Review: Toyota RAV4 180
Those undisputed kings of common sense at Toyota have struck a massive blow for the cause with the introduction of their front-wheel-drive RAV4 180. After all, most of the small utility vehicles never go anywhere that they’re likely to need to drive to all four wheels, so why should we lug the heavy, expensive drive-train around?
Because of the savings in weight and mechanical resistance brought about by the two-wheel-drive option Toyota’s engineers settled upon a smaller 92kW 1,8-litre power plant mated to a five-speed manual gearbox for the latest offering. Outwardly the two-wheel-drive RAV4 (shouldn’t that be RAV2?) looks virtually the same as the three-door 4X4 model, so owners can sit in the parking lot at the beach bewailing the new anti-4X4 laws that prevent them going exploring without spectators suspecting a thing. Even in its emasculated form the RAV4 180 offers better ground clearance and approach and departure angles than most ordinary cars, so kerb-hopping in Sandton or patrolling the Kruger park is still something that can be anticipated with glee.
The RAV4 180 offers all the usual luxury and safety features of the rest of the RAV4 range, and build quality is of course superb. Best of all, at R220 000 it’s R45 000 cheaper than the 4X4 three-door model. That’s enough of a saving to buy a good used Tazz to use when you want to travel incognito!