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This is Toyota’s All-New RAV4

The RAV4 has been a highly-successful vehicle for Toyota, selling very well in Europe in Japan since 1994, and even better in the US and Canada, from 1996 onward - last year, the North American market sales figure was in excess of 150,000 (over 190,000 units in 2010).
Toyota RAV4 21 photos
Photo: Toyota
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Now, though, they have replaced it with an all-new fourth-generation model, which is a considerable departure from its predecessors, at least in terms of design. It measures 4.57 meters long, 1.66 meters tall and 1.84 meters wide, which makes it roughly the same size as the previous model. We shall not give biased opinions about its design, but let’s just say we think it’s not what we’d call ‘pretty’.

It features McPherson strut suspension on the front, and an independent dual-wishbone system at the back as well as disk brakes on all four corners, and a new type of chassis which is both lighter and more rigid than the one that underpinned the outgoing model.

For the US market, Toyota has ditched the V6 powerplant, so the only remaining engine option is the 2.5-liter four-pot petrol motor, with 176 hp and 232 Nm of torque. In Europe, it gets a 150 hp 2.0-liter petrol unit, as well as two diesels - a 2.0-liter unit with 122 hp and a 2.2-liter unit with 148 hp.

Also, both the front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models now have a sport button, which sharpens up the handling, throttle response and gearbox mapping. The four-wheel drive variant also comes with Dynamic Torque Control, which sends additional power to the rear wheels, in tricky handling situations, to keep the RAV4 pointing in the right direction.

The official unveiling, at 2012 LAIAS

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