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Toyota Rukus Build 3 2010 review

EXPERT RATING
7

There are lots of surprises in the Toyota Rukus. For a start, the box is bigger than it looks in pictures. It's a full-sized family wagon, not just a Gen-Y play thing like a Kia Soul or the not-for-Australia Nissan Cube, so you have to adjust your thinking on what it is and what it does.

The Rukus also drives surprisingly well. It's not a sports car, but it matches and betters the dynamics of a Corolla and is quiet at highway cruising speeds despite the Kenworth-style frontal design. The showroom stickers reflect surprising value, too, with a bottom line from $27,490 that should get it onto shopping lists in Australia's trendier suburbs and attract the early adopters who already have an iPad.

Rukis is also a great building block for Gen-Y customisers who want something new and different to tweak and tizzy, not to go faster but to have something with plenty of Facebook and Twitter impact. It has more than enough space for the biggest sound system...

The Rukus is a very big deal for Australia because it's the first non-Toyota car from Toyota in a very long time. Love it or hate it, it's impossible to ignore it.

That's a stretch that Toyota has to make, as companies like Hyundai and Kia are running it down in the business of building transport modules and adding more style - think i45 and Koup - than anything in the T-badge mainstream.

The Rukus is going fairly well for Toyota Australia but the project will take mind management and commitment on both sides, sellers and buyers, to become more than just a short-term oddity.

It has plenty of strengths but it sooooo different that it stands out like nothing on the road today. Yet the basics are surprisingly boring, from a 2.4-litre Camry-style engine and outdated four-speed automatic gearbox to a Corolla-cloned chassis and suspension package.

Toyota is going hard on the value front and every Rukus - there are three equipment grades - comes with six airbags, ESP stability control and anti-skid brakes, alloy wheels, aircon and keyless entry and ignition.

Moving up the range brings a thumping nine-speaker sound system, auto aircon and leather-trimmed seats at the Build 2 level, and Build 3 adds a moonroof.

Fuel economy is a claimed 8.8 litres/100km and Toyota Australia is bundling its fixed-price servicing, at $130-a-visit through the first six visits, to build a fuss-free purchase plan.

DRIVING

It's hard to know what to expect from the Rukus, even though I've seen it lots of times at motor shows and been looking forward to its arrival in Australia. The motor show machines have usually been tweaked beyond belief and, after some overseas seat time in the similarly-themed Nissan Cube I'm not expecting anything good on the driving side.

But the Rukus is smooth and compliant, gets along well enough, is quiet in the cabin and has a body shape which gets me re-thinking everything from dashboard design to back-seat space and weekend flexibility.

For me, the Rukus is definitely nicer to drive than the latest Corolla and there is plenty of punch from the 2.4-litre engine. The four-speed auto is a definite no-no, and shows the box was built for the USA and Japan, but that's about my only dynamic complaint.

Toyota stacks the deck a little by supplying a Carsguide test car with all the fruit, including leather seats and a sunroof, but it's still an affordable package at around $32,000 before the on-road extras.

I like the quality in the cabin, and the cushy seats, and I can see a lot of people wanting to buy into the Rukus experience. But Toyota needs to keep committed to the car, and no turn and run - as it did with when its impressive TRD Camry and HiLux ran into trouble because of high prices - if it's not an instant hit.

SHE SAYS Alison Ward

So the Rukus is... Designed for the young and young-at-heart, yet it is surprisingly practical. Its edgy appeal and chunky lines all add up to the funky urban look craved by new drivers and people who are plain bored with the existing hatchback and wagon shapes. The Rukus is funky, functional and fun.

Its underground, gangster styling is a clever way to create wide open spaces for the interior and allows better vision for the road. Leather trim is a nice luxury touch and useful protection for the Little Man in the back seat, while the dash design and the rest of the cabin stuff keeps the cool image hip-hopping away. There are great hidey holes to scurry away your junk and the back end is easy to load with a flexible layout.

As a drive, it does the job. Nothing nasty to report on that front. But I have one word of warning - don't buy it in the dark red paintwork of the test car. It definitely bursts the kool bubble. 

THE BOTTOM LINE: One box that doesn't need unwrapping to spring a surprise.

Pricing guides

$12,990
Based on 4 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$12,990
Highest Price
$14,990

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
Build 1 2.4L, ULP, 4 SP AUTO $7,370 – 10,450 2010 Toyota Rukus 2010 Build 1 Pricing and Specs
Build 3 2.4L, ULP, 4 SP AUTO $8,360 – 11,770 2010 Toyota Rukus 2010 Build 3 Pricing and Specs
Build 2 2.4L, ULP, 4 SP AUTO $8,030 – 11,330 2010 Toyota Rukus 2010 Build 2 Pricing and Specs
EXPERT RATING
7
Pricing Guide

$12,990

Lowest price, based on 3 car listings in the last 6 months

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