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By
EWAN KENNEDY
22 October 2007
These days the Toyota RAV4 is more of a family wagon than a
sporty 4WD and needs plenty of grunt to haul around a family and all the
goods and chattels they cart with them. So the RAV4 has moved up a class
in size and power by offering the option of a V6 engine. And not just
any V6, but a 3.5-litre unit with all of 201 kW of power.
Only a couple of decades back hot family V8s didn’t produce
that sort of output, now you get it in a family SUV. Then again,
hot V8s actually weighed less than something like the current RAV4
so the difference isn’t as startling as it may appear at first.
The added weight in new vehicles is largely due to the far
superior safety construction, but is also created by an
ever-growing list of luxury features.
The new RAV4 V6 engine is already familiar to Australian car
buyers, being used in Toyota's Aurion, Kluger and Tarago either in
standard or optional guise. It’s even used in the new TRD Aurion,
though in that car it’s supercharged for more torque and power.
Featuring twin overhead camshafts, modern cylinder head design
and variable timing of the valves, this 3.5 engine is an efficient
unit that minimises consumption and emissions. Interestingly, in
the RAV4 it may not use a lot more fuel than the four-cylinder
variants because the engine will be lightly stressed almost all of
the time.
As with the four-cylinder models, the V6 variants of the RAV4
put drive to the front wheels through a five-speed automatic
transmission. When sensors realise that there's too much slippage
at the front wheels, such as on icy or dusty surfaces, some torque
is transferred to the back wheels to maintain progress.
Since the release of the latest model Toyota RAV4 early in 2006
the vehicles is significantly bigger than every before and four
adults can get comfortable inside, even on long trips. The typical
family load of two adults and three kids will travel with room to
spare.
There's a good-sized boot that’s reasonably regular in its
shape and easy to load. A hidden 90-litre area under the floor of
the luggage area not only increases space but also provides good
security as well.
The latest Toyota RAV4, in either inline-four or V6 format is
nicely refined and offers quiet running on most road surfaces,
though some coarse-chip roads can send a fair bit of noise up to
the cabin.
Those who have complained that the performance from the
relatively small, 2.4-litre, four-cylinder engine in the standard
RAV4 has been achieved by reducing the overall gearing have had
their wishes answered by this new model.
Prices of the new V6 models begins at $39,990 for the CV6
version, the SX6 has a recommended retail price of $43,990 and the
topline ZR6 carries a tag of $49,990. These are good prices and
indicate the continuing strength of the Australian dollar against
the Japanese yen.
Four-cylinder Toyota RAV4s have prices beginning at $31,990.
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Marque Publishing Company
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