A while back I got the opportunity to drive the latest Toyota Rav4 and I was quite impressed with its… actually nothing but I wasn’t displeased with anything either, I consider this a win for this type of car.
I have to be honest, it’s taken me ages to get around to writing this review, mainly because I couldn’t have been bothered to write it and that is largely due to the fact that there was nothing about the car that I found so interesting I had to immediately tell the world about it right away. Don’t get me wrong, the car isn’t a disaster, but it isn’t exactly exciting either. It is pretty much what you would expect from Toyota; an up-to-standard vehicle, with no frills nor any added excitement. Toyota did try to mask this by adding a ‘sport’ button on the centre console, which does diddly-squat except for providing a bragging opportunity about your car having a ‘sport’ mode.
​
The drive was comfortable, it was smooth, the car handled bumps well, but my only complaint is with the automatic gearbox that can’t decide what gear it needs to go up a moderate hill. The gearbox, when left to its own devices, was pretty annoying because it kept trying to find the right gear which led to the engine straining and creating an obscene amount of noise. All of this can be taken care of by switching the auto box to manual shift.
​
The car has a reasonable amount of power but not enough to make one’s pants feel funny. The power on the model I drove gave enough confidence not to feel like a liability on the road but not enough to attempt daring overtakes, so overall it was adequate but not exciting, that would make a great slogan for Toyota as a whole actually.
​
Now on to the business of the interior, the car I had on test had the touch screen infotainment system you would find on the Hilux, which is actually pretty fantastic with all the different types of connectivity and it is pretty simple to use if you’re this side of 45 years of age. The car feels very spacious and roomy and it provides enough comfort for a family which is the demographic I presume it was designed for. The interior is very pleasing to the eye and it doesn’t feel too different from anything more upmarket – that’s a good thing.
​
The biggest thing about this car is the exterior. It looks much more rugged than the last Rav4 and in fact it looks more rugged than any of its competitors and I love that about it. Its appealing to the eye and its perfect for the family which means that you can be a boring, bored old adult with fewer midlife crisis inducing elements to your daily drive. Yay!
​
Overall the car has a thumbs up from me. Even though I don’t think I’m the target market for this car, it’s a great fit for those who are looking for a car of this sort.
​
There's a video as well: https://youtu.be/0ybArHPHjJk
