Last year, Toyota began selling its trendy RAV4 (Recreational Active Vehicle with four-wheel drive) here in the United States. Although RAV4 did not invent the mini sport utility (SUV) segment, it did fine tune the genre. Toyota's spunky SUV competes head on with Jeep Wrangler, Geo Tracker and Suzuki's Sidekick and X-90. The RAV4 combines passenger car elements with light-duty, off-highway vehicles. Unlike most other SUVs on the road today, RAV4's basic design is shared with previous-generation Celicas and Camrys, and not reworked from a truck platform. This provides RAV4 with more car-like ride and handling. It remains the only mass-produced SUV offering four-wheel independent suspension. It's available in two-door and four-door configurations. Consumers have a choice of front-wheel drive (rare in sport utilities which usually feature rear-wheel drive) or permanently engaged, four-wheel drive. The only powertrain offered is a 2.0, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine producing 120 horsepower. Five-speed manual transmission is standard fare in all RAV4s with four-speed automatics ($985) optional on all except two-door, four-wheel drive offerings. Other options include four-wheel anti-lock brakes ($590), cruise control ($290) and sunroofs ($915). Traction control is not offered. Standard equipment includes dual air bags, split folding rear seats, rear window defogger front and rear intermittent windshield wipers and power-assisted rack and pinion steering. Toyota sells RAV4s as fast as they're imported from its manufacturing facility in Toyota City, Japan. February sales were up 16 percent. "Four-door models seem a bit more popular in this area," according to Bob Loquercio, president of Elgin Toyota. "During spring and summer months, we sell about a 50/50 mix of two-wheel and four-wheel drive RAV4s." Who buys RAV4? Customer profiles point to a younger generation of shoppers in their mid-30s, 60 percent of whom are female, 55 percent are married with a total household income of $54,000. Our dark green, 1997, four-wheel drive, four-door RAV4 test vehicle had a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $18,268. With options including air conditioning, cruise control and power windows and locks, the bottom line added up to $22,500, including a $420 destination charge. Two door, two-wheel drive RAV4s with manual transmission start at $15,118. Prices for RAV4 start approximately $2,000 higher than Jeep Wrangler SE and Geo Tracker competitors. Not much changes from the 1996 model year other than power sunroofs are now optional in four-door editions (two-door versions have optional twin removable sunroofs) while improved insulation helps keep engine noise from seeping into the interior. A digital dashboard clock is also a new interior addition. Because of its compact size, maneuvering into and out of RAV4 takes no special effort. One steps down, not up, into this vehicle. Some larger SUVs require a big step up into the seats. Big 16-inch tires, rectangular headlights and sporty horizontal lines help create an appealing exterior. Four-door editions offer more back seat room when compared with two-door models. Because of its forward slopping design, back seat passengers actually sit slightly higher up that front seat riders. The back seats fold down with a 50/50 split and both can be flipped forward again, enlarging rear cargo space. Drivers have good road perspectives. No big bind spots interfere with surroundings. Climate controls monitor from a series of slide levers. Plenty of nooks surround the driver for storage of tollway change and other loose items. However, drivers and passengers must share a single cup holder. The back door, hinged on the right side, opens and swings out from the left. The window, permanently attached to the door, does not swing up as found in some larger sport utilities. Because of an unusually low and small rear bumper, the rear-door mounted spare tire, sits low enough not to interfere with rear-view mirror perception. Last week, Japan's largest automobile manufacturer announced price increases between 0.3 and 0.5 percent on certain Lexus and Toyota vehicles. However, RAV4 was spared the price hike. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. is in the midst of celebrating its 40th year of vehicle sales here. The company started back in 1957 in California with two models and 45 dealers. Today more than 1,300 dealerships dot the landscape carrying 19 different Toyota and Lexus models. Fuel estimates check in at a respectable 22 miles per gallon city, and 26 mpg highway for models featuring permanently-engaged four-wheel drive. With 1,700 odometer miles, our test vehicle registered 23 mpg in combined driving. The fuel tank holds 15.3 gallons of unleaded gasoline. |