NEW WHEELS
28 |May2019go! Drive&CampB
orn-frees will probably beabit tooyoungto remember
thevery firstRAV4, whichwasateenytinylittle SUV.
PictureaSuzukiJimnywith curvesandanot-so-serious
off-roadreputation.
Sure, theRAV4hadfour-wheel drivewithacentrelocking
differential,and came with protectivecladdingbelowthe beltline
to keep unsightly paintscratchesat baybut theoverall imagewas
thatofafun-loving,cheap runabout in an erawhen SUVswere
predominantly uber-luxuriousvehicles.
But as the popularityoftheRAV4 andothervehicles of its ilk
startedtosoarat the turnofthecentury, Toyota began taking a
conservativestancetowardits products.Theresultwasthatoverthe
next threegenerations ofRAV4,andafew othervehicles in its line-
upreally,Toyotagot accused of taking the safeand subsequently
boring approach.Thelines,theyare a-changing
Toyota bigwigAkio Toyodarecently issuedacompanymandate
thatprohibited the building of boring cars.It’sall well and goodto
talk about,but the proof is in the sheet metal and the newRAV4 is
alooker indeed.Sure, it maydivideopinions,but yousurely can’t not
have an opinion about its styling.
Up front, theRAV4glaresat thevehicle ahead through narrow
wraparound headlamps,and an enlarged hexagonalgrille that
vaguelyresemblesacheesegraterontherange-topping VX spec.Even the entrylevel GXvariants cast an imposing shadowwith their
black plasticgrilles thatfeaturethick cross beams andamassive
companylogo–much like the one thatadornsthe frontoftheHilux.
In anodto its ancestor,theRAV4 stillsports black cladding along
its sides,but these arenowmuch thinner strips of plastic thatonly
just line the loweredges of the frontandrear bumpers,fenders
and doors.The hexagon theme iscontinued in the shape of the
wheel arches,which areangularinstead ofround and theresultant
gapdiagonally above thetyrefront andrear createsthe illusion of
significantground clearance.
TheD-pillar and tailgate glass is less uprightthan beforeandis
raked downtoward the shoulder line wheremorehexagonal styling
elements in theformof the taillights and chrome trim (black on the
entrylevel GX),registration plate recess and faux metal bumper
dominate your vision.Smooth and soft
Therange is limitedto twoengine options,bothnormally aspirated
four-cylinder motors.With the stricteremissionscontrols in first-
worldmarkets,the trendto slowly cut diesel engines from model
line-ups makes sense,but we feel thatthere’sstill afewyears of
relevanceinmarkets like ours wherethere’snoreal legislation
regarding emissionsyet.
Nevertheless,ToyotaSouthAfrica says thebig SUVsinits range
would still get diesel enginesfortheforeseeable future, includingTOYOTARAV4
themould
TheoriginalToyotaRav4wasundeniablyacompactSUVpioneer,butsu bsequent
gene rationslostfavouras competitorsgainedpopularity.Thefifthgenerationwill
trytom akeasalescomeback,andthefirstimpressionsareverygoodindeed.TextKyle KockBrea king