Update: Toyota Rukus Review.
Toyota has officially unveiled its final version of the Scion xB-based urban utility vehicle at the New York auto show, which will go on sale here from June 1 as the Toyota Rukus.
Stepping out of its comfort zone, the Toyota Rukus is aimed at ‘young, urban trend-setters’ – many of whom have previously never owned a Toyota.
Australian models will be imported from Japan and received the latest updates introduce in the US version, including a slim-line upper grille and larger mouth-like lower intake.
Toyota makes no excuses for its design, with Toyota Australia’s marketing manager Scott Thompson saying they deliberately set out to challenge the norms of car design.
“Rukus is anything but a standard car – and that’s exactly why we’re introducing it to the Australian market,” Mr Thompson said.
“Rukus is not a mass-market car: it’s an acquired taste that will polarise opinions.
The Toyota Rukus’ US counterpart has recently been named a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – its highest safety designation.
In order to receive this title, the Rukus had to earn the highest rating in the Institute’s front; side, rollover, and rear impact tests and had to be equipped with vehicle stability control.
To achieve this result in the rollover test especially, the roof had to support the equivalent of four times the vehicle’s weight – more than double the existing US federal standard – with the Rukus managing to withstand a force equal to 6.8 times its vehicle weight.
