Improved Spec, Better Value
by Ross Finlay (18 Jul 00)

The original RAV4 was a far better off-road performer than some people were prepared to believe - not Land Rover, though, which bought one for comparative testing and gave it the unofficial thumbs-up.

What got Toyota's smallest 4x4 off to a rather mixed start in this country was that the short-wheelbase three-door was very much a lifestyle job, the kind of car you could easily imagine laughing, bronzed, blond(e)-haired members of the younger set cavorting around in, all summer, at fashionable beach resorts.

Llandudno, Blackpool, Skegness . . . well, maybe more on the Mediterranean.

But it was a very decent off-roader, of the kind which uses nimbleness rather than brute force to make its way. The original press launch exercise involved several miles of boulder-strewn disused quarry roads in France, and it was surprising how easily the Toyota coped, even when it was clambering along with all four wheels at different heights and angles.

Then the five-door arrived, offering more passenger space, but not quite hitting the spot style-wise. And Toyota persevered with the Mark I RAV4 for too long, as more modern and better-looking designs began to appear in the same class.

Forget all that now. The new cars have the same off-road capability, but they're right up to date in appearance - isn't it amazing that we're talking about Toyota of all companies setting styling trends? - as well as having noticeably improved engines, better interiors and uprated build quality.

There are still three-door and five-door versions, and the three-doors are every bit as "in your face" as before. Shrewdly, and like some of its rivals, Toyota has seen that there's business to be done with a low-cost lifestyle variant. So the range starts with a 1.8-litre NV model, which just has front-wheel drive and comes in at £13,995. But it's still a RAV with 4 after it.

That's the only model to use a 1.8-litre engine, all the others being two-litres. But both engines are from Toyota's VVT-i catalogue, and they score highly for performance, response and economy.

Better Inside

Interiors are improved too, not just for space but also in appearance. While the three-door is still basically for two people and "occasionals" in the rear, the five-door has gained a fair amount of extra passenger space. It's a full five-seater with generous rear legroom and headroom. And when you open the tailgate, there's more depth to the load area than you see in many 4x4s.

I thought the interior trim was much better, and the presentation is fresher. You get cream-faced instruments, and there's a specially dinky little rev-counter. Lockers, pockets and cubbyholes all over the place, of course.

Air conditioning is standard even on the entry model NV. So are ABS with electronic brake distribution, twin front airbags and anti-whiplash front seats.

One of the most ingenious features is that the rear seat, in the best MPV style, can fold, slide or be taken out altogether. That will certainly suit a lot of RAV4 owners.

There are three three-door models and three versions of the five-door. After the 123bhp 1.8 NV, all the rest have four-wheel drive. The NV two-litre costs £15,495 and there's a two-litre NRG (don't blame me . . .) at £16,995 with manual transmission, a full £1000 more with automatic.

Five-doors all use the 147bhp two-litre VVT-i engine. The NV comes in at £16,995, the GX at £18,495 and the leather-trimmed VX at £20,495. The last two also have the auto option. A 110bhp two-litre common rail diesel will join the range next May.

Out on the road - which meant motorway, A-class, B-class and minor road going, all, I have to say, off the official route - the five-door was quicker, smoother and a more balanced back-road drive.

Obviously, you don't have to haul it around like one of the more muscle-bound 4x4s. Keep it on a fairly loose rein. The steering is light, in fact just on the correct side of being too light for its own good, and the RAV4 dashes along narrow, bumpy, twisting roads, on the level or up and down hill, easy to place, with fine traction and good visibility.

It was a relaxed enough motorway car, although I shut the sunroof, because there seemed a chance that the leading-edge plastic spoiler which rises when the roof is open would rattle itself off and fly away.

When you take the improved specifications into account, the new RAV4s are much better value than their predecessors. And they're very competitive on price against their direct rivals too.

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