| wmquan |
The RAV4 has received a lot of positive mention here by some MDX owners who either have one as a second vehicle, or have had a RAV4 in the past.
The 2006 Toyota RAV4 has been announced. The most interesting news is that an engine option will be the 3.5 liter, 268 horsepower, 246 lbs/torque V6.
However, the vehicle has grown substantially. Toyota claims it's 14" longer!!! According to the specs, it's not much smaller than a Highlander. :confused: A third row will be available.
It's possible the higher-end versions will be available with Bluetooth and a navigation system, but full details haven't been released yet.
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| carguy1234 |
quote:
Originally posted by wmquan
...However, the vehicle has grown substantially. Toyota claims it's 14" longer!!! According to the specs, it's not much smaller than a Highlander. :confused: A third row will be available.
I think the Highlander is close to a redesign, so it too will likely grow.
I really liked the RAV4, but it was a bit small. A bigger one will be very competitive IMHO. |
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| msu79gt82 |
quote:
Originally posted by carguy1234
I really liked the RAV4, but it was a bit small. A bigger one will be very competitive IMHO.
I am a long time RAV4 owner. I drove a '97 RAV4 for several years before turning it over to college age kids. Its since been replaced by an '04. Its a great second car; especially for my college students.
I am somewhat perplexed by Toyota's plans - no doubt there must be a substantial price increase as well. Hence a bigger more expensive RAV4 will NOT be of interest to folks like me seeking dependable inexpensive student vehicles. And unless the Highlander gets more expensive as well then I see segment overlap between the RAV4 and Highlander where none used to exist. And finally could Toyota be overestimating SUV staying power? Do Americans really want bigger RAV4s? Bigger Highlanders? If RAVs and Highlanders get bigger will Sequoias get bigger as well? At $3 gas the SUV segment must no doubt shrink somewhat. |
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| dj-mdx2 |
quote:
Originally posted by msu79gt82
I am a long time RAV4 owner. I drove a '97 RAV4 for several years before turning it over to college age kids. Its since been replaced by an '04. Its a great second car; especially for my college students.
I am somewhat perplexed by Toyota's plans - no doubt there must be a substantial price increase as well. Hence a bigger more expensive RAV4 will NOT be of interest to folks like me seeking dependable inexpensive student vehicles. And unless the Highlander gets more expensive as well then I see segment overlap between the RAV4 and Highlander where none used to exist. And finally could Toyota be overestimating SUV staying power? Do Americans really want bigger RAV4s? Bigger Highlanders? If RAVs and Highlanders get bigger will Sequoias get bigger as well? At $3 gas the SUV segment must no doubt shrink somewhat.
I sympathize with your concerns regarding this escalating war of attrition on upsizing vehicles in the US. If the Sequoia gets any bigger, it should come equipped with a sail! Toyota must have its reasons, i.e. market/feasibility studies, otherwise they will not invest in more factory machines to churn out bigger cars. |
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| carguy1234 |
I believe they plan to fit their vehicles with hybrid power eventually. Highlander already has it, RAV4 will probably be next for the suv's.
I think a bigger RAV4 with combined 35 MPG (guesstimate) would be attractive to many people. Maybe 2007 or 2008?
And as far as inexpensive goes, I think Toyota wants to push people to Scion, or to lower level Toyota models. They seem to be trying to cover all markets, and seem to be driving the cost and content level up in the mid to high grade models. |
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| wmquan |
My only guesses are that the next Highlander will be bigger (Pilot-sized, but not Sequoia-sized), and maybe there'll be a new small SUV in Toyota's lineup.
Perhaps their idea is to have the 4runner/Sequoia as the medium/large truck-based SUV's, and the RAV4/Highlander as their sort-of-medium/sort-of-large SUV's for people who want an SUV but not the truck features.
Perhaps the size increase should be put in another perspective. The new RAV4 will be the same length of the current Honda CR-V. I'm not sure if the lengths include the spares or not, but the web sites list 181" for both. The new RAV4 will be about 1.3" to 2.8" wider depending on whether you get the fender flares or not.
Add to this the fact that the upcoming redesigned CR-V will probably grow an inch or two, and perhaps the RAV4's dimensions make sense.
My 9-3's coming off lease in a few months and I was curious about the RAV4. I know that reviewers generally say the current model handles remarkably well and is agile. If the bigger 2006 version has lost these attributes, I guess that goes off my list. |
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| msu79gt82 |
quote:
Originally posted by wmquan
Perhaps the size increase should be put in another perspective. The new RAV4 will be the same length of the current Honda CR-V.
My concerns was not with size so much as cost. I have two sons sharing the RAV4 at college. They probably could benefit from a little more size and power. However this will all come at a cost; the current RAV4 is an affordable great little SUV. I have no doubt that many of the current buyers do so because of the perceived value at its cost point. IF Toyota can make it bigger and better w/o a significant cost increase THEN great! But if not then they could lose a market segment.
All "fad" (currently in vogue) vehicles lose their appeal and market share (e.g. station wagons and minivans). With gas prices where they are and where they are going I suspect that our love affair with SUVs will begin to wane somewhat; hence I am somewhat surprised that Toyota is upsizing as if this were McDonalds. |
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| A2MDXer |
quote:
Originally posted by wmquan
My only guesses are that the next Highlander will be bigger (Pilot-sized, but not Sequoia-sized), and maybe there'll be a new small SUV in Toyota's lineup.
Perhaps their idea is to have the 4runner/Sequoia as the medium/large truck-based SUV's, and the RAV4/Highlander as their sort-of-medium/sort-of-large SUV's for people who want an SUV but not the truck features.
Perhaps the size increase should be put in another perspective. The new RAV4 will be the same length of the current Honda CR-V. I'm not sure if the lengths include the spares or not, but the web sites list 181" for both. The new RAV4 will be about 1.3" to 2.8" wider depending on whether you get the fender flares or not.
Add to this the fact that the upcoming redesigned CR-V will probably grow an inch or two, and perhaps the RAV4's dimensions make sense.
My 9-3's coming off lease in a few months and I was curious about the RAV4. I know that reviewers generally say the current model handles remarkably well and is agile. If the bigger 2006 version has lost these attributes, I guess that goes off my list.
William,
Good points. I am currently looking at getting a new second vehicle. Right now, I was targeting crossovers like the RDX, murano, etc. but was also considering the Highlander. Howevever, the Highlander has always been a bit bland for me (same for CRV) whereas the power and styling of this new RAV4 seems appealing. I have an old RAV4 and liked the current design but it was a bit small for me. If the price doesn't rise too much, this may be a contender. |
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| donsev |
Sorry if this is WTLW, but here are my observations from another forum from several weeks ago;
quote:
I am surprised that Toyota is taking the RAV4 this far up in size (and likely in pricing!). And I really don't see where this leaves the current generation Highlander (since for all intents and purposes the RAV with the V6 makes a better Higlander than the Highlander does - a larger and more powerful engine, a platform designed to accomodate 3rd row seating from the outset, latest generation stability and safety features, and available leather and 18" wheel options).
In size, the new RAV4 is actually larger than the Lexus RX300 was;
'06 RAV4 '03 RX300
Wheelbase 105.0" 103.1"
Length 181" 180.1"
Width 71.5/73" 71.5"
Height 66.1" 65.7"
Again, the RAV4 has substantially more power and more safety features than the RX300 had.
I assume that Toyota is trying to leapfrog the CR-V (which is currently fractionally smaller than the above compared RX300). But the pricing will likely have to follow. With the AWD Higlander Limited basing around $32k (and the older RX300 basing at around $38k w/AWD), I assume that a loaded AWD RAV4 with 3 row seating will top out at > $32k.
I also assume that the next generation Highlander will grow as well to match the 189" length of the Tribeca. This means that it is possible that the next-gen (MY'08 ) Forester could be of comparable size to the new RAV4. (Take the Tribeca platform, shorten the wheelbase an inch or two, lop of an additional inch or two of front and rear overhang, and there you have the new Forester).
Again, while an intriguing package (only with the V6), the shape, outside spare tire, and height are just too SUVish for our taste. Combined with the increase in length and likely increase in weight and price, we decided it was not worth our waiting for. |
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