The Toyota RAV4 is a smart buy. It’s keenly priced, well equipped and performs well in the JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.
Judged as a tow car, however, it’s solid but unexceptional. The 2.2-litre engine pulled car and caravan from 30-60mph in 15.4 seconds, but a 30-0mp stopping distance of 12.2 metres is disappointing. In the lane-change test it was happy at lower speeds, but the stability control worked overtime on quicker runs.
Straight-line stability was fine, though, with only slight steering corrections needed between 60 and 70mph. The handbrake needed a strong tug before it held in the hill-start test. It took plenty of revs to reach the top of the hill.