2019 Toyota RAV4 is here

MANILA: We have said it before as well, the westerns always get their hands on the new vehicles before the nearby Asian countries. Such has been the case with the Toyota RAV4. Anyways, better late than never, right? After almost a year, Toyota, the Japanese auto giant has launched the SUV in the ASEAN market. Starting with Singapore, the SUV will make its way to the other ASEAN countries soon.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 launched in Singapore boasts a similar design language to the Japanese RAV4. The SUV gets stylish and modern looks which makes the current selling model of the RAV4 look meek in front of the newer one. Taking its design cues from the R4 Runner, the 2019 Toyota RAV4 boasts aggressive curves and creases which provide the SUV with a manly and brawny appearance. With the geometric shapes and a floating touchscreen infotainment system, the interior on the Singapore-spec model is also pretty similar to the Japanese, US, and the European RAV4.

The Singapore-spec model also comes equipped with seven airbags, cabin illumination, wireless charging for smartphones, and Toyota Safety Sense. The Toyota Safety Sense is a safety suite which brings along with it radar cruise control, lane departure warning, auto high beam headlights, pre-collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. It is to be seen if the same set of features is offered in other Sout-East Asian countries or not.

With a claimed fuel economy of 16.7 km per litre, the new powertrain in the 2019 RAV4 is a 2.0-litre motor mated to a CVT (continuously variable transmission) unit. This mill is capable of producing 170 PS of maximum power and a peak torque 203 Nm.

Only time will tell if the Philippines market will get its share of the 2019 Toyota RAV4 or not. Until then, all we can do is wait patiently.