With the 2022 Veloz, has Toyota made another good people carrier?

Look at the current local lineup of Toyota — you'll find that the carmaker carries an abundance of people-carriers for all intents and purposes. 

The Coaster and Hiace carry crowds. The well-heeled set are pampered inside the Alphard and Land Cruiser SUVs. Meanwhile, flocks of families have warmed toward the Fortuner and Innova. The Rush and the 2022 Avanza take the passenger-hauling abilities of their larger stablemates in a more compact and affordable package. 

Today, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has added another three-row SUV to its stable with the 2022 Veloz. The Veloz, by the way — what was once the moniker for the top variant of the old Avanza — is now a small SUV spin-off to the latest version of the MPV, TMP said. 

And so given Toyota's experience in whipping up people-carriers, surely it has made another impressive one with its latest entry, right? Let's look into the Veloz's four qualities that could make it so. 

Life on the inside

Being an Avanza at heart (though TMP maintains that it's an SUV), the 2022 Veloz shares a spacious interior with loads of creature comforts with the MPV. 

Inside the 2022 Veloz, there's plenty of leg, head, and shoulder room for first- and second-row occupants. The pair of passengers in the bleachers have decent legroom, too, as long as they ask those in second-row to slide their seats slightly forward. 

Apart from the expected AC vents front and rear, what also adds to the comfort factor in the 2022 Veloz are classy details that abound in the cabin, such as gloss black appliqués, part-leather seats, and even mood lighting.  

The 2022 Veloz also carries the interior party trick from the Avanza — the Long Sofa Mode. In this mode, the second-row seats fold to meet with the third-row's seat cushions to create, well, a sofa with a long seat cushion. This should prove nifty should the Veloz be taken on car-camping trips. 

Ride and drive

Since the Veloz rides on the Avanza's improved underpinnings over the old model — with a new front-wheel drive and unibody chassis — the former's ride characteristics bode well with its interior. 

The 2022 Veloz soaks the lumps and bumps on the road well, maintaining a planted ride quality in rough tarmac as well as in the smooth ones. NVH, meanwhile, is fine for the most part, too, save for some road and wind noise that are noticeable at speed. 

Under the hood of the 2022 Veloz resides the MPV's 1.5-liter NA gas mill that nets 106hp and 142Nm of torque. A CVT is mated to the engine. During our drive, the Veloz's engine and transmission combo provided decent pace — especially when we activated the Power drive mode that enables the CVT to shift at higher revs. 

Add all of the above with the Veloz's light steering, then driving and riding this SUV is worthwhile. 

Safety dance

What we weren't able to test to their full abilities — and that's for the best, really — is the Veloz's Toyota Safety Sense. TSS adds more safety features to the 2022 Veloz over its counterpart.

TSS includes pre-collision system, automatic high beam, and lane departure alert. Other safety goodies include the blind spot monitor, 360-degree camera, rear cross traffic alert, and four SRS airbags. 

As the 2022 Veloz is a family car, it feels reassuring that TSS is there especially when loved ones are onboard.  

Rugged looks 

Here's where the 2022 Veloz commits more boldly to the SUV image it wants to project.