It’s still early in 2022, but we’re calling it: this could be the most important vehicle launching this year. Meet the Raize—Toyota’s first-ever sub-compact SUV.
Given a choice, Filipinos love SUVs. They offer things buyers want—additional ground clearance, a more flexible interior, and great bang for the buck value. Toyota may have taken their sweet time with the Raize, but now that it’s here, it offers everything the Filipino car buyer’s looking for and then some.
The Raize is an urban SUV designed for those who desire to drive a vehicle with high ground clearance (200 mm), while still maintain proportions that are compact (4,030 mm overall length and 1,710 mm overall width).
Its compact size has also resulted in a very dense exterior filled with all sorts of eye-catching details. The angled bumper corners and trapezoidal lower grille create a powerful appearance, while the use of thin LED headlights and sequential turn signal lights hint at the advanced technologies lurking beneath.
True enough, the Raize is underpinned by a next-generation global platform that use lightweight high-tensile steel plates and suspension components that have been optimized for performance and weight. All in all, the curb weight ranges from as little as 970 kilograms and tops out at just 1,040 kilograms.
Two engines are available. The first is a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder with 88 PS and 113 Nm of torque, while the other is a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder with 98 PS and 140 Nm of torque. A 5-speed manual is available on the base variant, but the rest uses a D-CVT. This system is unique to the Raize and adds split gears to existing CVT belt drives. This is done for improved efficiency and responsiveness.
Being an SUV for the urbanite, providing outstanding visibility is important. Thus, the instrument panel layout is designed in a way to provide an outstanding field of view. More importantly, every control can be operated intuitively by simply extending the arms. This results in a more comfortable, confident feel for the driver.
The front seats alone are impressive. The back rest and side pads offer differing levels of firmness, improving the support for occupants—perfect for spending hours in stop-and-go traffic. Meanwhile, the distance between the front and rear seats is a generous 900 millimeters, providing plenty of space for a comfortable rear-seat riding experience.
Convenient storage solutions are located throughout the cabin, but impressively, open the hatch and it reveals a spacious luggage compartment. Fold the rear seats and it creates a long, flat space capable of storing long items of luggage.
The LED digital speedometer and 7-inch TFT color LCD display are seamlessly integrated, appearing to create a single screen for a cutting-edge feel. The Raize is impressively kitted too with a smart keyless entry with push-button start/stop, and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
In terms of safety, the Raize doesn’t disappoint. Standard are dual SRS airbags, ABS with EBD and electronic stability control. Moving up the variant ladder adds 6 SRS airbags, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a rear camera, and back-up sensors.
The 5-seater SUV is designed and developed to be compact, active, and useful both for everyday and leisure on weekends. It comes in four variants: 1.0 Turbo CVT (P 1,031,000); 1.2 G CVT (P 906,000); 1.2 E CVT (P 816,000); and 1.2 E MT (746,000).
There are six colors, the availability of which depends on the variant: Silver Metallic 4 (1.2 E, 1.2 G), Gray Metallic (1.2 E, 1.2 G), Red 2 (1.2 G), Yellow SE/Black (1.0 Turbo), Turquoise Mica Metallic/Black (1.0 Turbo), White Pearl SE/Black (1.0 Turbo). As usual, the White Pearl commands a small premium, albeit here, it is just P 5,000).
Check out the full brochure below.
Photos by Chira dela Cruz
Keyword: The Toyota Raize May Be The Most Important Car Of 2022 (w/ Brochure)