TOYOTA RAV4 REVIEW

List price from £22,495 Lease price from £234 The verdict 5 

The Toyota RAV4 is a usefully-sized SUV that puts practicality ahead of style and driving pleasure

Since the first version went on sale in 1994, the Toyota RAV4 has gained a loyal band of followers who value its no-nonsense practicality, rugged styling and reliability, as well as having the choice of more frugal front-wheel-drive models, or the security of 4x4. In many way, this latest version is no different, but its a much bigger car than its predecessors, making it more suitable for families.

Space

Plenty of room for passengers and a big boot, too

With enough room for a family of five, including a big boot with a flat floor and no lip to heave luggage over, the RAV4 is hard to criticise. It makes the average family hatchback feel tiny, and has lots of storage compartments and deep door pockets, too. Furthermore, the floor across the rear of the car is completely flat, so anybody sitting in the middle has just as much legroom as those either side (although the backrest is on the narrow side). Sadly, those generous internal dimensions don’t come without a cost, and in the case of the RAV4 it’s the size of the car itself. This is a big, wide vehicle and it feels it to drive.

Comfort

Good seats, but the ride is a bit too firm

For such a big vehicle the RAV4 controls its body quite well, but it lets you know about bigger lumps and bumps in the road thanks to its overly firm suspension. The diesel engines are also noisy at anything other than motorway cruising speeds. The seats are comfortable, however, and it’s easy to find a good driving position.

Dashboard layout

Looks dated, and not all controls are easy to reach

Climb into the RAV4 and you might wonder if you’ve stepped back in time. For a start, there’s a digital clock that looks like it’s come from a 1980s Casio watch, and many of the other parts, such as the speedometer and rev counter, look decidedly cheap and basic. The heating controls are a good size and simple to use, though. Top specification “Invincible” models come with a touchscreen satnav and audio system (optional on other versions), but it’s overly complicated and slow to respond, particularly when entering an address. The satnav and audio controls are also too far away from the driver, meaning you have to stretch to reach them every time you want to change a radio station or zoom in on the satnav’s map.

Easy to drive

Excellent visibility, but this always feels like a big car

The RAV4’s size makes it tricky to drive on narrow roads. On the plus side, visibility is excellent, with the high driving position and huge windscreen giving a great view of the road, and making it easy to pull out of junctions safely. Also, because the rear of the car is flat it’s easy to judge when parking. The controls are all light enough, and the manual gearbox is a willing partner, but the steering wheel needs a lot of twirling for low-speed maneuvering and the manual handbrake (rather than an electronic one) feels rather flimsy.

Fun to drive

Frugal, but not fun

Although a petrol engine is available (with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive), most people go for one of the two diesel options - a 2.0-litre with a manual gearbox and either front- or four-wheel drive, or a 2.2-litre, available with manual or automatic gearboxes but only four-wheel drive. Neither is particularly brilliant, although it’s the smaller, less powerful unit that’s the more satisfying of the two, with just enough pulling power for most situations. With a fair degree of body lean in corners and no sense of connection with the road through the steering, there’s no real fun to be derived from driving this particular Toyota, although it does at least always feel like a very stable and safe car.

Reliability

Likely to be good, and the warranty is up there with the best

This version of the RAV4 is too new to be included in the JD Power reliability survey, but the previous model came 32nd out of 113 cars, and Toyota itself scores well in reliability surveys, despite a number of high-profile car recalls. Toyota’s five-year, 100,000-mile warranty beats the three-years you get with Mazda and Nissan, but can’t quite match Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited mileage package or the seven-year warranty you get with Kia’s Sportage. 

Fuel economy

Stick to diesel and it’s better than you might think

For a big car, the RAV4 is surprisingly frugal, so long as you go for a diesel model. It’s easy to surpass 40mpg (in fact, it’s difficult not to), and you might even get close to 50mpg if you go for a front-wheel-drive version. Models with four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox are slightly more thirsty, but if you really want the king of SUV economy then the Mazda CX-5 is better still.

Affordability

Not the worst, but not the best either

You can buy a new RAV4 for the price of a well-specified family estate car, which on the face of it makes Toyota’s SUV look like good value for money. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Mazda’s CX-5 is cheaper, more powerful and better to drive. The Mazda also beats the RAV4 when it comes to CO2 emissions, meaning it is cheaper to tax and makes more sense as a company car. 

Safety

Fundamentally safe, but lacks the latest advanced systems

All RAV4s come with seven airbags as standard, plus there’s an electronic stability control system to help you recover the car if it begins to skid. This all helped it to attain a maximum five-star rating from crash test organisation Euro NCAP. It doesn’t score quite as highly for adult or child occupant protection as the Mazda CX-5, but it does beat it for pedestrian protection. Unlike some of its rivals, the RAV4 isn’t available with many advanced active safety systems, such as those which will automatically brake to avoid an impact with the car in front (which might well be a Toyota).

Standard spec

Mid-level model is the one to have

The entry-level Active specification RAV4 features 17-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning and electric windows all round, but our advice is to upgrade to a mid-spec Icon model, which adds electrically folding wing mirrors, an electrically opening boot (albeit a very slow one), a rear parking camera, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control and rain-sensing windscreen wipers. You also get 18-inch wheels, which don’t help with the ride comfort, but given the extra equipment, it’s still worth upgrading. The top specification Invincible model adds a fairly poor satnav system, front parking sensors and leather seats, among other things. 

Our favourite version	2.0 D-4D Icon 2WD, list price £24,995
Options you should add	None

Source : telegraph[.]co[.]uk