Toyota’s 2004 RAV4 is enough sport ute for almost anybody
One of the most competitive market segments in the auto business is in the compact, car-based sport ute sector, where every vehicle offered is a pretty good one. This includes Honda’s CR-V and Element; the Ford Escape and its twin, the Mazda Tribute; the Hyundai Santa Fe; the Suzuki Grand Vitara; and the Chevrolet Tracker.
Among the pioneers in this segment is the Toyota RAV4, which migrated to the United States in 1996 and has been a strong seller since. The RAV4 -- the name stands for the moderately contrived “Recreational Active Vehicle with four-wheel drive” -- has been freshened for 2004, with a new engine, new front and rear styling, a retuned suspension, standard rear disc brakes and interior tweaks.
My test vehicle -- which conceivably should be called a RAV2 because it has front-wheel drive and not the optional four-wheel drive -- was a solid, nimble little SUV that helps bolster the argument that a lot of people buy more SUV than they need. The RAV4 can seat four adults in comfort and still handle 29 cubic feet of cargo, and with the four-speed automatic transmission, manage an EPA-rated 24 miles per gallon in the city, 29 mpg on the highway.
One of the few compact SUVs not offered with a V-6 engine, the RAV4 has always made do with a 2.0-liter engine, originally from the Camry. Although there’s still no V-6, for 2004 the RAV4 gets a 2.4-liter, 161-horsepower four-cylinder, just like the standard engine on the larger Highlander.
It’s an improvement over the 148-horsepower engine from last year, and much better than the 120-horsepower engine from the original RAV4. It still doesn’t have the muscle of the 3.0-liter, 201-horsepower V-6 offered in the Escape and Tribute, but it’s on par with the 160-horsepower four-cylinder in the CR-V and Element.
This is the second-generation RAV4, which was introduced in 2001 and has had only minor enhancements since, until these bigger changes for ’04. Prices start at $18,350 for a base RAV4 with a manual transmission. My test model carried a base price of $19,975, including $575 shipping, and came well-appointed with standard air conditioning, automatic transmission, power windows and locks, a tilt steering wheel with audio controls, a six-speaker AM/FM stereo with CD player, cruise control and antilock brakes with stability control and traction control.
Optional equipment, including 16-inch aluminum wheels, side and side-curtain air bags, leather upholstery, a rear spoiler, fog lamps, heated mirrors and several other features raised the sticker to $22,995. Aside from a sunroof, there was nothing else to wish for.
Of course, you can get four-wheel drive for an extra $1,400, but that could be a good place to save some money. Even with it, the RAV4 is not designed for serious off-roading. And with front-wheel drive and traction control, the regular RAV4 is fine on wet pavement. If you live where there’s much snow and ice, four-wheel drive is worth the extra money, but even then a good set of snow tires will send the front-wheel-drive RAV4 most anywhere you need to go.
On the road, the test vehicle gives a good ride for its size, and around town, it’s easy to maneuver. The leather-trimmed front seats are comfortable and supportive. The rear seat is roomy enough to take a couple of 6-footers to lunch; for longer trips, a little more legroom would be nice.
One of the few complaints I have about the RAV4 is the tailgate-mounted spare tire. It had a hard, color-keyed cover, and it looks good back there. But repeated crash tests have shown that rear-mounted spares, in the event of even a minor accident, transmit the hit to the tailgate itself, increasing body damage.
This is not just a RAV4 problem, but a problem with all SUVs that have rear-mounted spares. A couple of years ago, a colleague backed an Isuzu SUV into a telephone pole at a speed equivalent to a crawl. The tailgate and rear window had to be replaced. Had the spare tire been mounted inside or under the vehicle, the rear bumper would have taken the small impact.
Otherwise, the RAV4’s attractive styling, long list of features and history of dependability and high resale value suggest that unless you need more room, or you need to tow more than the RAV4’s limit of 1,500 pounds, this ought to be enough SUV for most anybody.
