The RAV4 has been hailed as a welcome visual departure from a crowded highway of SUV lookalikes. Its wide body has
tucked-in sheetmetal at the windows, a sloping hood with large air intakes, kicked-up rear quarter panels sculpted
around big 16-inch tires. The rear is dominated by a side-opening door, which swings from the left.
All models receive notable changes for '98 with a more aggressively styled grille and front fascia and bolder wheel
treatments. Headlamps and taillamps are redesigned for added prominence. Two-door versions now come with a swing-open
window on the rear driver's side. All versions offer privacy glass. The hood on our all-wheel-drive model wrapped around
built-in tow hooks, ready for a tug off the tundra.
New front seatbelt pretensioners and force-limiters are designed to enhance safety in the event of an impact. 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 (dohc) four-cylinder engine, the RAV4 comes with either a five-speed manual transmission
or a four-speed automatic. Horsepower and torque have been increased for '98, while engine noise has been reduced - weak
points on the '97 model.
Six styling packages are available that include a mix of interior and exterior components for customizing. For instance,
the All Weather Guard Equipment Package adds a heavy-duty battery, a big 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 $1050.
You'll forget the funky design outside once you're inside the RAV4. You'll quickly notice Toyota's traditional attention
to quality and safety. Its cockpit is more like a sporty sedan, with a new three-spoke steering wheel. Unibody construction
lowers the step-in height, making it easier to get in and out, yet it carries a higher ride height than a sedan for
traversing obstacles.
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.
Door trim panels are freshened and four-door models receive upgraded fabric trim. Cloth seats are contoured and comfortable
and controls and gauges are well located. The revised instrument cluster incorporates a digital odometer and dual trip
meter and upgraded radio features.
Our test car had full carpeting with carpeted floor mats. Standard are dual outside mirrors, intermittent front and rear
wipers and a rear window defogger. Front door pockets provide storage, while dual cupholders are integrated into the lower
instrument panel. New on four-door versions is a auxiliary power outlet in the rear cargo area for battery-powered coolers,
inflators and other devices.
All major safety bases are covered with dual airbags (depowered to meet '98 safety standards), three-point seatbelts and
headrests, side-impact door 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 on the four-door model.
The RAV4 is not simply a sport-utility wannabe. It has proven itself to be a standard-bearer for this new breed of
mini-utilities. A well-designed 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. We were impressed with
the all-wheel-drive traction, very useful in snow and slush. Automatic transmission models have a center differential
that automatically 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 recommended for improved traction off road.
The fun-to-drive quotient remains high on this unique mini-utility. Its unibody construction gives it a handling advantage
over truck-based sport-utilities with body-on-frame construction. The longer wheelbase on the four-door RAV4 smoothes some of the choppiness found in the two-door version. The engine feels peppy and can cruise at 80, but it runs out of power in the higher rpm range. Still, the RAV4 accelearates from 0-60 mph quicker than the Sidekick, Tracker and Sportage.
We enjoyed the five-speed manual, logging miles at Pocono International Raceway and all over New England.