INNOVA LITE

Having established itself as a dominant player in the MPV space with the Innova, Toyota is now looking to democratise it with the Rumion

- Anagh Bhaskar

Once again we find ourselves behind the wheel of another car with Maruti Suzuki DNA but the respected Toyota badge and this time around it is the Ertiga which has donned the name Rumion. Now, Toyota doesn't exactly need to establish itself in the 3-row do-it-all MPV game considering that it is the one who who has been dominating it with the Innova, and the impact has been such that fleet operators will swear by the MPV throughout its multiple generations. However, the Innova is quite expensive now, both Crysta and Hycross models, and the sub-15 lakh MPV space is something that Toyota could never tap, but now it wants to, armed with the second most successful MPV in India.

As has been the formula, the Rumion shares all the body panels with the Ertiga, hence it comes as a surprise to most people when they have already registered the car as an Ertiga in their brains in a single glance and then spot the Toyota badge. The grille is different and bigger, and looks similar to the one seen on the Crysta. There's a chrome border surrounding the grille, while the lower bumper is different too, with more chrome. This MPV rides on 15-inch alloys with a bit of black in them, which gives the Rumion quite the stance and upmarket appeal. Compared to the Ertiga, the Toyota is 25mm longer. This, though, is strictly due to the redesigned bumper, as the wheelbase is the same.