Face-lifted 2023 Daihatsu Terios Surfaces – Perodua Aruz Facelift Preview?

2023MY Daihatsu Terios 7-seat lifted, SUV-styled MPV bows in Indonesia this week.

This week, the Indonesian market sees the face-lifted 2023 Daihatsu Terios debut in said republic, sporting a sleeker and neater new look up front. This lifted, SUV-styled MPV is of course the Daihatsu-badged twin of what we Malaysians recognise as either the Toyota Rush or Perodua Aruz.

Key changes were made to the front fascia, with the Terios now sporting a slimmer grille design that connected with the LED headlamps that now sport a darker smoked tint finish. It also sports a more prominent lower grille design to match, plus redesigned LED foglamp and vertical DRLs too.

Both the front bumper and grilles are all new, the latter seeing its top half slimmer. There's also new LED foglamps and vertical DRLs, as well as smoked headlights.

Restyled cladding aside, things at the rear remains unchanged.

It also appears that higher-end trimlines now roll on new dual-tone 17-inch wheels. As for the rear profile, it appears that little change has happened here, so things remain rather familiar-looking on this end. Much of the exterior design tweaks are focused up front.

On board, the 2023MY refresh sees the Terios sporting a revised new meter panel, whilst its 7-inch centre infotainment touchscreen is also new and now sports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, smartphone mirroring, and a 360-degree parking view monitor.

Smartphone mirroring, 360-degree camera view, as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are revisions to made to the 7-inch central touchscreen.

A premium new addition is this Qi wireless smartphone charging pad located in the centre armrest.

Besides that, what’s visible too are the dashboard’s new soft-touch material lining, as well as the addition of a new Qi wireless smartphone charging pad in the centre armrest. Apart from what we’ve just detailed, it appears little else has changed on board too.

Mechanically, the Indonesia-spec Daihatsu Terios soldiers on with the familiar 2NR-VE 1.5-litre 4-cyl Dual VVT-i petrol mill. In said republic just across the Malacca straits, the mill can be paired with either a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual transmission.

Mechanically, the 2023MY refresh sees no changes to the Terios, which soldiers on with the familiar 1.5-litre 4-cyl Dual VVT-i petrol mill plus the choice between a 4-speed AT or 5-speed MT.

Unlike the Malaysia-spec and Perodua-badged Aruz twin, the Terios makes do without any advanced driver assistances (ADAS). However, it does see all the basics covered as it is laced with ABD plus EBD, stability control (VSC), and a bevy of airbags lining the cabin.

Depending on trimline, the refreshed 2023 Daihatsu Terios retails in Indonesia between IDR236,050,000 and IDR303,250,000, or roughly RM73,146 and RM93,970.

With a similar refresh as the 2023MY Terios (right), could the Perodua-badged Aruz be your 7-seat MPV of choice over the new DNGA-based second-gen Alza (left) instead?

Crucially, this 2023MY refresh for the Daihatsu-badged offering could be a preview of sorts of perhaps an upcoming facelift for its Perodua-badged twin. Apart from a minor upgrade in 2021, little has changed for the Aruz since its launch in 2019, which current commands RM72,900 (X) and RM77,900 (AV).

What do you folks think, then? Could a similar refresh make the Aruz a little more tempting over the new and DNGA-based but more-grounded second-gen Alza MPV?