Rumion enough for you?  – The Hindu BusinessLine

There’s no hiding the fact that the Toyota Rumion is essentially a rebadged Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. What it offers in addition to the already well-established product the Ertiga is, are key inclusions that can make the ownership experience even better: Toyota’s well-renowned after-sales service, extended warranty coverage, and even some subtle premium touches on the product itself. We take the Toyota Rumion out on a drive to see how all this comes together. 

To start with, the front-end styling has been ever so slightly updated to incorporate a Toyota Innova Crysta-like face. It’s a token inclusion which works in the Rumion’s favour until you move to the side, where the identical Ertiga profile tells you that this isn’t much different. There’s nothing wrong with the way the Ertiga looks and the Rumion gets to enjoy the same well-proportioned exterior styling. 

Spacious and powerful

The interior is also familiar, with the same dashboard layout and switchgear as the Ertiga, apart from — like on the outside — the badges. One of the reasons why the Ertiga is popular has to be the space and comfort it offers. The packaging efficiency deserves to be appreciated, and the Rumion is thus naturally bound to be a favourite among large families as well as fleet owners. The second row of seats can be slid to open up more room, while you can also slide them forwards to ensure that the third-row passengers don’t feel shortchanged. The air-conditioning system is quite powerful, I must add. 

Toyota has made some changes to differentiate it from the Ertiga, like a wood-effect trim that covers the width of the dashboard, an overall darker interior tone, a larger touchscreen display (with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity), and even automatic climate control. The upholstery quality, too, feels like a slight improvement over the Ertiga’s, although it’s not quite in the league of ‘premium’ cars. 

The Rumion is powered by Maruti Suzuki’s trusted 1.5-litre K15C engine, which makes 102 bhp and 13.97 kg-m. The transmission choices include a six-speed torque converter automatic (which we tested) and a five-speed manual. It’s evident that the car is built to handle everyday tasks without compromising fuel economy, and not for outright acceleration runs. Sudden bursts of power are absent, so overtaking moves require some planning, and for overall progress, there are times that you might need to work the engine hard. 

In the urban environment, the Rumion shines throughout. Its steering is light, the driving position offers great visibility, and despite its MPV body, placing the Rumion in narrow spaces isn’t an issue. The ride quality, too, is worth a mention. It tackles road imperfections without any drama, and it’s only the deep potholes that make their presence felt in the cabin. Out on the highway, while it isn’t made for cornering (the Rumion exhibits a fair bit of body roll), the overall stability is respectable. Having said that, as the speedometer climbs upwards of 100 km/h, both the engine and road noise become more pronounced. To round it up, it must be said that despite the ability to ferry up to seven people in decent comfort, the Rumion is car-like in the way it drives. 

Verdict 

The Toyota Rumion is spread between ₹10.44 lakh and ₹13.73 lakh, ex-showroom, which is at a slight premium over the comparable Ertiga variants. Apart from the aforementioned changes, the extra money goes into a more comprehensive warranty coverage, too. The experience at Toyota dealerships, for both sales and service, can also feel a bit different in comparison to Maruti Suzuki’s, I must add. 

As a product though, the Rumion doesn’t have much to prove; the heavy lifting has already been done by the Ertiga. As a fairly pocket-friendly MPV, which feels like a complete product, the Rumion can be considered — and not just in isolation, it holds its own in comparison to the identical Ertiga, too. It mightn’t be the most exciting car to drive, but not many cars in this market space offer you the ability to travel together with your family or friends. Now it’ll be entirely up to you to choose which badge works better, but having lived with the Toyota-branded MPV, we can safely say it makes a lot of sense to consider the Rumion. 

© Motoring World

Published on July 4, 2025