Toyota Rumion review, first drive - the better MPV to bet on?

 It's a familiar face in slightly different clothing and a more desirable badge. Meet the Toyota Rumion, a badge-engineered Maruti Suzuki Ertiga 

that will help Toyota stay relevant in the affordable 3-row MPV space. The Innova has gotten quite pricier over the years owing to its unprecedented reliability and that has left a hole for Toyota to offer a more affordable 7-seater option. The Rumion is the third product Toyota has borrowed from Maruti Suzuki under their existing alliance after the Glanza and Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Let's take a look at why you should fork out that extra bit of cash for the Rumion over its fraternal twin that has dominated this segment ever since we've known it.

Let's quickly discuss how much that extra bit is. At the time of writing, the Rumion starts at Rs 10.44 lakh for the manual transmission and Rs 11.94 lakh for the automatic (ex-showroom Mumbai). For comparison, the Ertiga has a much cheaper base model priced at Rs 8.69 lakh (manual) and Rs 11.23 lakh for the automatic. The top-end Rumion we drove is priced at Rs 13.73 lakh while a top-spec Ertiga will set you back Rs 13.03 lakh. So, that makes the Rumion about Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 more than its direct Ertiga variant.

At first glance, the Rumion looks identical to the Ertiga in every aspect. The easiest way to tell the cars apart is obviously the Toyota badge that rests proudly on the grille. And speaking of the grille, the Rumion takes inspiration from the Innova Crysta's grille and is considerably bigger than the one seen on the Ertiga. It's also got a thick bezel of chrome around it around it that in all fairness gives it quite an upmarket touch. Staying at the front, the bumper too has been revised with a triangular fog lamp housing and a bit more chrome around the refreshed air dam.

The 15-inch alloy wheel design is possibly the biggest giveaway though on this top-spec NeoDrive V. Apart from these updates, the remainder of the Rumion is identical to the Ertiga. Even at the rear, apart from the badging, the car hasn't been retouched by Toyota whatsoever. Although the Rumion is 25mm longer than the Ertiga, that extra length is incorporated in the bumper and does not translate to a longer wheelbase which continues to sit at 2,740mm.