Toyota RAV4 Reviews

As such, Toyota believes it will attract a wider audience including user-chooser fleet buyers replacing more traditional sedans and wagons.And early impressions suggest this RAV4 offers greater appeal to a young family — more space and comfort, less edgy styling. For the all-new, all-wheel-drive RAV4 has moved closer to Toyota's Kluger in size and style.Yet, despite the more subdued style and maturation, the RAV4 remains the most sporting of Toyota's mob of SUVs.It is a little heavier this time around and engine power is only up 5kW but the 2006 RAV4's road grip, balance and general road manners allow the wagon (five-door only this time) to be pushed along with smiles and surety.Underneath there's Toyota's Active All-Wheel-Drive system.After years of pushing the benefits of constant all-wheel-drive, Toyota switches here to a "pro-active" drive system which runs in front-wheel-drive when all is well. If wheels begin to lose traction, a series of sensors and monitors and mechanical bits start sharing the drive around to keep it all on the move.This works quickly and quite unobtrusively, whether hurtling down a tarred mountain road or climbing a rock-strewn track.There are no indications of the drive being worked from one end or side to the other, rather the RAV4 can be belted along with some confidence, plenty of grip and balance. Some earlier "on-demand" all-wheel-drive systems (on rival machines) were often too slow to react, leading to machines stuck on hillsides, and in the sand, the Toyota system would appear to offer far more security.On RAV4 Cruiser and Cruiser L models there is the added benefit of a yaw rate sensor chipping in to determine how best to handle a vehicle drifting off line. Automatic models gain a downhill assist for automatic retardation on descents. And there is a differential lock for equal drive distribution under 40km/h.While a nice, easy and soft machine for around town work, the new RAV4 is best appreciated on a country run, moving on over indifferent surfaces.Here the Toyota offers a decent compromise between all-out SUV and mid-sized passenger car. It is quick and comfortable, has positive steering and excellent road manners; the only let down is a shortness to the wagon's suspension travel which leads to some crash-thump through potholes. (There is also, around the town, a little too much suspension noise over odd lumps and bumps.)Yet the RAV4 feels that bit more solid, bit more substantial, than its predecessors. There is, of course, an extra 140kg in this longer, wider and bigger third-generation RAV4.The resulting package makes for a fine family tourer, a medium-sized wagon ready to run around the country. How it handles a full family load is unknown, it certainly runs smartly with two passengers and a light load. North American versions score a V6 to help the power-weight equationIt does need some care and patience to have the RAV4, with 195cm of ground clearance, tackling real tough spots off road. There is no low ratio and the 2.4-litre engine is a touch peaky for slow and steady work.But with the right approach the Toyota RAV4 will get a lot further than may be expected.This is a fine SUV, loaded with all the usual gear. By the time you get to the Cruiser L at the top of the line there's leather seats and a moon roof to go with the six-stacker CD player, airconditioning, electric windows and mirrors.The steering wheel still sits a bit low for taller drivers, the centre console treatment is a bit try-hard but there is plenty of cabin space and general safety.RAV4 prices have crept up a little, in line with the bigger body, new technology. But the all-wheel-drive wagon remains good value as an all-rounder for the young family.

This third generation of Toyota's smallest (for now) SUV does away with permanent all-wheel-drive in favour of a "pro-active" package of electronics to control slips and slides plus tackle rougher back roads.It has grown, this RAV4, to a wider, longer body (now 4.6m in length) that offers more people and cargo space. Along the way the bigger RAV4 picks up an extra 140kg and leaves the door open for the possibility of a smaller, more junior soft-roader from Toyota down the track.The RAV4's 2.4 litre, four-cylinder engine gains an extra 5kW (to 125kW) and there are no more three-door versions of the Toyota.Instead, the six 2006 RAV4 models are all five-door wagons with the choice of two transmissions, three trim levels and prices starting at $31,990 for a five-speed manual CV model.Moving up the line, the RAV4 Cruiser is $37,490 and a premium Cruiser L starts at $41,990. The four-speed automatic option adds $2000.All new RAV4s sit on 17-inch wheels (sexy steel for the CV, alloys for Cruiser models) and arrive with dual airbags, airconditioning, power windows and mirrors, MP3 compatible CD stereo, steering wheel-mounted audio controls plus cruise control.All have ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and electric-assisted power steering plus Toyota's "Active AWD" which uses a number of sensors to determine when drive should be diverted to help out the back wheels.Toyota claims this system is "pre-emptive", working through steering, throttle and speed sensors to have the drive shifted immediately (if not sooner) to keep the RAV4 moving in tricky spots and cornering; "pre-emptive" may be stretching the technology concept but the system appears to react with more speed and subtleness than most, a seamless transition from front to all-wheel-drive. The Toyota system, as with others, can be locked into 50:50 drive under 40km/h.And there are hints that these "active four-wheel-drive" systems may find a place in bigger Toyota four-wheel-drives, such as the next generation LandCruiser now under development.Over the base model RAV4 CV, the Cruiser version adds further interior refinements and extra safety with side plus curtain airbags and six-stacker CD. Outside there are mudguard flares, alloy wheels, roof rails and fog lamps. The Cruiser L gets lashings of leather and a moon roof.More importantly, the Cruiser twins score stability control, traction control and hill-start assist. Downhill assist — automatic retardation on steeper slopes — is available on automatic Cruisers. The Vehicle Stability Control can straighten out understeer or oversteer, reducing engine rpm and braking individual wheels to correct slides; all these electronic-mechanical aids are tied together through a Vehicle Control Management System.Despite all these gizmos, the RAV4 Cruiser remains an entertaining, engaging drive on a back country road, best appreciated in the five-speed manual to make the most of those 125kW. These bigger, more comfortable RAV4s look the part, offering a more mature body style than predecessors and in some parts looking like a junior Kluger. (Indeed the V6 engine offered in some markets will not be headed here, helping keep a price and performance differentiation between RAV4 and Kluger. Nor is a diesel option on the cards.)The 2006 RAV4, say Toyota heavies, will help reshape the compact SUV market and offer a real alternative to family sedans.While most buyers of compact SUVs have been active, 30-something singles, Toyota's sales and marketing director David Buttner says these bigger, new generational machines will also attract interest from slightly older buyers, including more couples with young children.Toyota sees the compact SUV market (headed by Subaru's venerable Forester in 2005) further maturing and diversifying. So the top-shelf Cruiser L is a move to claim a "new, premium sub-segment" of the SUV niche.

The new-generation RAV4 is smarter, bigger, more stylish and more refined than those which paved the way for the compact SUV segment, and is more than capable of reigniting passion in the class and to reverse a slight popularity slide in recent years.Toyota boasts the RAV4 began the compact SUV juggernaut when it hit Australian roads in 1994, although Subaru would have a claim as well. It was, and has mostly been, the car for thirtysomething singles but this new "trendsetter" is a matured version and, in line with that, is expected to appeal to a more mature customer. Think young mums and dads who want from their car affordable versatility and improved efficiencies ... it's not the only demographic this car will appeal to, as young fun is very much achievable in a RAV4, but it is a big part of how Toyota will sell an estimated 1200-plus RAVs each month when it hits showrooms next week.Gone is the three-door version, but six variants of the five-door RAV4 will offer plenty of choice and a stack of features to tempt the sleeping adventurer out of many.A five-speed manual or four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with sporty gated shift is available in the CV, Cruiser and Cruiser L variants, all of which are powered by a 2.4-litre VVTi engine, which produces 125kW of power and 224Nm of torque. All models boast two Toyota Australia firsts – Active All-Wheel Drive and Vehicle Stability Control with steering assist. RAV4's Active All-Wheel Drive is lighter and more compact than the constant all-wheel drive on previous models – although total weight of the vehicle comes out about 140kg heavier than its predecessor.The system engages the rear wheels only when necessary for traction or cornering control. This results in reduced mechanical drag, improving fuel economy and enhanced acceleration.Toyota quotes fuel consumption figures on the new RAV4 of 9.1 litres/100km for manual versions and 9.6 litres/100km for the autos.The RAV4 has a modern, rugged styling – its larger dimensions and superb manners on bitumen suggesting it may be an appropriate alternative to larger SUVs so popular with the wanna-be-seen school-mum set. Yes, mums, you can have the look without having to haul yourselves into a monster truck. The absolute beauty of this compact SUV – which, by the way, mums, has 20 different interior storage spaces so there's no shortage of places to put the sunnies, lipsticks and whatever else it is that's needed to maintain "the look" – is its versatility.An outback trekker it is not, granted. But the RAV4 is more than capable of chewing up some of the rough stuff, as proved along private tracks to Wilpena Pound where Toyota this week launched the car.It has improved clearance over the old model – now up to 200mm – and, somewhat unexpectedly, coped well with some seriously sharp approach angles along the tracks in the Flinders Ranges. A couple of hiccups along the route had the RAV4 back to a crawl up a steep incline and through a lengthy water crossing, but it made it through.There is plenty of kit available as standard across the range or as options to make the RAV4 more than capable for the weekend warrior who wants to do a bit of fun four-wheel-driving.As standard, RAV4 has Active All-Wheel Drive, EPS, airconditioning with a dust filter, 17in wheels, projector-type low-beam headlamps, steering wheel audio controls, telescopic as well as tilt steering adjustment, one-touch remote release rear-seat fold, a hidden 90-litre under-floor storage compartment, illuminated front cup holders and ABS anti-skid brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, and brake assist.Automatic models also can have the added assistance features of downhill and hill-start assist, the latter perhaps a bit gimmicky and too much trouble to really concern yourself with when there is a perfectly good handbrake available. The downhill assist can be a bit intrusive, the vehicle abruptly taking all braking and accelerating control from the driver when descending, but a worthy feature for those getting a feel for slightly more extreme off-road driving.The CV grade models come in at a price of $31,990 for the manual ($550 more than the old model) and $33,990 for the auto. Toyota claims customers get $2000 of extra specifications with the new models opposed to the old.The Cruiser grade is priced at $37,490 for manual (plus $2000 for the auto).It has additional features over the CV grade, including front seat side airbags and side curtain airbags (available on CV for an additional $750), vehicle stability control, traction control, hill start and downhill assist on automatic transmission models, push-button front dual climate-control airconditioning, MP3-compatible six-CD multi-changer, leather-bound steering wheel and gear knob, privacy glass, six-spoke alloys, front fog lamps, wheelarch flares and roof rails. It also has optional moonroof. RAV4 Cruiser L is the hero grade and is the first RAV in Australia with leather seat trim. It also gets leather door inserts, power driver's seat adjustment, front seat heaters and a moonroof, and is priced at $41,990 for the manual.The RAV4 is built on an all-new platform with a longer wheelbase and wider track, offering 20 per cent more interior space, including improved rear head and leg room. A compact rear suspension setup provides for 35 per cent more cargo volume than the old model, while rigidity has been improved by 76 per cent and power up by 5kW."The application of an advanced new drivetrain and system control technologies has created a RAV4 that has the best of both worlds – more space, versatility and safety combined with less environmental impact in terms of fuel use and emissions," Toyota Australia sales and marketing director David Buttner says.Toyota Australia executive chairman John Conomos says the third-generation RAV4 – a car which has sold 100,000 units since released here in 1994 – is the vehicle which will reclaim domination of the SUV segment for Australia's best-selling marque."There's never ever one moment when we're not looking over our shoulder at our competitors – they are extremely competent manufacturers we compete against," he says. "But we're expecting RAV4 to return us to market leaderships in the segment. Market leadership is what we're about."SMALL TORQUEToyota RAV4Price: CV manual $31,990, Cruiser manual $37,490, Cruiser L manual $41,990. Add $2000 for auto transmissionEngine: 2.4-litre VVTi four cylinderPower: 125kW @ 6000rpmTorque: 224Nm @ 4000rpmTransmission: Five-speed manual or electronically controlled four-speed auto with sporty gated shift, active All-Wheel DriveStandard features: Anti-skid brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, factory air conditioning with dust filter, rear heater ducts, cruise control, power mirrors and windows, 17in steel wheels, dual headlamps with projector-type low beam, body-coloured rear spoiler, electric power assisted steering, tilt and telescopic steering column adjustment, six-speaker MP3-compatible single CD audio, steering wheel mounted controls, three rear-seat head restraints, external temperature gauge