Toyota RAV4 (2006 - To Date)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
* Introduction Taking a massive leap in complexity, build quality and cost, the third generation Toyota RAV4 moved away from the rather crude but fun image of the first generation car and middle of the road feel of the second. Opinions differ on whether it has moved price-wise beyond what the market will bear and steady rather than storming initial sales would seem to partly bear this assertion out. Up against a revitalised Honda CR-V and Land Rover Freelander, Toyota found conquest sales hard. As a used buy, its typically Toyota with great service from franchised dealers and as close to guaranteed reliability as its possible to get.
Weve seen that with each successive iteration, the RAV4 got bigger and better equipped. The third generation model represented the most radical change yet. Cute and chunky was replaced with bold and aggressive. The frontal styling is still recognisably RAV4 but move aft and the new vehicle is a whole lot more angular and a good deal more spacious.
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The cabin is smartly-styled with an unusually curvaceous fascia thats quite unlike any other production car in its execution. While the main instruments are quite conventional, the centre console features a twin-tiered design with metallic inserts and a circular theme for the minor controls. Higher quality plastics are used than is the compact 4x4 norm and a start button is included. Three mainstream trim levels are offered - XT3, XT4 and plush XT5 and all variants get a compact disc stereo, alloy wheels, air conditioning, plus no fewer than seven airbags including curtain and drivers knee bags.
The range-topping XT5 also comes furnished with leather upholstery, climate controlled air conditioning and satellite navigation. The RAV4 has long had a reputation for being impeccably built and this model bolsters that reputation with class-topping equipment levels. Rear seats that fold flat to the floor with one pull of a lever are one reason why the RAV4s load capacity has risen so dramatically and it also helps that the rear seats can be slid backwards and forwards over a range of 165mm, optimising either luggage space or rear passenger leg room. The seat folding action is particularly slick.
Whereas some rivals may also claim flat folding rear seats, the reality is that you will often have to spend time dismantling the head restraints or risk a hernia from flipping seat bases up before the operation can be completed. Theres none of that palaver in the RAV4, a one-handed operation seeing the seat vanish flush with the load bay floor.
Prices for the third generation Toyota RAV4 kick off at around £15,500 for a 2006 55-plated 2.0-litre XT3 and add another £600 if youre hankering after the XT4 model. The XT5 starts at around £17,000. The 2.
2-litre 140bhp diesel has proven popular and these open at around £16,500 in XT3 guise. The pricey T180 model s still relatively thin on the ground, but expect to pay around £19,500 for a 20006 55 plater.
Not much goes wrong on-road. Make the normal inspection for signs of heavy off-road use. Since the car was never sold as an 'off-roader', you're unlikely to find that this is a problem. If the vehicle seems to have been used a lot in the mud, its best to walk away as it isn't built to take that sort of treatment.
(approx - based on a 2006 2.0 XT3 ex VAT) A clutch assembly is around £240, a full exhaust system around £800 (with the catalyst), front brake pads are around £45 and rear brake shoes are around £40. A radiator is about £240, an alternator around £180 and a starter motor about £195.
As far as the oily bits go, youll have a choice of three powerplants. The best is the 134bhp 2.2-litre turbodiesel, an engine thats not shy of muscle and yet, which will average a creditable 42.2mpg.
Business users will prick up their ears at the prospect of 177g/km emissions, which mean that theyre not about to get a wallop in the wallet when it comes to benefit in kind taxation. Naturally, its also Euro IV-compliant. If your pockets are a little deeper or your right boot a little heavier, theres also a 175bhp version of that engine which will still eke 39.2 miles from a single gallon of diesel.
If youre still not sold on the benefits of the black pump, Toyota also offer a 150bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine that struggles when the cars fully-loaded but features an average 32.1mpg fuel economy figure. Few people buy RAV4s to take them off-road.
Itll manage a muddy lane at a pinch but if youre thinking of undertaking the Camel Trophy, youll need to rearrange these words into a familiar phrase: tree up wrong the barking. This generation RAV4 runs in front-wheel-drive mode most of the time but when slippage is detected, the car instantly switches to four-wheel-drive mode. A switch can lock the vehicle in all-wheel-drive and theres hill start as well as downhill assist controls but dont expect hardcore features like a low-range transfer box. Horses for courses and all that.
The RAV4 used too be the small 4x4 bought by people who hate the way traditional 4x4s drive. Since its inception, it has been subsumed into the mainstream a bit and the third generation model isnt quite so much fun to hustle about. Its a very competent used buy, if a little unexciting. As long as the car has been treated reasonably, it should prove faithful and capable.
A little of the spark has gone, but the RAV4 is still a class act.
