Rent Toyota Raize 2023 in Dubai

The Toyota Raize 2023 rents in Dubai as one of the smallest automatic crossovers in our fleet, and the first thing you feel is how eager it is off the line. A turbocharged three-cylinder engine gives it more shove at low revs than its size suggests, sent through a CVT that keeps the cabin calm in stop-start traffic on Al Wasl Road or around a Downtown roundabout. We get it to your door in one to two hours, so there's no trip to a counter to start the week. This page looks at what that small turbo engine actually buys you day to day, and where the compact size starts to cost you space.

What the 1.0-litre turbo feels like on the road

The Raize runs a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder making 97 hp and 140 Nm, paired to a CVT automatic that drives the front wheels only. There's no all-wheel-drive version sold here, so this isn't the car for a Hatta trail or a soft-sand detour. At low speed the turbo does most of the work, and the shove of torque off a standstill makes it feel quicker than the modest power figure suggests, useful for keeping up with the scrum pulling away from a light on Sheikh Zayed Road's service lanes. Ask more of it and the character changes. Past around 4,000 rpm the three-cylinder gets vocal, and the CVT holds a higher, steady drone while it searches for road speed rather than shifting cleanly through gears. At 1,680 kg it's a light car, which is part of why the small engine keeps up despite its size and why fuel economy stays good even when you lean on the turbo. Cruising at 120 km/h on the E11 it's composed enough, but overtaking a truck at that speed needs a bit more lead time than a bigger-engined rival would ask for.

Cases, a fourth passenger and where the space runs out

The boot holds 369 litres with the rear seats up, a solid number for a car this compact, enough for one large suitcase and a couple of soft bags without any Tetris involved. Two adults in the back sit fine for a mall run or an airport transfer. Add a third passenger for anything longer than twenty minutes and the 2,525 mm wheelbase starts to show, with knee room closer to a supermini's than a proper compact SUV's. That's really the ceiling on this car. It's built for one or two people and their luggage, not a family of four with a boot full of shopping. The payoff of the small body is that it disappears into parking that would make a bigger crossover work for it. At 4,030 mm long and 1,710 mm wide it slots into a standard bay with room to spare, and 200 mm of ground clearance shrugs off speed bumps and steep mall ramps that scrape a lower hatchback.

Fuel stops, Salik and keeping cool in July

Toyota's own figures put economy at around 17 km/L in the city and up to 19 km/L on the highway, strong for a crossover this size, and on the 36-litre tank that works out to a range of roughly 610 to 680 km. In practice, one fill-up covers a normal week of city driving, sometimes fewer if the car spends more time parked than moving. The daily mileage allowance is 250 km, with extra kilometres charged at AED 0.5 each, a fair rate if you're planning an out-of-town run to Al Ain or Hatta on top of the daily commute. Salik tolls and any RTA fines are the renter's responsibility, as with every car we hand over, and the minimum age to book the Raize is 25, higher than some of the smaller cars in our fleet, so check that before you plan on it for a younger driver.

The small cabin cools quickly once the AC has airflow to work with, since there's less volume for the front vents to pull down than in a mid-size SUV. It heats up just as fast sitting in direct sun through a Dubai afternoon, so give it a minute with the doors open before you climb back in rather than expecting the AC to fix a scorching interior the moment you start the engine.

Who the Raize fits, and who should look elsewhere

Rent the Raize if you're one or two people doing city errands, office commutes and the odd airport run, and you'd rather pay less at the pump than have room to spare in the back seat. The tight turning circle that comes with the short wheelbase also makes valet drop-offs and U-turns easier than in most of our SUVs. Size up if you're regularly carrying three adults, a family's worth of shopping, or you want more reserve for overtaking at highway speed with a full car. A Kicks or a Creta costs a bit more to rent but gives you a proper back seat and a bigger boot without a huge jump in running cost. And if you're under 25, this one isn't available to you regardless. For a solo renter or a couple who want the cheapest sensible automatic to run and the easiest car in the fleet to park, the Raize does that job well and doesn't pretend to do more.