Toyota RAV4
The
original 'soft-roader' beefs up in size, muscle and toughness…
What's
New
After two generations, Toyota's RAV4 has grown up, and in
quite a literal way. It's now 4,600mm long and 1,815mm wide,
making it significantly bigger than the model it replaces,
and roughly the size of a BMW X3.
Other
signs of maturity? Consider the more aggressive styling,
with a wider stance and tapered headlights with twin lamps
in each one. There's also extra off-roading gear, a bigger,
2.4-litre engine, the fact that three-door versions are
history, and an upmarket shift in the overall feel of the
cabin, which is now not only rich in tactile quality, but
also spatially immense.
While
the 2.4-litre is the only engine available, you have two
models to choose from in the form of a standard RAV4 and
a RAV4 Premium. The Highway drove the latter, and kept our
driving to the tarmac because that's where we expect the
vast majority of RAV4s to be used, for the vast majority
of the time.
How
it Performs
If you're determined to venture off-road anyway, Toyota
is determined to make it easy. The Premium package includes
a Downhill Assist Control system that allows the Toyota
to creep slowly down forbidding slopes, rather than forcing
you to use the brakes to lurch your way to the bottom. That
comes with a Hill Start Assist system, which automatically
holds the car on the brakes on an incline until you hit
the accelerator, to prevent it from rolling back.
For
all the extra off-roading gear, the RAV4 remains a nice
car to drive on the road. It has nicely-sorted steering
and handling, and while it doesn't offer leech-like grip
around corners, the Toyota feels predictable and tidy at
all times. A nice, stiff body adds to the feeling of precision.
The
engine is nicely grunty, although you get the feeling that
with a five speeds instead of four, the RAV4 would feel
livelier from standstill. Still, it's decently quick when
you rev it aggressively, though the engine does get vocal.
Most other times, it's near-silent.
A
2,660mm wheelbase means that rear legroom is uncommonly
generous, and as a neat trick, you can trade some of that
room for cargo space by sliding the seats forward. They
recline, too, which means the Toyota offers the kind of
backseat accommodation that would satisfy a Yao Ming.
How
it Stacks Up
Apart from the off-roading features, the Premium package
also includes niceties like a glass sunroof, alloy wheels,
roof rail, digital air-con controls, steering-mounted audio
controls, and stability control. It seems worth the $10,000
extra it costs, if you ask us.
But
is the RAV4 itself any good to begin with? There are better
rivals for going off-road (the Suzuki Vitara springs to
mind) and sportier on-tarmac cars (try the Subaru Forester),
but the Toyota tops the heap in terms of space and refinement,
while offering terrific on-road prowess. Having bid farewell
to its teenybopper positioning, the RAV4 has matured nicely
into a car likely to prove ideal at family-hauling duties.
| Technical Specifications |
|
MODEL
Toyota RAV4 2.4 Premium
ENGINE
Engine: 2,362cc, 16V in-line 4
Max Power: 167bhp at 6,000rpm
Max Torque: 224Nm at 4,000rpm
TRANSMISSION
4-speed automatic
TOP SPEED
185 kmh
0-100km/h
10.5s
|
