BEAR with us while we explore a tenuous Britney Spears analogy. She broke onto the popular music scene at the turn of the century as the darling of the sugary pop generation, essentially creating the genre. Then she lost her shiny veneer, plummeted in popularity and ultimately her fan base dwindled. Sound familiar? Just like Britney, the RAV4 is trying to claw its way back – but is it too late? As a former industry stalwart that now finds itself among far stiffer competition than before, the RAV4 has a tough climb back to the top. What’s Toyota’s solution to set its compact SUV apart from its contemporaries? Reinvention.
Much like Ms Spears has had to do with her music in recent times, Toyota has taken a good look at its competition and built, specced and priced its new-generation RAV4 accordingly.
Toyota has done away with the curves that defined the previous-generation RAV4 and ushered in far more angular lines and sharper creases that can already be seen on its latest Auris and Verso models. The rear aspect, with its expansive sheet metal and miniscule taillamps, bears a resemblance to that of the previous-generation Mitsubishi Outlander.
The CAR team agreed that this new look is perhaps not the best design direction for the RAV4. One of the main drawcards of the previous generation was the more sophisticated styling. We have to, however, give Toyota points for trying to create something that stands out from the crowd. While the competition has gone for the softer and curvier look, it has created the opposite.
The RAV4’s bulked up, too; it measures 4 570 mm in length, an increase of 205 mm; is 30 mm wider at 1 845 mm; and has a 25 mm lower roofline. These figures translate into an interior that’s far larger than before.
The driver benefits from good support from the height-adjustable seat and there are generous amounts of head- and legroom available for everyone. The tallest members of the team remarked that the space was ample even when they performed the sit-behind-self test. The luggage capacity ranges from 368 to 1 480 dm3, depending on the configuration of the 60:40 split rear seats, which is impressive given that the full-size spare is now located under the boot board.
However, the rest of the cabin is a mixed bag. The design of the facia is an acquired taste and there are a number of different grades of plastic that have varying levels of tactile quality, while the multimedia interface doesn’t appear as advanced as other systems we’ve encountered in comparable vehicles lately.
Powering this vehicle is a 2,2-litre diesel unit that delivers 110 kW at 3 600 r/min and 340 N.m of torque between
2 000 and 2 800 r/min. At start-up, this unit sounds rough, but once it’s warmed up it evens out to a refined diesel murmur. The six-speed manual gearbox has a mechanical feel to it, so it requires some shove between gears. Although not all testers liked the gear change, the action is positive and helped the RAV4 achieve reasonable performance figures.
This model comes equipped with Toyota’s Integrated Dynamic Drive System for all-wheel-drive capability. This system takes charge of the RAV4’s dynamic torque control, vehicle stability control and electric power-steering systems and controls the torque transfer between the front and rear wheels. Under normal driving conditions, torque is sent to the front wheels only, unless the system senses that the front wheels are losing grip and during understeer through corners.
We were left a bit perplexed by the sport mode. None of the team members felt a dynamic difference once it was activated. Toyota claims that it increases the amount of torque sent to the rear wheels and prevents the car from understeering.
While we doubt that many RAV4 owners will venture far off the beaten track, Toyota has made sure that should drivers need to traverse rough terrain, they won’t be left stranded. The AWD lock button splits the torque into a 50:50 ratio and can operate at speeds of up to 40 km/h.
The RAV4 felt primed for some off-roading, so we decided to test its ability on a tough track. The Michelin Latitude Tour HP tyres aren’t suited to off-road conditions, so it got slippery from time to time, and because this compact SUV has only 160 mm of ground clearance, we avoided the treacherous parts of our usual off-road course. Over smaller rocks and shallow trenches, however, the RAV4 displayed admirable off-roading capabilities and conquered some tasks better than expected.
The ride quality – both on- and off-road – is one of the most impressive aspects of this vehicle. The forgiving setup, which resulted in some body roll during cornering at higher speeds, allows for a comfortable ride for driver and passengers.
The trump card for this compact SUV is its excellent value prospect. It offers much the same as its rivals but at a more affordable price, including such items as LED daytime running lamps, front fogs, park-distance control and an audio system that can handle CDs, MP3s, Bluetooth connectivity and auxiliary and USB connections. For peace of mind, the RAV4 comes equipped with driver, passenger, side, knee and curtain airbags, Isofix anchorages, ABS with EBD to help achieve our average 100-0 km/h stopping time of 3,11 seconds, and hill-start assist. And hopefully you would never have to test this, but it has a EuroNCAP safety rating of five stars.
Test Summary
Innocent Britney will never return and neither will the quirky RAV4. We’re not convinced that the Toyota’s evolution from cute to modern to this sharp, somewhat radical look works too well.
That aside, the new RAV4 offers a lot for the money. It feels like a substantial vehicle and seems more suited to off-road conditions than some of its softer rivals. This time round, Toyota is trading on more than just its name. It’s competing on specification and price, too. It isn’t perfect, but the RAV4 is undoubtedly one of Toyota’s best recent efforts.
