Toyota gives new RAV4 more rugged design

Toyota has chosen a more rugged design for its new RAV4 compact SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) in a bid to boost its sales in most popular SUV segment across the world.

The new, global model was revealed at the New York auto show last week ahead of European sales, which will start in the first quarter of 2019. The new RAV4’s bolder design “communicates a ‘go anywhere’ sense of fun and adventure.”

The new specification drops the current model’s sole diesel version specifically within Europe in line with Toyota’s stated aim to phase out the powertrain from its passenger cars in the region by the end of the year.

RAV4’s launch engines will be a 2.5-liter gasoline-electric hybrid and a 2.0-liter gasoline, mirroring the current car’s gasoline-powered lineup.

Both engines are newly developed to give it better fuel economy and more power, without giving performance figures. Like the current model, it will be built in Japan for Europe.

The new car is built on the larger version of Toyota’s New Global Architecture, dubbed TNGA-K. The length of the car is 4600mm, which is 5mm shorter than its predecessor, but using the new platform increases interior space by adding 30mm to the wheelbase, Toyota said. The new car is also 10mm wider at 1855mm.

The more rugged, bolder design “communicates a ‘go anywhere’ sense of fun and adventure,” Toyota said in a statement. The ruggedness is reflected in the higher ground clearance and “wider stance,” The statement added.

European versions of the RAV4 will offer four-wheel drive. The hybrid includes an electrified rear axle that transmits power to the rear wheels independent of the combustion engine at the front. This allows Toyota to get rid of the propshaft, saving weight and increasing fuel economy.

The current version hybrid emits 115 grams of CO2 per kilometer, a figure that the automaker says the new model will beat without being more specific.

RAV4’s four-wheel-drive system on the 2.0-liter model includes a propshaft that disconnects from the engine to save fuel when the car is only driving using the front wheels. It has a 7-inch infotainment screen in the dashboard.

It comes with a 7-inch infotainment screen in the dashboard and some models will come with a digital rearview mirror that displays camera footage taken from the rear of the car. Optional equipment still needs to be finalized.

Safety technology of the SUV is bundled into Toyota’s Safety Sense package that includes pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, radar cruise control and lane departure warning.

Steering assist can automatically turn the wheels to nudge the vehicle back into its lane, even as the car can recognize road signs and give the driver alerts, for example, when the speed limit changes.

Toyota sold 71,268 RAV4s last year in Europe, putting it 10th in the compact SUV segment, figures from market analyst JATO Dynamics show. The company has benefited from the shift away from diesel toward gasoline and hybrid powertrains.

MIKE OCHONMA