Toyota RAV4 – All you need to know

Toyota Philippines launched the much-awaited, all-new 2019 RAV4 earlier this year. The fifth-generation incarnation of the Japanese brand’s top-selling crossover SUV is now underpinned by the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA-K) platform, which the RAV4 shares with the new Camry as well. However, the RAV4 itself is not a new name in the automotive sphere at all. In fact, the ragingly successful and clustered world of compact crossover SUVs,

the Toyota RAV4 is considered as the genesis within this lucrative genre. It all started when Toyota unveiled the first-generation RAV4 back in the early 1990s, which not only stood out because of its geeky design but also as the concept of compact crossovers was almost unheard of. However, that’s obviously changed and so has the styling of the new RAV4 -- it now looks up-to-date and is at the top of its game.

In the Philippines, the all-new Toyota RAV4 goes up against other segment stalwarts like the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, and Subaru Forester. It wears a sticker price of PhP 1,650,000 for the base LE version, Php 1,880,000 for the XLE, and Php 2,200,000 for the range-topping LTD trim. Toyota offers the RAV4 in up to 12 different colours, which include ones such as Blue Flame,

Blizzard Pearl, Magnetic Grey Metallic, Midnight Black Metallic, Ruby Flare Pearl, and Silver Sky Metallic. According to the auto giant, the all-new RAV4 comes with improved design, interior, safety features and on-board technology, plus performance and efficiency. So, let’s peel off some of the layers and figure out what’s what with this crossover.

Exterior design

Unlike the models that came before it, this new Toyota RAV4’s exterior design does seem to have the ability to attract glances from passersby. Toyota claims the new design helps the RAV4 better distinguish itself from its precursors, and by the looks of it, Toyota is quite right.

The new model, with its healthy mix of sharp contours, lines, character creases and sculpted body panels, imparts a sense of modern sophistication and “go-anywhere” ruggedness. In terms of its dimensions, the new RAV4 comes in at 4,600 mm in length, 1,855 mm in width, 1,685 mm in height, and the gap between the front & rear wheels is 2,690 mm.

Upfront, the RAV4’s chiselled nose is dominated by the new and large inverted trapezoidal grille and the angular “parabola” headlamps. Then there’s the smart-looking clamshell bonnet and the heavily-contoured bumper with a faux skid plate and loads of plastic cladding.

Along the sides, the new RAV4 now appears more upright than before, and sports even more body cladding, squared-off wheel arches, 18-inch aluminium wheels, prominent roof rails, elevated ground clearance, and one of the most unconvincing looking ‘floating’ roof effect you’d probably ever come across on any car.

The rear features a neatly-integrated roof spoiler, sleek tail lamps with a chunky chrome bar connecting the two units, and a meaty bumper that gets a slapped-on air diffuser kit and chrome-tipped dual exhausts. However, the new Toyota RAV4 certainly looks more impressive than ever before, and that’s half the battle one.

Interior

There have been sweeping changes made to the interior of the new Toyota RAV4, and these changes are welcome and were much in need. The dashboard design, with its ‘stepped’ pattern, sure looks interesting and sporty. Toyota has also used different materials and textures for the cabin trim and surfaces, which works very well with the revised instrument cluster, steering wheel,

centre stack and pedestal. The quality of build, fit-and-finish, and switchgear has also improved by several folds -- enhancing this cabin’s perceived quality and feel. The new RAV4’s seats are comfortable and very supportive, and there’s enough room for five adults in this car. Also, Toyota has beefed up the RAV4’s insulation, thereby reducing noise, harshness and vibrations by quite a bit.

Equipment and features

The new Toyota RAV4 specs sheet incorporates many modern and useful features, including a full complement of seven airbags (front, front side, curtain & driver’s knee), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Hill Climb Assist and Trailer Sway Control. To enable drivers to park safely, Toyota has also fitted the RAV4 with front & rear parking sensors and a rearview camera.

 

The equipment catalogue also sees the inclusion of rain-sensing wipers, auto-levelling LED headlamps, LED fog lamps, split sunroof, keyless entry with push-button start, leather upholstery, power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory function and lumbar support, electronic parking brake with auto-hold feature, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless charging pad, 7-inch digital driver’s display with customisations, 6-speaker audio system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, and a 7-inch touch-infotainment head unit to name a few.

Engine and performance

Under the bonnet of the new Toyota RAV4 is the A25A-FKS, ‘Dynamic Force’ 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine that pushes out 203 hp and 243 Nm of torque. This is routed through an 8-speed automatic gearbox and sent to the front wheels only. The RAV4 can scramble from 0-100 kmph in just under 8.5 seconds and hit a top speed of over 190 kmph. Despite its higher performance numbers, the new RAV4 is still rated at an impressive 13.7 kmpl. Of course, in the real world, you’ll never come even close to this figure. But then again, this powerplant does deliver on the performance front.

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