When I test-drove the first three-door RAV 4, the media handout had stated that it was the first production SUV anywhere to be engineered for 'upwardly mobile' women.
I have never forgotten this statement, and with the latest five-door I found the vehicle built to the same demanding standards, including the ease with which it can be driven backwards for its height, and the minimum 'black-spots' immediately to the rear of the vehicle.
The steering column adjusts for tilt as well as having a telescopic adjustment.
The driver's seat can be raised or lowered. Instruments are easy to read and the switches fall readily to hand.
Even with the air-conditioning working well there was no decrease in power from the super quiet 2.3-litre diesel mill. The electric power steering was very pleasant to use.
I wandered from the major roads onto secondary links, before venturing for many kilometres down lonely, ill-favoured country lanes that will, if left in abandonment, soon be classified as 'off road'.
This is one seriously interesting SUV. So much so that if a family member wanted one I would be the first to applaud the choice always provided that I could enjoy an early 1980s 'Lightweight' Land Rover, a low production vehicle, a real 'blast from the past' that I would seriously like to own.
Safety is always paramount, but to find a vehicle with side airbags and a driver's knee airbag is unusual, but of course many people are as conscious of their legs as they are of their faces and this car comes with driver and passenger airbags with front and rear curtain airbags as well.
Long before the seat belts tighten up and the airbags 'pop', the RAV driver will, I hope, have taken all the active measures possible to avoid a bang with the good anti-lock brakes and electronic brake distribution.
Brake assist, along with on the six-speed manual I had on test, sported a hill assist function that makes it impossible to stall on a hill start as part of the XT4 package. Driving has never been easier.
The car also has an integrated active drive system which links various functions to give enhanced 'straight line' braking and acceleration where there is a surface difference between one side and the other, and automatically corrects the 'pull'. It also gets you out of trouble when cornering with more enthusiasm than skill, and will help with braking and steering in less than happy moments.
The vehicle stability control function within the active drive system is there to help in slippery conditions or when the driver blunders, which may enact traction control as well, to place even more emphasis on the fact that vehicles should always be driven within the driver's personal limits, even when the additional safety modes may save a smash.
It helps enormously that the entire suspension has been redesigned to give unparalleled ride and comfort.
The car looks great from any angle and, in profile, the rear spoiler adds the lightest 'sporty' touch to a truly elegant design.
Among a host of standard features it has heated mirrors, a music system and a rather natty alarm system.
My main problem was keeping this easy-to-drive vehicle anywhere near the speed limits.
The diesel pulls so effortlessly that whereas in most cars the pilot would be blundering along in second or third gear, the RAV4 seemed to get the same response, effortlessly, in fourth or fifth, and on the Żebbiegħ road sixth gear was actually used as a means of accelerating rather than a sort of overdrive, such is the pulling power of this rather nice engine.
Five people can be carried in comfort with a large boot, but the fold flat rear seats (60:40) can be lowered in seconds, and there is an 80-litre compartment under deck level to give even more cargo space.
The 2.2-litre D-40 140 diesel engine fitted gives a maximum fuel economy of 42.8mpg, but if you're in a hurry this SUV wafts up to 100km/h in only 10.5 seconds and tops out at a healthy 180km/h.
At a glance
• Engine: D-40 140; 4 cylinders in line; 16 valves
• Displacement: 2,331cc
• Maximum output: 136 bhp at 3,600 rpm.
• Maximum torque: 310 Nm from 2,000-2,800 rpm
• Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 10.5 seconds
• Maximum speed: 180 km/h
• Dimensions: 4,393 mm long (without spare 4,315 mm), 1,815 mm wide, 1,685 mm high
• Price: from €35,095
I have never forgotten this statement, and with the latest five-door I found the vehicle built to the same demanding standards, including the ease with which it can be driven backwards for its height, and the minimum 'black-spots' immediately to the rear of the vehicle.
The steering column adjusts for tilt as well as having a telescopic adjustment.
The driver's seat can be raised or lowered. Instruments are easy to read and the switches fall readily to hand.
Even with the air-conditioning working well there was no decrease in power from the super quiet 2.3-litre diesel mill. The electric power steering was very pleasant to use.
I wandered from the major roads onto secondary links, before venturing for many kilometres down lonely, ill-favoured country lanes that will, if left in abandonment, soon be classified as 'off road'.
This is one seriously interesting SUV. So much so that if a family member wanted one I would be the first to applaud the choice always provided that I could enjoy an early 1980s 'Lightweight' Land Rover, a low production vehicle, a real 'blast from the past' that I would seriously like to own.
Safety is always paramount, but to find a vehicle with side airbags and a driver's knee airbag is unusual, but of course many people are as conscious of their legs as they are of their faces and this car comes with driver and passenger airbags with front and rear curtain airbags as well.
Long before the seat belts tighten up and the airbags 'pop', the RAV driver will, I hope, have taken all the active measures possible to avoid a bang with the good anti-lock brakes and electronic brake distribution.
Brake assist, along with on the six-speed manual I had on test, sported a hill assist function that makes it impossible to stall on a hill start as part of the XT4 package. Driving has never been easier.
The car also has an integrated active drive system which links various functions to give enhanced 'straight line' braking and acceleration where there is a surface difference between one side and the other, and automatically corrects the 'pull'. It also gets you out of trouble when cornering with more enthusiasm than skill, and will help with braking and steering in less than happy moments.
The vehicle stability control function within the active drive system is there to help in slippery conditions or when the driver blunders, which may enact traction control as well, to place even more emphasis on the fact that vehicles should always be driven within the driver's personal limits, even when the additional safety modes may save a smash.
It helps enormously that the entire suspension has been redesigned to give unparalleled ride and comfort.
The car looks great from any angle and, in profile, the rear spoiler adds the lightest 'sporty' touch to a truly elegant design.
Among a host of standard features it has heated mirrors, a music system and a rather natty alarm system.
My main problem was keeping this easy-to-drive vehicle anywhere near the speed limits.
The diesel pulls so effortlessly that whereas in most cars the pilot would be blundering along in second or third gear, the RAV4 seemed to get the same response, effortlessly, in fourth or fifth, and on the Żebbiegħ road sixth gear was actually used as a means of accelerating rather than a sort of overdrive, such is the pulling power of this rather nice engine.
Five people can be carried in comfort with a large boot, but the fold flat rear seats (60:40) can be lowered in seconds, and there is an 80-litre compartment under deck level to give even more cargo space.
The 2.2-litre D-40 140 diesel engine fitted gives a maximum fuel economy of 42.8mpg, but if you're in a hurry this SUV wafts up to 100km/h in only 10.5 seconds and tops out at a healthy 180km/h.
At a glance
• Engine: D-40 140; 4 cylinders in line; 16 valves
• Displacement: 2,331cc
• Maximum output: 136 bhp at 3,600 rpm.
• Maximum torque: 310 Nm from 2,000-2,800 rpm
• Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 10.5 seconds
• Maximum speed: 180 km/h
• Dimensions: 4,393 mm long (without spare 4,315 mm), 1,815 mm wide, 1,685 mm high
• Price: from €35,095