You'll forget all the funky design outside once you're inside the RAV4.
Its cockpit is more like a sporty sedan, with traditional Toyota attention
to quality and safety.
Unitbody construction makes it lower and therefore easier to get in
and out, yet it carries a higher ride height than sedans. The sloping hood
and generous greenhouse front and rear make visibility excellent. Our only
caveat on the visibility score is the tailgate-mounted spare, which blocks
rear vision just a bit.
Cloth seats are contoured and comfortable and controls and gauges which
includes a digital clock, tachometer and tripmeter are well located. Our
tester had full carpeting with carpeted floor mats, an add-on of $62. Standard
are dual outside mirrors, intermittent front and rear wipers and a rear
window defogger. There are front door pockets and dual cupholders for stow
and go.
All major safety bases are covered with dual airbags, three-point seatbelts
and headrests in all outboard positions, side door impact beams, energy
absorbing steering column, strategically-located chassis impact-absorbing
reinforcements and a rear center high-mount stop light. Adjustable seat
anchors are added to the front seats only on the four-door model.
The RAV4 is not simply a car clone turned sport-ute wannabe. We feel
it's a distinct new entry that has quickly become the standard-bearer for
this group. Its dead-on independent suspension, and rack-and-pinion power-assisted
steering make it nimble on and off the road. Standard brakes are power-assisted
front disc and rear drum. ABS is available as a $590 option, and as always
we recommend it.
We were also suitably impressed by the all-wheel drive traction, which
makes this vehicle very useful in snow and slush. Automatic transmission
models have a center differential that locks up when excessive slip is
sensed between the front and rear axles.
On manual transmission models, the driver utilizes a switch to manually
lock or unlock the center differential. A limited slip rear differential
is optional and a recommended add-on if you plan to venture into the lands
beyond.
We know it's overused, but the fun-to-drive quotient is high on this
unique mini-ute that's not a truck. Its unibody construction gives better
handling, particularly in the four-door where its longer wheelbase smooths
some of the choppiness found in the two-door version.
The engine feels peppy, and can cruise at 80, but in the higher rpm
range it runs out of power, and engine noise is apparent in the cabin.
The five-speed manual was enjoyable and a preference for our driving team
that logged miles at a track as well as on highways and byways.