Toyota RAV4 2012 review

Toyota’s RAV4 has long been a major player in the Australian market, with tens of thousands having been sold over the years. Though it began life as a cheeky little vehicle for the young at heart it has grown in size in the current generation and is nowadays a family wagon rather than a toy.

Value

Toyota Australia has released a special edition of its popular RAV4 compact SUV with what it describes comes with over $3500 worth of extra-value features.

The recommended retail price for the special edition Toyota RAV4 Altitude with a manual gearbox and two-wheel drive is $29,990. This is an increase of just $1000 on the RAV4 CV on which it is based. Features beyond the standard CV model grade include satellite navigation and 17-inch alloy wheels (in lieu of steel wheels). 

Note that the spare wheel is also an alloy unit, something that’s not always the case. Exterior features also include silver roof rails, front fog lamps, rear-quarter, rear-door and rear privacy glass, and an 'Altitude' exterior badge.

Inside, the RAV4 Altitude SE also has a premium steering wheel and premium gear-shift knob, 6.1-inch LCD touch-screen audio unit, satellite navigation with 3-D display and Suna traffic warnings, as well as voice recognition for audio controls, Bluetooth phone control and navigation control.

The 40-Watt audio head unit includes a single CD player, an SD Card slot, rear camera input capability, USB connectivity, iPod control, and Bluetooth audio-streaming.

Technology

The RAV4 'Altitude' Special Edition is based on the 2WD and AWD RAV4 four-cylinder CV models, but at this stage at lease, there is no V6 variant in this format. Toyota won’t confirm or deny speculation that the big power V6 will also be introduced as a special edition.

All RAV4 models, irrespective of their grade have electric power-assisted steering to trim fuel consumption. It is offered in 2WD with manual or automatic transmission, but the all-wheel-drive (AWD) comes only with the automatic. Automatic transmission models have the additional feature of Downhill Assist Control.

Safety

Safety features include vehicle stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes and Hill-start Assist Control as standard equipment. Toyota RAV4 Altitude also has the added security of two reverse parking sonar sensors.

Driving

With Toyota’s expertise in 4WDs behind it the RAV4 is much more competent off-road than most owners realise. In 4WD format it can go well into the bush or onto beaches and even tackle pretty severe rocky slopes in the hand of a competent driver. Even the 2WD versions of the RAV4 can do a fair bit of all-road work thanks to their good ground clearance and reasonably long suspension travel.

Verdict

Only 2000 of this special edition RAV4 will be built for Australia, so get in touch with a dealer soon as this market is booming and supplies may not last.