Toyota’s New Raize Rolls into Dealerships
Compact SUV is first Toyota vehicle to use new D-CVT transmission.
Toyota recently announced that it has commenced sales of the new Raize at Toyota dealers nationwide as of November 5.
A compact SUV small passenger car, the new Raize measures just 13 feet in length and was developed to be “active, useful, and compact. Easy to use both for leisure on weekends and for everyday use, the Raize provides daily support for customers in a variety of active scenarios,” says Toyota.
The new Raize is the first compact car produced by Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. to incorporate its next-generation car making platform, DNGA, which anticipates product development for both Toyota and Daihatsu brands. All aspects of the car, including its platform and powertrain unit, have been newly developed, with the goal of realizing outstanding levels of driving performance, luxury, safety, and peace of mind.
Featuring a compact body, the new Raize is just 13 feet long and five and a half feet wide. It is equipped with impressively large 17-inch tires and protruding fenders, which provide the sense of power and stability unique to SUVs.
The compact SUV boasts a class-leading 13 cubic foot luggage capacity. The rear seats can also be folded to further increase the cargo space available, enabling particularly large or long items of luggage to be loaded. In addition, there are storage solutions located throughout the cabin, resulting in a highly convenient interior space.
As for driving performance, the Raize’s newly developed light-weight, highly rigid body and suspension contribute to outstanding handling stability and ride comfort. By combining a 1.0-liter turbo engine with D-CVT, the car achieves the torque and driving joy of a 1.5-liter engine, as well as outstanding fuel efficiency. Used in a Toyota vehicle for the first time, D-CVT adds split gears to existing CVT belt drives and uses both belt and gear drives at high speeds for improved transmission efficiency.
The gear-ratio range has also been expanded to provide powerful and smooth acceleration at low speeds and fuel-efficient and quiet performance at high speeds. The Raize comes equipped with the latest Smart Assist safety features, including the Crash Avoidance Braking Function, which is capable of detecting both vehicles and pedestrians, and the Erroneous Start Prevention Function with braking control (forward and backward).
The new Raize has also been added to Toyota’s KINTO ONE beloved-car subscription service, which proposes a new user-car relationship. With a desire to provide young people with as many opportunities as possible to enjoy a new car, the KINTO ONE monthly subscription rate for the new Raize starts at about $365 (including taxes). This cost will cover the price of the vehicle as well as necessary expenses such as voluntary insurance beyond the basic mandatory insurance.
Photos: Toyota