- 5DR SPORT UTILITY WAGON TOYOTA RAV4 MANUAL
- 5DR SPORT UTILITY WAGON TOYOTA RAV4 PLUS
- 5DR SPORT UTILITY WAGON TOYOTA RAV4 WINDOWS
But for beach and boulevard, not far back trails.Īlthough rated for towing a 1,500-pound trailer you wouldn’t want to tug anything heavier than a Hobie Cat, and then only for a short drive to San Diego. That purpose, of course, is personal enjoyment. Theirs is a firm, comfortable embrace fitting the vehicle’s appearance of sturdiness and purpose. The interior–upholstery, coloring, instrument layout and positioning of standard switches and wands–is practical, a euphemism for nondescript. But compared to the RAV4, other cars in its class corner like cue balls.
The vehicle changes direction with promptness while that independent suspension soaks up great gobs of roll and steering wander. Yet higher speeds on 86 inches of wheelbase–compared with an average100 inches for lower, better balanced compact cars–is not a recommended test of any sport utility’s centers of gravity a d tip ability.Īnd the engine, despite liquid-filled mounts and the usual amount of insulation, is a noisy little bugger at freeway speeds.
5DR SPORT UTILITY WAGON TOYOTA RAV4 MANUAL
Manual or automatic, these rascals are quicker than Wrangler, Geo Tracker and Suzuki Sidekick in initial acceleration and spooling up for passing.
5DR SPORT UTILITY WAGON TOYOTA RAV4 PLUS
Plus the very latest in ventilation–two sun roofs that can be lifted out and stored in the back.īuilt upon the Toyota Celica platform, all RAV4s arrive with a 2.0 liter, four-cylinder engine producing a lively 120 horsepower and remarkably willing performance.
5DR SPORT UTILITY WAGON TOYOTA RAV4 WINDOWS
That includes driver- and passenger-side air bags.Īdd the usual options and you’ll pay around $22,000 for a very competent all-wheel-drive package with anti-lock brakes, 16-inch alloy wheels, tune system with CD player, air, cruise control and power windows and doors. Having said that, it should be noted that RAV4’s All-Trac system does have space for an optional limited-slip differential for extracting self and groceries from casual off-road messes.Ī buck naked RAV4–that’s a two-door with a five-speed manual transmission and two-wheel-drive that somehow doesn’t change the vehicle to a RAV2–will cost $15,000. Ford Explorers are tall enough to clear buffalo. A Jeep Wrangler drives over the same boulder with3 inches to spare. The RAV4 will scrape its tummy on 7.7-inch rocks.
But better to have a growlier set of gears for escaping monsoon mud ponds.Ĭompare ground clearances. It’s grand for keeping things straight and moving ahead in heavy rain and light snows. At least, not in the pure sense that Jeep Wranglers, Ford Explorers and Toyota’s own Land Cruiser, with their additional low-range gearboxes for plodding across deep canyons, are four-wheel-drive, off-road vehicles.īetter to see RAV4 as an all-wheel-drive vehicle featuring a transmission system similar to Subaru’s all-wheel-drive. But not his tuba.ĭespite front seats that slide easily, riders long of shank or large of waistline will not enjoy doubling in or squeezing out of rear accommodations in the two-door version.Īlthough Toyota identifies the RAV4 as a four-wheel-drive, off-road vehicle, it is not. Which, in the two-door, will hold one medium-sized dog. Even the four-door version–16 inches longer than its kid sibling–has barely adequate leg room because most of the extra length is given over to cargo room. So what is wrong with this picture of fun, affordability and frisky travel?įor one thing, anyone sized larger than early teenagers will suffer big time scrunching in back seats of the two-door RAV4. And that’s less than four months after RAV4 came to America. In this era where some automotive designers feel threatened if asked to style anything more daring than cupcakes, the RAV4 is a risky, even risque looker from its great buns to a roof line a little too tall for its own stubbiness.Īnd as large and leather-padded sport utilities continue to rumble haughtily throughout expensive bedroom communities, the 1996 RAV4 is in command of a niche for young and thrifty buyers hungry for baby sport utilities stickered around $20,000. It is a fleet of passage and cuddlier than a chow puppy. RAV4 is an all-wheel-river that can be tossed around like a Celica. Its anti-lockbrakes, power steering, independent suspension and major handling pieces deliver the message they will be getting along well and functioning perfectly far into the next millennium. The gearbox is deft and its operation an instant instinct, which is very Toyotan the mechanical condition of being trouble-free, idiot-resistant and a threat to the job security of tow truckers. You’ll probably fall in love with this grown-up pedal car while shifting into second on the first drive. It’s time to chill the global raving about Toyota’s RAV4 cute-ute.
0 kommentar(er)
