The name's Rukus. Toyota Rukus. Yep, the company that brought us styling `icons' (not) like the Prius, Camry, Corolla and Yaris has at last taken a bold move in Australia. That move is the Rukus, a boxy, fun set of wheels straight out of the back streets of Tokyo where square cars are cool and half the female population have the Beyonce look.
After years in the styling wilderness – for the Australian market at least – Toyota are at last giving buyers something to get excited about – in addition to reliable, boring cars that provide A to B transport. The Rukus is here and if you look to the scrolling panel on the left of the mister-cars home page you will see another Toyota styling-leap forward, the FJ Cruiser 4WD, which is also on its way.
We've just spent the past few days punting around in the Rukus and gave ourselves a simple brief: Why would I buy this car? Toyota claim it's a car for the young. They say it's Gen-Y car. Buyers so far have been in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Our thoughts are this. Why should they have all the fun? We will not be surprised to see more mature demographics trundling into Toyota dealerships armed with a cheque for $27,490 (plus on roads).
The Rukus reminds us of Chrysler's now defunct PT Cruiser in some ways: a look-at-me economical four door, practical van-style powered by a four cylinder engine. The difference was that the PT Cruiser was aimed at baby-boomers seeking to recreate the fun of their youth. The boxy Toyota Rukus turns the clock back earlier than this, to the 1920s when cars were practical first – read boxy - and stylish second and is seeking to enhance the fun of today's motoring juniors.
While prices start from $27,490 the Rukus has three equipment levels known as Build 1, Build 2 and Build 3. Toyota have not ignored performance at the expense of style and all three models are powered by a lively 2.4 litre four with 123 kW of power and economy of 8.8 litres/100 km. Generous dads thinking of buying a car for their son or daughter will like the safety basics like six airbags, stability and traction control and ABS brakes.
Besides the styling the youngies will like the add-ons: keyless push-button start and entry, alloy wheels, power mirrors and windows and engine immobiliser. They will also like the interior which is in stark contract to the boxy outside and is full of storage spaces and user-friendly essentials like radio and aircon controls, auto windows and mirrors. Also important is having a driver's seat that can be elevated making the car a possibility for those who might be on the shorter side. In addition it is at a height which will be attractive to mature buyers with back problems. This is an easy car to enter and exit.
There are small touches that will appeal to a lot of people. The aircon controls are angled towards the driver: there are cup holders in between the seats and bottle holders in all four doors. The rear pew has a fold down centre armrest, also boasting a pair of cupholders. Also, unlike many small cars the rear seat passengers are not treated as second-class citizens. There's a huge amount of head and leg room, and good shoulder room for three adults, thanks to the tall, rectangular shape. The rear seat has a 60/40 split giving the option for three of four passengers and extra room for long items – such as skis, prams or boogie boards. With the seat in use there's still a useful 310 litres of luggage space available to the top of the seat back.
One thing that people of all ages are demanding in their cars is technology. The Rukus meets the demand with innovation such as audio with joystick control as well Bluetooth streaming capability and hands-free mobile connection, CD player and even the Build 1 Rukus has six speakers. Also standard are USB and 3.5mm audio inputs that cater for iPod and other external media players and storage devices. Build 2 and 3 variants have nine speakers, including two rear squawkers and a vented sub-woofer. These models also get a six stacker CD and 4.3 inch colour screen.
Our test car also came with some Toyota Tattoos – decals – which can include stripes, flames and bricks – and some other stylish touches, that will individualise the Rukus. Of course, that's not compulsory and of you're over 40 you can leave your Rukus standard.
Rukus is based on the Toyota Echo/Yaris platform. As an idea of size it shares the same 2600mm wheelbase as a Corolla, but the Rukus has a 40mm longer rear overhang. With the tall, boxy shape items up to 855mm can be fitted into the luggage area. By the way, with the rear seat folded the luggage capacity expands out to 1331 litres. We also like the way Toyota have given the Rukus more poke than a Corolla by way of a 2.4 litre four that pumps out 23 per cent more power and 28 per cent more torque than Corolla's 1.8 litre engine. Power is delivered through a four speed auto shifter that can be used manually with a sequential shift mode. The transmission can also be locked in gear to give better performance on steep hills, or to provide engine braking on downhill runs.
We often talk about the driving `experience' and in this area the Rukus is nothing out of the ordinary. It handles as you'd expect, but let's face it, for Rukus, the driving experience is about the style, the look-at-me experience and the car's inate practicality. It's a boulevarde cruiser that may be aimed at the doof-doof crowd, but we think will have niche wider appeal.
VERDICT: We like it. This is not a shallow attempt at a trendy car, but a well thought-out and designed car that suits the current times. It certainly would fill the bill as a second family car. At last, a Toyota passenger car with character.
MODEL RANGE AND PRICING TOYOTA RUKUS
Build 1: $27,490*
Build 2: $29,990
Build 3: $31,790
(*Not including on road costs and government charges)
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: Standard
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Standard
Dual Front Airbags: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Standard
Stability Control: Standard
Traction Control: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.362 litres
Configuration: in line four
Head Design: DOHC, VVTi on inlet valves
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 88.5 mm x 96.0 mm
Maximum Power: 123 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 224 Nm @ 4000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: N/A
Automatic Transmission: Four speed with sequential shifter
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4260 mm
Wheelbase: 2600 mm
Width: 1760 mm
Height: 1645 mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 1390 - 1400 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
Towing Ability: 500 kg (kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: McPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam
Front Brakes: ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: solid discs
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: N/A seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: 91RON or higher
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 8.8 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
3 years/ 100,000 km
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