The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 appears
to be set for entry into the Malaysian market, as indicated by a teaser on the
Toyota Malaysia website. Clicking the link leads to a ‘page not available’
error; webpage glitch regardless, it appears that the first steps for the
RAV4’s Malaysian debut are in motion.
The XA50 RAV4 made its debut at the 2018
New York International Auto Show with a pair of 2.5 litre Dynamic Force petrol
engines, while other markets such as Australia and the United Kingdom
additionally receive the 2.0 litre engine option, with either manual or
automatic transmissions. It is still early days for determining what the
Malaysian market will find under the bonnet, though the 2.0 litre unit could be
a safe bet.
In overseas markets, the RAV4 has been
pitched against the likes of the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5, which are
contenders within the same segment. In Malaysia however, the smaller C-HR is
priced at RM 150,000, compared to the CR-V at RM 151,100 in base 2.0 2WD and the
CX-5 at RM 137,269 in 2.0 Mid Skyactiv-G 2WD forms, respectively, so we can
expect the larger RAV4 to be priced above this range. At the other end of the
power output scale is the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, which mates the 2.5 litre
Atkinson-cycle engine with more powerful electric motors for a total system
output of 302 hp. Might this figure into Toyota Malaysia’s plan for the RAV4 in
this country? Time will tell.
The latest model, codenamed XA50 joins the
Camry and C-HR in adopting the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), and
featuring multi-link rear suspension, which has been claimed to offer better
ride and handling as well as improved noise, vibrations and harshness (NVH)
performance.
