The 2006 Toyota RAV4 has an average fuel economy of 11.1km/L to 11.6km/L. Is Toyota RAV4 Still the Best Compact SUV Around?.
Off-centre steering weight is used to mask early onset understeer. It’s neat and tidy to drive at everyday speeds, with less body roll and related roll steer than of old. That may be exactly how Toyota’s long-retained customer base wants it, but it’s unlikely to endear the car to many youngsters. The RAV4’s ride is less settled, though, and handling is less responsive and precise than some family 4x4s. Performance felt bang-on the class average, as the 8.4sec to 62mph claim would suggest. 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 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.
The petrol is of niche appeal in the UK, the front-drive diesel model being the more popular entry-level choice. 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. 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.
#RARE HIPSPACE IN RAV4 2018 PLUS#
The Business Edition Plus trim adds 17in alloy wheels, and keyless entry and go to the fleet-friendly package. 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. 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. Strange that a company with such attention to detail in other respects can make basic errors such as these, but it continues to.Īs for trims there are five to choose from - Active, Business Edition, Business Edition Plus, Icon and Excel. 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. It's not an easy place to spot them without taking your eyes off the road for very long. 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. Toyota’s approach to ergonomic switchgear design is doubtless more troubling, though. 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. The cabin is pleasant, roomy and apparently solidly constructed, although it lacks much in the way of flair. 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. You can now sit up to 30mm lower than you could. Inside, the RAV4’s upright classic SUV driving position was next in line for the chop. But there goes another identifying point of difference. Toyota says a roof-hinged hatchback makes more practical sense, and it’s probably right.
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