Into Maturity
by David Finlay (07 Jul 06)

The original RAV4 and the first-generation Vauxhall Tigra happened to be launched at about the same time, and I remember a Vauxhall person telling me that as far as he was concerned the two cars were rivals. This made a lot of sense, because it was clear that both were pretending to be what they quite definitely were not - or, to be more charitable, each was letting its potential owners feel that they were buying into the sports car and SUV scenes respectively, even though they did not truly qualify in these categories.

The new RAV4, introduced early in 2006, has come a long way from those early days. Despite the presence of four-wheel drive, it's no more of a serious SUV than it ever was (Toyota showed off the original car's off-road ability by inviting journalists to drive it over a field no more treacherous than your front lawn), but it has certainly grown up.

As Mike Grundon pointed out in his launch report, the latest RAV4 seems designed to appeal to the same people who would have bought the first-generation car more than a decade ago. There is now no short-wheelbase three-door version, talk of four-wheel drive GTIs has been consigned to history, and there is more emphasis than before on quality and comfort.

This comes at a price. The two-litre XT5 tested here, which admittedly comes pretty high up in the range, costs £24,495. The only way to spend more is to go for automatic rather than five-speed manual transmission, or for turbo diesel rather than petrol motivation, or to take the plunge and spend nearly £27,000 on the range-topping 175bhp D-4D T180.

The 2.0 VVT-i petrol unit makes the RAV4 about as quick as the normal turbo diesel, and not much slower than the T180, though it's nowhere near as economical as either. On the other hand, it's notably smooth and quiet, which in turn means it's relaxing on a long run.

XT5 is the highest trim level, and includes satellite navigation, Bluetooth, connectivity, keyless door-opening and engine-starting, automatic wipers and headlamps, cruise control, heated front seats and electric adjustment of the driver's seat.

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