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Likeable Toyota RAV4 4x4 grows and matures but loses originality and still falls short of the class’s highest dynamic standards

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The fourth-generation of the Toyota RAV4 is pitched plumb into the middle of a fragmented and fast-growing mid-size SUV-crossover class.

As Toyota sees it, it has the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and Seat Seat Ateca at one end and the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Range Rover Evoque at the other. And,  as ever with a fast-moving industry such as the automotive one, competitors are replaced and new ones arrive as is the case with the Volvo XC60 and the Range Rover Velar.

Many buyers will no doubt appreciate the Toyota's standard five-year warranty and its solid build quality

Putting the Toyota RAV4's in its place

If you plot a graph comparing the price and overall length of every small and medium-size 4x4 you can think of – from the Hyundai Tuscon to the Audi Q5 – this new Toyota marks the very centre, the sweet spot. That’s where the Japanese firm expects the most demand for SUVs to exist over the next five years. 

'Wieldiness' was always something the previous 2006-2012 Toyota RAV4 did well. It’s never been a big, cumbersome car; in fact, it used to be shorter than a modern supermini. And Toyota’s own market research confirms that owners still value its relative manoeuvrability

This new one has had 100mm added to the wheelbase, though, and 205mm in overall length. It’s much more practical for it, of course, and it now measures up as a proper medium-sized SUV on the inside. Toyota also claims its 10.6-metre turning circle is still class-leading. But it’s also, somehow, lost a bit of its individuality.

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Outwardly, to these eyes, the car looks very ‘modern Toyota’, but not very ‘modern RAV4’. You can blame some of that on the stretched proportions. The rear end in particular looks ungainly and odd, and a couple of trademark RAV4 cues are missing here: the door-mounted spare wheel, not to mention the side-hinged rear door it mounted to in years gone by.

Toyota says a roof-hinged hatchback makes more practical sense, and it’s probably right. But there goes another identifying point of difference.

Specifying your Toyota RAV4

Inside, the RAV4’s upright classic SUV driving position was next in line for the chop. You can now sit up to 30mm lower than you could. That puts you closer to the centre of roll, which ought to be a good thing, but somehow it makes the RAV4 experience that bit more humdrum: less Range Rover, more StreetRover.

The cabin is pleasant, roomy and apparently solidly constructed, although it lacks much in the way of flair. The plastics look and feel impressive. We could live without the fake leather on the steering wheel boss and the mock carbonfibre on the centre console, but such things are subjective.

Toyota’s approach to ergonomic switchgear design is doubtless more troubling, though. The RAV4’s drive mode buttons, which you use regularly to switch between Sport and Eco modes, are hidden away almost out of sight by your right knee. It's not an easy place to spot them without taking your eyes off the road for very long.

Other curiosities include a lane departure warning toggle button that's the stretch of your arm away on the far side of the centre stack, while the digital clock next to it brings your granny’s microwave oven to mind – a simple, plain analogue clock would be infinitely classier. Strange that a company with such attention to detail in other respects can make basic errors such as these, but it continues to.

As for trims there are five to choose from - Active, Business Edition, Business Edition Plus, Icon and Excel. Entry-level models come with 17in alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, heated wing mirrors, cruise control, air conditioning, a reversing camera, DAB radio and a 7.0in infotainment system as standard.

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The Business Edition models come with front foglights, automatic wipers and lights, parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, sat nav and Toyota's Safety Sense suite - which includes adaptive cruise control and headlights, lane departure warning and a pre-collision system. The Business Edition Plus trim adds 17in alloy wheels, and keyless entry and go to the fleet-friendly package.

Opt for the mid-range Icon RAV4 and you'll find it adorned with 18in alloy wheels, LED headlights, a leather and Alcantara upholstery, electrically adjustable driver's seat and heated front seats, while the range-topping Excel models include silver roof rails, leather seats, voice recognition and 3D maps.

Powering the Toyota RAV4 forward

There are 2.0-litre four-wheel drive petrol, 2.0-litre front-drive turbodiesel and a 2.5-litre hybrid available driving either the front or all four-wheels, the diesel only available with a six-speed manual.

The petrol is of niche appeal in the UK, the front-drive diesel model being the more popular entry-level choice. This 2.0-litre oil-burner is refined, but lacks grunt, and it’s left to the range-topping 194bhp 2.5-litre hybrid model to be the best all-rounder.

It has good mechanical refinement, plenty of mid-range torque thanks to the electric motor and an elastic-feeling gearbox that's well calibrated to take advantage of that easy pulling power. This is an easy car to drive. Performance felt bang-on the class average, as the 8.4sec to 62mph claim would suggest. 

The RAV4’s ride is less settled, though, and handling is less responsive and precise than some family 4x4s. That may be exactly how Toyota’s long-retained customer base wants it, but it’s unlikely to endear the car to many youngsters.

It’s neat and tidy to drive at everyday speeds, with less body roll and related roll steer than of old. But it doesn’t change direction keenly. Off-centre steering weight is used to mask early onset understeer.

Push through that and you’ll soon trip over an intrusive stability control system, particularly if you try to cut through the dynamic mush originating from its high-sidewall tyres and long-travel springs in order to find a nicely balanced cornering line. So many similarly sized SUVs disguise their mass and height better; so many just make you feel like you could be driving any old passenger car.

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This new RAV4 is no athlete. Neither is it compliant nor particularly comfy to ride in. But it’s not lacking in motive flavour – far from it. The beefy-feeling, lightly jostling damper settings speak of a strong, over-specified rolling chassis that’s just itching to prove its worth down a rutted trail.

In reality, the RAV4 may be no better off-road than many of its rivals, but it feels like it ought to be. And if you like a capable, reassuring feel to your 4x4, you may well respond to that.

Just don’t be fooled by it. There are plenty of new, sub-£30k 4x4s rated to tow more than this new Toyota, and many of them have more ground clearance.

But if it’s chiefly rugged flavour you’re looking for, you could well find something you like here. The new Toyota RAV4 has quality, practicality, mechanical refinement and decent value for money on its side – but it’s definitely a more traditional kind of SUV in which a bit of rough still comes with the smooth.

 

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

Toyota RAV4 2012-2018 First drives