during a recent event. And since the Japanese carmaker has been hyping up the entry-level vehicle's seven-seater capabilities, we just had to find out for ourselves if the talk was justified.
Like what we did with its chief rival the Mitsubishi Xpander, TGP editor-in-chief Paulo Subido and myself climbed into the Rush's third row to test it out. Paulo's near-six-foot physique is a good test of leg- and head-room, while my broad frame will tell you if you should hit the buffet before or after you ride in the car.
As far as spaciousness goes, the Toyota Rush's rearmost seats will fit two adults just fine. Whether said adults will be comfortable on a long road trip is a different matter. There's not much leeway above your head--my hair was close to scraping against the ceiling. My stumpy legs fit well enough with the middle seat at a slight incline, while Paulo needed it to be bolt upright for comfort. Either way, there's not a lot of space to stretch your limbs. But on the plus side, you do get enough room on either side of you to move your upper body around.
So while the Rush's top-of-the-line variant is indeed a seven-seater, the rearmost passengers might have to adjust a bit to make the most out of the space.
