In search of quality, I found 11 minuses. Test drive Toyota RAV4

Yesterday Toyota RAV4 is one of the most popular crossovers. It was for this reason that I really wanted to test it, and when I was faced with a choice between motors and gearboxes, I asked for the option that is most often bought.

And it is desirable that the equipment was not top-end, so I can be as close as possible to the cars in demand. The choice was not so great: either a 2-liter engine with 149 hp with a CVT, or a 2.5-liter with 199 hp, but paired with an 8-speed automatic. The soul demanded more powerful and with automatic transmission, but the gut understood that they were buying something completely different.

And so it happened: the first option was provided for the test and the equipment was exactly in the middle – Style. It may not contain all the newfangled top features, but everything basic, it seems to me, is present. The “Comfort” package was taken as the basis for “Style”. There is such version: 2'421'000 conditional units. Double coloring adds 50 thousand conventional units and as a result we have 2'471'000 rubles. But the world of Toyota with Rav4 can be opened and cheaper, starting at just under 2 million. Of course, you should not expect any frills: a 2.0 engine, mechanics and front-wheel drive. At the same time, the equipment is more or less normal, since there are already a lot of pillows here, including the driver's knee, there are LED optics in front and behind, electric mirrors, some heating, etc. The complete list is huge. However, given the price tag and specifications, I would not consider this option.

Four-wheel drive starts in this car with the “Comfort” package or with 2'334'000 conventional units. The difference is decent, but the technical equipment is also pumped. The same motor, but with a variator. By the way, it is new here, with a manual first gear. If earlier the variator received an enormous load during a sharp start from a place, now this problem has been solved. Starts are quicker and less stressful, and the same goes for off-road driving. The whole process is taken over by the mechanics, releasing the belt from the load, and as soon as the speed increases and the computer realizes that the mechanics are no longer needed, it transfers all rights to the variator. In life, this is noticeable, since a sharp start can be really sharp, and not when you press and wait. Well, such an innovation should extend the life of the transmission, so faith in the best is with us forever.

And with the same configuration, the opportunity opens up to become the owner of a more powerful version of Rav4 on the machine, only this pleasure costs a little more than 2.5 million. This is without the cost of the color.

Then there will be “Prestige”, where all-wheel drive is available with an adaptive torque distribution system to the rear wheels and several other important options. We add the name “Safety” to “Prestige” and we get the top version. 2'680'000 conventional units for a two-liter engine or 2'894'000 for a 199-horsepower unit. Maximum speed is full of assistants and all-round cameras, but the price quickly brings to life. Therefore, apparently, they most often take the middle peasant on the variator: without overpaying for assistants and saving the budget.

Met by clothes

And the clothes are new, bold. More interesting in comparison with previous generations. Perhaps we can skip all the laudatory odes to the exterior of the RAV4 with a short summary: this generation is damn good. But there is some design innuendo: plastic expanders do not reach the end, leaving room for sandblasting.

A strange decision, but nothing will change. Even the installed mudguards do not completely cover open spaces, although it would be logical for their “tails” to go exactly to the lining on the arch. Saved on production – earned on accessories.

Also, these clothes have different gaps. For example, on doors: on one side 7 and 6 mm, and on the other 4 and 9 mm. In addition, some doors are littered inward, some protrude outward. But if you do not look closely, it turns out very even nothing.

The RAB4 doors close the sills, which allows you to keep the legs clean longer. True, such a system only works in the front. When you open the back door, the threshold is shown in all its glory, or rather dirt, which abundantly flies into the opening between the front and rear doors. This is probably due to the fact that the front rubber bands do not reach the end of the door of 4 centimeters. And as I understand it, you should not wait for a revocable on this matter, most likely they will correct it only with restyling, probably.

The inner world is also important

You know, when I first opened the door, all attention was focused on the chairs. Even without touching, I realized that the materials used were artificial, and the touch only confirmed this. And the quality is also not the best, especially the material similar to the skin. But on the steering wheel and gearshift selector, it differs for the better.

The trim materials in the cabin are soft in the upper part, in the case of door cards, then in the very upper part, and the rest is made of hard plastic. But I was pleased that everything was done on the rear door trims exactly as on the front ones.

The steering wheel is not overloaded with buttons, some of the functions are displayed on the dashboard screen, which is located between the dial gauges. Surprisingly, there is no adaptive cruise here, although at this price tag I expected to see it.

The multimedia system is the same as on many other Toyotas. There are Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Established music is surprisingly pleasant, and nothing rattles anywhere. In general, you can have fun playing with the system, for example, reading incoming messages with it. She can do this not only in English, but also in Russian)

The climate knobs are impressive in size, rubberized, but with almost free play. Choosing the right temperature the first time often ends in failure, especially when driving. I would like a little better fixing positions. And the backlighting of the buttons themselves with the operating modes of the air conditioning system is really lacking, because at night only the inscription on the screen is highlighted, and the button itself is located below, but out of habit you press on the inscription, it's funny. The power window and mirror buttons could also be illuminated. There is no light at all except for one stripe.

Storage compartments in the doors, armrest, center console and glove compartment are good. Excellent visibility due to large windows, which is contrary to current trends, to make loopholes out of windows.

There is plenty of legroom and headroom in the back, the backrest of the chair is adjustable in tilt angle in two positions. Air vents and two usb ports – that's all the gallery can please. By the way, in addition to the dirty threshold, which I mentioned above, there is also a door opening angle, which is small, which somewhat complicates the process of landing on the back sofa, and also contributes to rubbing the threshold with trousers.

The backrests fold almost into a flat floor, forming about 1200 liters of volume, and the trunk in its normal state is 580 liters, which is very good. Under the polycom there is a dokatka and the necessary tools, I also noticed a cover, in the hope that this is an additional niche, but no, the plastic closes the plastic. From what impressed me here, it was a double-sided polik: on the one hand, fabric material, on the other, plastic.

This is really cool, as you can transport something dirty without staining the fabric. And then, on occasion, wash the plastic right on the Karcher sink. Of the minuses: there are no hooks in principle and very delicate plastic on the sidewalls. With the active use of the car for its intended purpose, all this will quickly turn into a scratched canvas.

In general, a neutral interior that just looks good, which is convenient and comfortable, since everything is at hand. And this is perhaps the main plus of the inner world of RAV4.

Impression

What they definitely should not be expected from, neither bad nor good, is driving. If the driving style is calm, measured, never in a hurry, then this is a suitable option. All the same, it will allow you to keep with the flow, and even go faster. But if sometimes you want to be active, then by then. A quick start in a manual transmission will be replaced by a variator, and acceleration will be accompanied by a very loud engine noise. You can hear everything in the arches, including water. And the breeze outside the window does not add optimism. During acceleration, the noise level reaches 76 dB, and with a quiet ride at 100 km / h it fluctuates around 70 dB. It can be seen that they worked on the Shumkov, but followed the rule: do not overdo it.

Suspension is excellent on good and normal roads. It creates a feeling of impunity if you suddenly go on a broken one. With pleasure it swallows joints and small irregularities, but does not like large pits, and after winter there are plenty of them everywhere. A little noisy when working out small pits, but this does not affect comfort. As soon as the broken asphalt gets under the wheels, and even be wavy, then the Rav4 will have to tighten up.

With active driving, swaying was noticed, which you do not expect. Avoiding an obstacle at a speed of 80 to 100 km / h with a return to your lane will tickle your nerves, and it will also affect riders. With such a sharp maneuver, it feels like the body is belatedly reaching for the wheels, which have already returned to their lane.

The operation of the all-wheel drive is quite correct, but a lot depends on the rubber. Even a small prank can turn into a tedious expectation of help. Having driven off the forest road with one wheel into a small snow dump, I tried to get out of it, first in the usual mode, then I selected the best one available. Those three wheels that remained free were spinning for nothing, although they had no hook, as they stood on the ice. And the “stuck” one never twitched. Although, there was hope that the crossover would row with all 4 wheels. Turning off the stabilization and sharply increasing the speed, the chances of success began to appear. But it was extremely dangerous, because there were trees around, and ice under the wheels, and if after the rescue the car suffers, will it be possible to stop it before meeting with a birch trunk?

But if something like this happened on a clean area in the snow, a positive result would be obtained much faster and with less effort. In the forest case, studded tires could have helped, but they didn't.

drawing a line

I specifically wanted this version and tried to understand why people buy RAV4 so often. But no matter how trite it may sound, they take it, like any Toyota, because it is a Toyota. Because it is reliable, and it does not matter whether it is still so or not. Because it can always be sold. Taking a car with an eye on the next owner is doubtful. And they also buy for convenience, for safety, for prestige, although this crossover has never been considered prestigious. Just a SUV and no more, but the buyer votes in rubles, so he knows better. Not only in our country, but in many others.

The new Toyota RAV4 is trying to keep up with the times to please people. And it turns out they do it very well. Is this particular car worth the money? I don't think. 2.5 million standard units is a bit expensive for what is available here. And also with the assembly of the problem and this is important.

A good plus is the brand's desire to reduce both the theft rate and the cost of comprehensive insurance policies. For this, the T-Mark marking was introduced, there are stickers on the body with the VIN number in different places, and the MuT application also started working. A handy thing, but still damp.

In it, you can see where the car went, where it is now, whether there were sharp accelerations and decelerations. In general, track your behavior and movement. The battery charge is also shown. It’s a pity you can’t remotely warm up or cool down the interior, but in the future, perhaps, they will come up with something. In the meantime, the software does not always accurately determine sharp maneuvers, and if the car shows exactly as it should, then the location of the owner is not always correct.

No matter what, I recommend driving this car, inspecting it and making a decision. Perhaps its history, equipment even in the base and capabilities will be more important than everything else.

I give this Toyota Rav4 6.7 points out of 10.