Perodua Aruz vs Toyota Rush, the choice is obvious

Rebadging is a common practice in the auto industry, as manufacturers often rebadge different models and selling it as theirs.

By now, Malaysians are familiar with rebadging, for better or worse.

Enter the Toyota Rush, which is essentially a rebadged Perodua Aruz but with a much higher price tag, both are 7-seater B-segment SUVs, produced by Daihatsu, or in our case, Perodua.

The top spec Perodua Aruz 1.5 AV has a retail price of RM 77,900, while the Toyota Rush 1.5G retails for RM 98,000.

Both SUVs share a 1.5-litre Dual VVT-i four-cylinder petrol engine that does 105 PS and 136 Nm, hooked up to a 4-speed automatic that sends power to the rear wheels. 

It is also worth mentioning that both the Perodua Aruz and Toyota Rush are built in Perodua's Rawang facility. 

The difference between the Perodua Aruz and Toyota Rush (top specs variants) is the Toyota Rush comes with the following additional features:

• Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• 360-degree camera 

Whether these features justify the additional RM 20,100 is for you to decide.

Both the Toyota Rush and Perodua Aruz 1.5AV come advanced driver assist system (ADAS), as well as digital video recorder (DVR) and a Smart Tag reader.

For the price you’re paying, Perodua Aruz makes more financial sense than the Toyota Rush. Despite the Perodua Aruz being RM 20,000 cheaper than the Toyota Rush, it still receives all the necessary safety equipment. No wonder the Aruz is Malaysia's most popular SUV.