Remember the unnamed Daihatsu compact SUV that we saw at the recent 2019 Tokyo Motor Show? Well it has now gone on sale in Japan as the Daihatsu Rocky and Toyota Raize.

The model is produced by Daihatsu at its Shiga plant, which also builds the same car for its parent company Toyota, which will then sell it as the Toyota Raize. For now, the Raize/Rocky is only for Japan but we are pretty certain that the same model will eventually find its way to our region.

If it doesn’t appear as here a Perodua, grey importers will be more than happy to meet the demand.

Prices in Japan range between 1.679 million Yen to 2.282 million Yen for the Toyota Raize, while the Daihatsu version will be priced from 1.705 million Yen to 2.422 million Yen.

At today’s exchange rate, that translates to about RM 64,000 to RM 92,000 but of course, such direct conversion is of little use because our tax structure is quite different from Japan’s.

For comparison, a Honda HR-V (Vezel in Japan) starts at 2.11 million Yen in Japan but remember that in Japan, the HR-V comes with just a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC engine (131 PS).

Our Malaysian market HR-V comes with either the 1.8-litre naturally aspirated engine (142 PS), or the more powerful 1.5-litre direct injection hybrid (152 PS).

Of course, Japanese buyers also get the 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo version, which we don’t get for the HR-V.

The Raize/Rocky measures just 3,995 millimeters long, 1,695 millimeters wide, 1,620 mm tall, with a 2,525 mm wheelbase.

It’s just slightly bigger than a Perodua Myvi (100 mm longer but 40 mm narrower). However when viewed in person, the car doesn't appear to be that small. It's an illusion given by the 17-inch wheels, wide wheel arches and SUV-style stance, which makes the car looks bigger than it actually is.

The Raize/Rocky is actually smaller than even the Mazda CX-3 (4,275 mm long and 1,765 mm wide).

Underpinning the car is a Toyota’s latest TNGA platform, most likely the TNGA-B for compact cars, which is also shared with the Yaris, since the Raize/Rocky uses the same torsion beam setup for the rear. Daihatsu refers to the same platform as DNGA.

Toyota/Daihatsu claims the Raize/Rocky has a class-leading 369-litre boot volume, with the rear seats up.

Power comes from a Daihatsu 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine (1KR-VET) that’s shared with the Japanese market Daihatsu Thor/Toyota Tank. It makes just 98 PS at 6,000 rpm and 140 Nm at 2,400 – 4,000 rpm.

Power is transferred either to the front or all four wheels via Daihatsu’s D-CVT transmission. D-CVT is a CVT-type automatic transmission that uses both belt and gear drives at high speeds for improved transmission efficiency.

4WD variants feature Dynamic Torque Control 4WD for better control when accelerating away in slippery conditions.

Higher range variants feature adaptive cruise control (with stop and go), 360 degree parking camera as well as autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitor and lane keep assist. 

There's also a semi-automatic parallel parking feature.

Inside, the digital instrument panel has four display modes - Advanced, Exciting, Simple, and Analog.

The infotainment is a 9-inch touch screen unit and supports Apple CarPlay (but no Android Auto).