Nother CarGuy

Toyota chose the New York Auto Show as the venue to unveil the new RAV4. But the United States won’t be the only market, of course, where the new crossover will be offered. Following its arrival in North American showrooms later this year, the fifth-generation RAV4 is set for introduction in the European market at the beginning of next year. (In the first quarter, according to the manufacturer.) Full pricing and availability information are still to follow, but the parameters are essentially the same. Based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, the new RAV4 pushes its wheels to the extremities to offer more space inside without significantly enlarging its footprint on the road. That ought to keep the vehicle maneuverable on city streets. The slightly enlarged model is wrapped in entirely new sheetmetal with a more robust design. XSE, Limited, and Adventure models will be offered, though we don’t know if all versions will be available in Europe. As wit...

The RAV4 is the model that started it all in the compact crossover segment some 24 years ago, but along the way, you could say it lost its design luster becoming somewhat of a Camry of SUVs, even though it never lost its sales crown. Now, with the introduction of the fifth generation model at the New York Auto Show, Toyota is going back to its roots with a more brute interpretation, making it the most interesting-looking RAV4 since the original of the mid-1990s. Unlike what we’ve come to expect from German manufacturers and their tiresome evolutionary approach to redesigns these days, you won’t confuse the new RAV4 with the outgoing model that was introduced back in 2013. It has a more a chiseled appearance that was previewed by the FT-AC concept study at last year’s LA Auto Show. Of course, on the RAV4, most details have been dialed down for mass consumption, but still, the new model looks closer related to, let’s say, the 4Runner TRD than its predecessor. And that’s...

With the Geneva Motor Show now in our rear-view mirrors, our focus shifts to the upcoming New York Auto Show. That’s where Toyota will reveal its all-new RAV4, previewed in this initial teaser image. The Japanese automaker has given us precisely squat to go on, aside from this image – except to say that it’s coming to the Manhattan expo. Now entering its fifth iteration, the RAV4 remains far and away Toyota’s top seller. Last month, it sold nearly 30,000 of them in the United States alone – well ahead of the 25,000 Corollas it moved over the same period (including both the sedan and the formerly Scion IM hatchback) and far outpacing the ~16,000 each of the Highlander and Tacoma in Toyota’s truck-sales rankings. In short, the new RAV4 will be a vital product for Toyota. So you can expect the manufacturer to throw all the weight of its considerable resources behind it. We’re expecting the new crossover to adopt far more muscular styling, inspired by the FT-AC concept. It’s ant...