With the 2009 models just around the corner, Toyota has announced the changes it is making to its RAV4 small SUV for the new year. The detail changes are visible on the outside and the inside, with a styling freshening and a bigger engine that gets better fuel economy than its predecessor.
The exterior gets a restyled grill, and front and rear fascias. The wheels, fender flares and mirrors are also stylistically revised. The range-topping 4WD V6 model, meanwhile, gets a new Sport Appearance Package that deletes the big spare tire on the rear cargo door and equips the SUV with run-flat tires instead, in addition to color-coding the exterior moldings, adding a rear spoiler and a fancier interior.
Inside, buyers will get standard-issue XM Satellite Radio, active headrests, new seat fabric and engine immobilizer across the board. Limited models receive a keyless entry system, with the Limited and Sport getting a back-up camera linked to an electrochromatic rearview mirror. A low-cost navigation system is a new option in the Sport and Limited trims. Extra Value Packages will bundle popular options, saving buyers $570 on Base models, $1,000 on Sport, and $2,000 on Limited editions compared to buying all the options separately, Toyota claims.
The base four-cylinder engine grows a tenth of a liter to 2.5 and makes 13 more horsepower, now rated at 179. The torque peak, at 172lb-ft, is 7 points higher. In the front-wheel drive models, it returns fuel economy that is one mpg higher than the outgoing model’s, at 22mpg city and 28mpg highway. The new engine comes with a new four-speed automatic that Toyota claims is smaller, lighter, and more efficient than the old four-speed. The 269hp V6 is carried over unchanged, mated to the same five-speed auto.
The new RAV4s will start arriving at dealerships in September of 2009, with pricing that is, on average, 0.9 percent or $224 higher than that of 2008 models, with the exception of the base models, which remain unchanged. Prices start at $21,500 and top out at $27,810, without options, for the AWD RAV4 LTD V6.
