MOTORING
RAV4-Anawesome4x4
On-road and Off-road...
Above: The new RAV4 pictured where it feels at home, on
a muddy, slippery track. Left: It’s good looking as well....
Wight Motors in Sandown (Tel:
01983 405551) now the proud
home of Toyota, Seat and Hyundai
dealerships, kindly allowed me
the privileged introduction to an
imposing vehicle with two sides.
One of Toyota’s finest. The side
embroiled in mischief is an off road
performer commissioned with active
torque control 4wd on one hand,
and an energetic, aerodynamic,
sophisticated and accommodating
vehicle on the other. The all new
Rav 4 was soon in my hands with
the opportunity to explore both
aspects.
Starting at £19,020 on the road
the XT3 comes equipped with
five doors, a 2.0 litre VVTi engine
pushing 152DIN hp and 5-speed
manual transmission. There are also
six gears on offer and an automatic.
The range including the XT4 and
the XT5 are all available with a 2.2
diesel.
Off roading may or may not be
your thing however technology is
on your side with a list of intriguing
features giving this 4x4 an edge.
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
HAC and DAC are not to be confused
with Ant and Dec, for a start this
has real purpose. (HAC) Hill-Start
Assist Control, enables easy starts,
helping to prevent rolling back on
a steep incline and (DAC) Downhill
Assist Control, reacts to individual
wheel speeds automatically braking
and releasing on a steep decent. It’s
not only just about fun it’s about
safety too.
Technical bit over its now playtime!
The Pennine Way sounds appealing
so does the Ridgeway not forgetting
the Tension trail, I wonder if I
should have mentioned this prior to
my departure?.
Reality hits home and I take a
gentle drive to Culver view point car
park. Off road, yes! mud plugging,
winching and gowned anchors, I
better not! This is the Rav 4’s side
that is best left to “he who buys”.
Now for the lighter side, the drive
which I found to be a welcomed
surprise, if that is, I noticed it! and
that’s the point I didn’t. I completely
forgot what I was driving. In typical
4x4 style the ride was a position
of privilege, elevated and spacious,
however I found it to be so easy to
drive and user fr