We review the Toyota RAV4 from price to economy and all its features
IT’S RAV4 meets 4-4-2!
Toyota launched their new RAV4 in Barcelona this week and, for our first drive, we took it to the concrete coliseum Nou Camp, home of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Villa.
But, for all their attacking prowess, Barca could do with a solid back four just like Toyota. The Catalans’ European glory hopes hang by a thread after losing 2-0 at AC Milan in their first leg Champions League knockout stage.
FIND A USED TOYOTA RAV4 FOR SALE NEAR YOU WITH SUN MOTORS
Toyota’s status as the world’s No1 car firm is currently not under threat thanks to their big four — the Aygo, Yaris, Auris and Avenisis — which underpin the company’s 834,000 global sales, an increase of 12,000 on 2011.
As they aim for a million global sales a year, Toyota now have their flair player as well. The GT86 has racked up awards and is just as magical as Barca’s Messi — and there’s an even more exciting GT86 cabrio on the way.
The GT86 is boosting kudos and sales figures. In the UK last year Toyota were also up over 12 per cent.
This RAV4, alongside the Prius hybrid range, is very much one of their strong midfield stars and is part of the vital formation that makes Toyota such a difficult team to beat.
Barca’s Euro hopes may be on the line, but this new ballsy RAV4 will keep Toyota scoring big.
First Drive: Toyota RAV4
CAST your mind back almost 20 years to 1994. Wet Wet Wet’s annoying Love Is All Around was No1 for 15 weeks, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president and Four Weddings And A Funeral was the top film. And Liz Hurley wore THAT dress to the premiere.
In the car world a new fashion model was also causing a big stir. The RAV4 made its debut and kicked off one of the most popular trends in recent motoring history — the compact SUV.
The RAV4 (Recreational Active Vehicle with four-wheel-drive) only had one rival then in the Honda CR-V — remarkably it now has 19 — including big names likes the Land Rover Freelander, Evoque, Kia Sportage, Hyundai ix35, Ford Kuga, Vauxhall Antara, BMW X3, Audi Q5 and VW Tiguan.
No wonder this is one of the fastest-growing markets with sales rising by around 18 per cent between 2008 and 2012 with more than 800,000 sales in Western Europe.
Three generations of RAV4 have been sold in more than 150 countries worldwide with impressive sales of over 4.5million. European markets account for more than 1.2million, while in the UK alone 155,500 RAV4s have been driven out of showrooms.