Toyota RAV4
The popularity of the RAV4 is such that Toyota has only just been able to make one available for us to test.
February auto industry data shows the RAV4 as being the most registered SUV in the country year-to-date with a 22.5 percent market share and 986 units in play. That’s a whole lot of RAV4’S!
Naturally, the auto industry stats don’t always give the full story, but even taking this into consideration – well, dealers will only order what they think they can ultimately sell after all.
We suspect the most popular models of the RAV4S would be the hybrid-engine models – especially given our interview with Plumbing World and their delays in getting their fleet through vehicle supply.
Add to this the fact that when we requested a hybrid to test, we were advised that one was not available – which is why we are reviewing the GXL AWD model with a conventional
2.5 litre petrol engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
This is the RAV4 that fits right in the middle of the range, making it a good example for us to review.
All RAV4’S are five star safety rated vehicles and have an extensive array of active and passive protection systems, not least of which is the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistance systems and active safety equipment including – but not limited to – trailer sway control, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, secondary collision braking and active cornering assist
(for understeer reduction), as well as the more familiar ABS brakes, traction and vehicle stability control, hill start assist, brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution.
Safety is at the heart of Toyota’s current design ethos, which is why the only safety difference between the entry level model GX and the two GXL models is that of static guidelines for the reversing camera in the base model as opposed to dynamic ones in the GXL’S.
Other differences then, come in the engine options and outputs, towing capacities, transmission types, drivetrains, wheel and tyre choices, interior specifications and mass, though all of these could be considered minor between the variants – until you get to the hybrids, of course.
RAV4 has never had any on-road comfort level issues. Even from the first-generation (1995-ish) models – and we are at generation five now – Toyota NZ has taken great pains to prove the four-wheel-drive validity of the RAV4, though most would agree this was unnecessary.
RAV4S that went off-road, went off-road very well, those that stayed on tarmac proved extremely popular with the nine-to-fivers and weekend road warriors.
And it’s the same with what we found with the current AWD GLX model which coped with our mild off-road excursion with the same aplomb as it handled our rush hour commutes.
The key characteristics of the fifth generation RAV4 is the apparent increase in physical size – something which is commensurate with most modern vehicles – and the Americanisation of the wheel arches, which are now pronouncedly square.
The RAV4 has retained its basic conceptual shape and, while it may be a little larger than we are used to, it is spectacularly equipped, has seen significant improvements over the outgoing model as a result, and clearly has retained its appeal to private and professional buyers alike.