New Toyota RAV4 unwrapped in LA
Thursday, 29 November 2012 10:43 AM
Toyota's new RAV4's unwrapped at the LA motor show and it's grown in every direction, including economy
Full UK-specific model, trim and price details have yet to be finalised by Toyota, but their new RAV4 compact SUV – now in it’s forth incarnation – looks to improve on all of those important areas over the outgoing model. Punters at the Los Angeles motor show will be looking at a bigger RAV4, and a more efficient one.
The all-new ‘Recreational Active Vehicle 4-wheel drive’ is longer (+205mm over SWB model) and wider (+30mm) but lower (-25mm) than its predecessor, and shows off the main elements of Toyota’s new design language, especially around the angular front end, complete with LED driving lights up front.
Out back we see a tailgate that is top-hinged for the first time on a RAV4, and features an integrated roof spoiler. In Europe, nine exterior colours will be available, including two new hues called Titan Blue and Highland Green.
The new RAV4’s cabin is bigger than before and is said to feature higher quality finishes and more soft padding all around, while offering the driver a more focused and engaging feeling lay out. All the instrumentation and switchgear is now backlit in blue.
The new car’s load space is longer and has increased in capacity to 547 litres while an extra 49 litres of storage have been added to the undertray, taking it up to 100 litres. The side-hung tailgate of older models is gone, replaced with a more versatile top-hinged rear door. The new tailgate opening has the lowest lip height in its class, at 645mm, as well as a 1,370mm-wide aperture.
Key to the new RAV4’s success will certainly be economy. This – the compact SUV – is a popular and growing part of the UK new car market, but buyers are always looking for best economy. The engine line-up for the UK includes a new 2.0-litre diesel making 122bhp, a 148bhp 2.2-litre diesel, and a 149bhp 2-litre petrol. Each engine gives improved CO2 emissions performance, on average better by 12 per cent across the range, while the new 2-litre diesel front-wheel drive RAV4, equipped with Toyota’s Stop & Start technology, produces a respectable 127g/km of CO2.
By Daniel Anslow
