Behind the Wheel: 2006 Toyota RAV4: That Precocious Child Star Grows Into a Bigger Role August 20, 2006
This bigger 2006 model may not look or feel quite as sporty as it did when it debuted back in 2001, but it is a lot more practical, with more room and more useful features.
TEN years ago last January, the Toyota RAV4 walked onstage and took a bow, as perky and precocious as an automotive Shirley Temple in a sheet-metal pinafore. Who would have thought that this tiny sort of sport utility was the precursor of what would become, within a decade, the hottest part of the auto market?
Back then, the RAV4 and a couple of similarly small utility vehicles ? remember the Suzuki Sidekick? ? were dubbed ?cute utes.? Today, the RAV4 is just one of many crossovers, defined as vehicles classified as trucks but based on unibody passenger-car architecture, as opposed to the body-on-frame structure of most true trucks.
Crossovers have become so popular that they are essentially taking over the S.U.V. market, except for the really big models.
To remain competitive in the expanding compact-crossover class, Toyota extensively redesigned the RAV4 for the 2006 model year, making the wagon much larger outside and quite a lot roomier inside. The vehicle is 14 inches longer, which let the engineers squeeze in an optional third row of seats. Such a third row, even if it is cramped and uncomfortable in wagons like these, is rapidly becoming a feature that consumers expect in all but the smallest crossovers.
The new design has a benefit even for RAV4?s with just two rows: there is now a useful storage area under the rear floor.
The RAV4 comes in three trims, Base, Sport and Limited, at prices ranging from $20,905 for a front-drive, four-cylinder base model to $26,475 for a Limited with a V-6 engine and all-wheel drive. Options can push prices much higher, of course.
The standard engine is a 2.4-liter in-line four rated at 166 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque. The V-6 increases the RAV4?s horsepower by a whopping 103, to 269 (and 246 pound-feet).
Both engines are rated to run on regular-grade gasoline.
All versions of the RAV4 are offered with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. There is no manual transmission. The four-cylinder model comes with only a four-speed automatic, and the V-6 with a five-speed unit.
Interestingly, despite all its extra power, the V-6 carries a mileage rating comparable to the 4?s, thanks to the extra gear ratio. The V-6 with all-wheel drive is rated at 21 m.p.g. city and 28 highway, compared with 23/28 for the smaller engine. (Front-drive models do 1 to 2 m.p.g. better.)
Electric power steering, added this year, also helps to improve fuel economy.
Toyota has made much of its Star safety system, which includes stability control, traction control and antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and braking assist. Unfortunately, the Star system does not include extra air bags, either side-impact bags mounted in the front seats or side curtain bags that provide head protection for the front and second-row seats. The air bag package costs $650 extra.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the RAV4 its top marks in its front-offset and side crash tests. (The tested model had the optional air bags.)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Toyota five stars (its top rating) for the driver and four stars for the front passenger in its 30 m.p.h. front-impact test. The side-impact rating was five stars for the driver and rear passenger. (The RAV4 crashed by the government did not have side air bags.)
I tested a RAV4 Limited with the four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. With options, it listed for $27,409. While that is a lot for a vehicle like this, a buyer need not spend so much. A Base front-drive version with a few choice options ? 17-inch wheels and tires ($120), cargo-area cover ($140), side and side-curtain air bags ($650) and daytime running lights ($40) ? would list for $21,855. It would ride and drive just as nicely as my test car.
When the RAV4 was last redesigned, for 2001, I tested it for this page and concluded that it was ?one of the sportiest small S.U.V.?s.? The bigger 2006 model may not look or feel quite so sporty, but it is a lot more practical, with more room and more useful features. It now feels less like a toy and more like a solid, substantial wagon.
The electric steering is precise and responsive, and the small-diameter steering wheel feels right. The RAV4 rides as smoothly as any vehicle in its class, and the brakes are smooth and progressive.
- Posted in : Uncategorized, Toyota
- Author : arnold
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