Looking Back: The first Toyota Rav4

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As the redesigned 2013 Rav4 model hits the streets, we take a look back at the one that started it all.

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IBy Peter Nunn

Toyota's RAV 4 wants to be your sidekick in the burgeoning mini sport / ute market

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iven the size and scope of America's burgeoning 4 x4 sport/utility market, it's a wonder why Toyota is taking its time on bringing the RAV 4, its hot new Sidekick competitor, across the Pacific to play ball. Eventually, RAV 4 must make its way to the United States, for anything the Sidekick (or Geo Tracker) can do, the RAV 4 can do as well, if not better. Which is no coincidence, because the RAV 4 was purposely conceived from day one to outgun the cult Suzuki and all other pretenders to the subcompact 4x4 sport/ute throne. Suffice to say, RAV 4 (Recreational Active Vehicle 4-wheel-drive) is no ordinary vehicle. Part car, part off-roader, it's more Rodeo Drive than Camel Trophy. Yes, it has full-time 4x4 (from the Japanese Camry) and locking differentials, but there's no low-range transfer case and its peaky 2.0liter engine is also lifted straight from the family Carnry sedan. Off-road purists have already deemed RAV 4 too soft, too much of a posemobile. There again, Toyota is well aware the RAV 4 will rarely, if ever, be used for the serious rough stuff. Coping with snow or sand will usually be about it, assuming this high-fashion sport/ute ever gets to dirty its wheels offroad in the first place, that is. Where RAV 4 does score is in refinement, in ease-of-driving and, yes, affordability (at least in Japan). The jury's out on whether the RAV 4 looks better or worse than the Sidekick (or the '89 RAV 4 Tokyo Show prototype), but at least you can say it's different. Inside RAV 4, you will definitely get noticed which, Toyota reckons, is one reason why many people buy these small sport/utes in the first place. Some might also go for the RAV 4 because it offers a lot that is new. Under the hood, its 1998 cc twin-cam 16-valve engine (the Suzuki makes do with a weedier 1590 cc single-cam four) is the biggest in the class. RAV 4 gets a sturdy monocoque body instead of the Sidekick's antiquated bodyon-frame chassis. It has all-independent suspension (no rigid axles), permanent centerdifferential all-wheel-drive (the Suzuki's is part-time) and can offer a four-speed automatic as an option. The Sidekick's automatic is only a three-speed. The Sidekick does fire back with a larger model range, offering both short- and longwheelbase lengths plus open-top versions. A 2.0-liter V6 is also being hurried through, a direct response to the RAV 4.

Ah yes, but Toyota already has a LWB five-door RAV 4 in the works for 1995. A ragtop is also on its way, as is a diesel option. For now, all we have is this one threedoor RAV 4 powered by Toyota's familiar 3s-FE inline four. As in the Camry, Toyota's twin-cam is smooth and efficient but deadly dull. It does the job, but without sparkle. Outputs of 133 hp at 6000 rpm plus 134 lb ft of torque at 4400 rprn are handy, but for real off-road driving-where lowrange lugging counts above all-both curves peak too high on the rev band. The twin-cam's top-endy nature also means that, on-road, pickup can be relatively lethargic below 4000 rpm. The trouble is, it's at that point the engine starts to sound strained, although it will rev considerably more. Despite its "big" 2.0-liter engine, RAV 4 is not exactly a fireball. Toyota quotes 17.2 seconds for the quarter-mile manual version

and 18.2 seconds for the auto. But Toyota's test car felt slower than that. On the other hand, top-gear cruising is superb. RAV 4 runs straight and true and neither wind noise nor mechanical din mars its sophisticated feel. It's an effortless, wellhoned ground coverer. Equally brilliant is the quick and precise five-speed manual shifter. The clutch is another gem. That slickness carries over to the automatic which combines a sensible floor-mounted shift with crisp kickdown. Over rough dirt roads, it's remarkable how taut the body feels and how adept the suspension (front MacPherson struts; rear trailing arms, coils, parallel links) is in coping with the many potholes and dips. Such testing terrain leaves the RAV 4 virtually unshaken. Those CADICAM computers have come up with a truly rigid 145.5inch monocoque which, thanks to short
AUTOWEEK AUGUST 15, 1994

RAV 4 resembles its target: Suzuki SidekicWGeo Tracker. Camry-based engine is smooth but lacks low-end torque. Colorful interior is roomy for four adults. The trunk is not that big but the fold-down seats provide lots of storage--for a small 8 s~ortlutilitv,

overhangs and high ground clearance, is actually a better setup for off-road than RAV 4's critics might have you believe. The Toyota's accurate handling and stiff (but composed) ride are also outstanding for this level of 4x4. Roadholding is such that RAV 4 chief engineer Masakatsu Nonaka says it's physically impossible for his little off-road wonder to be rolled.

In fast, sweeping bends on smooth tarmac, the RAV 4 is poised and unruffled. Power steering action (2.5 turns lock-tolock) is quick and precise. Unlike bigger off-roaders which purosely have some mid-range steering slop engineered in, the RAV 4 has none. So response is faithful and with little body roll, the RAV 4 feels remarkably nimble. Understeer is the prevailing trait but underGerman off-road accessories specialist Delta 4x4 stated by normal 4x4 stanalready offers aftermarket parts for RAV 4. U.S. dards, and backing off on the companies will quickly join in when it lands here throttle sees the line tighten in conventional fashion. Perhaps as a consequence of that short 86.6-inch wheelbase and tall ride height, the Toyota can feel twitchy if, in a fast corner, you're careless with the throttle or brakes and the rear end start to drift. On the other hand, this trait is perhaps to be expected in a vehicle like the RAV 4, which has to be a compromise between on- and off-road driving. Until that limit, the RAV 4 feels safe and secure. The picture inside is quite bright, literally, since there's

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colorful "fun" trim for seats and door panels. You sit high on fairly comfortable seats. thounh after some time thev feel thin " and not overly supportive. . The RAV 4 cabin offers genuine room for four average-sized adults. Cabin width (66.7 inches) is on a par with a Corolla sedan but the RAV 4's towering roofline (65.2 inches) is nearly a foot taller. Despite the space-efficient new rear suspension which makes for a conveniently flat floor, trunk space is small. There's room for just one large case and some squashy bags, unless you fold down the reclining rear seats. Practical touches abound, such as the fold-flat seats and (optional) lift-out roof panels, which can be attached to the inside of the rear door and stored away. The RAV 4 dash is functional, though hardly a thing of great beauty. Japanese buyers get a driverside airbag and ABS, but only as part of a long (and dealer-lucrative) options list. Some say it is Toyota's re-engineering of RAV 4 to take dual front airbags that is holding up U.S. shipments. Others judge that the current three-door RAV 4 is too small and too expensive for the States, and that the coming five-door will be better-suited for U.S. needs. Too expensive? The base RAV 4 costs $16,474 in Japan, which is a very aggressive price (by Japanese standards) for a brand-new Toyota 4x4 with 2.0-liter engine and full-time 4wd. The top Japanese RAV 4 is $19,567. Toyota has been able to keep the price down by ruthless cost-cutting; by offering just one engine and trim level; by using parts from other Toyotas; and by persuading domestic dealers to take a lower markup. But the way the yen's going, Toyota could soon be backtracked on those strategies and forced to up the ante. All the more reason for Japan's most powerful carmaker to get its new 4x4 into America's sportlute market, pronto.

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AUTOWEEK AUGUST 15, 1994

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