From the outside, the RAV4 presents a welcome visual departure from
the crowded highway of cloned SUV lookalikes. The designers carved a wide
body with tucked-in sheet metal at the windows, a sloping hood with large
air intakes, kicked-up rear quarter panels sculpted around its 16-inch
tires and a rear, dominated by its side-opening door. In our AWD model,
the hood wrapped around built-in tow hooks, ever-ready in the event that
we needed a tug off the tundra.
Bug-like in its two-door incarnation, the RAV4 has a snug compartment
for four earthlings. We chose to test the four-door with lines that become
more aerodynamic with the 16 extra inches of sheet metal and seatbelt hardware
for five. With the split-folding rear seat folded flush, it can handle
57.9 cubic feet of goods. However, rear seat leg space is the same as the
two-door.
Powered by a 2.0-liter twin cam four-cylinder engine, the RAV4 comes
with a five-speed manual transmission in its two-door version and the choice
of manual or four-speed automatic when you add more doors. Powertrain choices
are front-wheel or full-time all-wheel drive. There are six styling packages
available which include a mix of interior and exterior components for customizing.
For instance, the All Weather Guard Equipment Package adds a heavy duty
battery, a 4.5-liter windshield washer tank, a heavy duty front heater
and a rear-seat heater duct for a mere $70. Our test model came equipped
with the Upgrade Package which included power windows, locks and mirrors
along with a tilt steering wheel for a more substantial $870.
You'll forget all the funky design outside once you're inside the RAV4.
Its cockpit is more like a sporty sedan, with traditional Toyota attention
to quality and safety.
Unitbody construction makes it lower and therefore easier to get in
and out, yet it carries a higher ride height than sedans. The sloping hood
and generous greenhouse front and rear make visibility excellent. Our only
caveat on the visibility score is the tailgate-mounted spare, which blocks
rear vision just a bit.
Cloth seats are contoured and comfortable and controls and gauges which
includes a digital clock, tachometer and tripmeter are well located. Our
tester had full carpeting with carpeted floor mats, an add-on of $62. Standard
are dual outside mirrors, intermittent front and rear wipers and a rear
window defogger. There are front door pockets and dual cupholders for stow
and go.
All major safety bases are covered with dual airbags, three-point seatbelts
and headrests in all outboard positions, side door impact beams, energy
absorbing steering column, strategically-located chassis impact-absorbing
reinforcements and a rear center high-mount stop light. Adjustable seat
anchors are added to the front seats only on the four-door model.
The RAV4 is not simply a car clone turned sport-ute wannabe. We feel
it's a distinct new entry that has quickly become the standard-bearer for
this group. Its dead-on independent suspension, and rack-and-pinion power-assisted
steering make it nimble on and off the road. Standard brakes are power-assisted
front disc and rear drum. ABS is available as a $590 option, and as always
we recommend it.
We were also suitably impressed by the all-wheel drive traction, which
makes this vehicle very useful in snow and slush. Automatic transmission
models have a center differential that locks up when excessive slip is
sensed between the front and rear axles.
On manual transmission models, the driver utilizes a switch to manually
lock or unlock the center differential. A limited slip rear differential
is optional and a recommended add-on if you plan to venture into the lands
beyond.
We know it's overused, but the fun-to-drive quotient is high on this
unique mini-ute that's not a truck. Its unibody construction gives better
handling, particularly in the four-door where its longer wheelbase smooths
some of the choppiness found in the two-door version.
The engine feels peppy, and can cruise at 80, but in the higher rpm
range it runs out of power, and engine noise is apparent in the cabin.
The five-speed manual was enjoyable and a preference for our driving team
that logged miles at a track as well as on highways and byways.