Full Name - Toyota RAV 4
Manufacturer - Toyota Motor Corporation
Production - 1994–present
Assembled - Tahara, Aichi, Japan
Type - Mini SUV

Toyota - 4WD / SUVs

The Toyota RAV4 is a compact crossover SUV built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation.

The car was introduced in Japan and Europe in 1994 to cater to consumers wanting a vehicle that had most of the benefits of SUVs, such as increased cargo room, higher visibility, and the option of full-time four-wheel drive, along with the maneuverability and fuel economy of a smaller car.

The early success of the RAV4 paved the way for other compact SUVs such as the Honda CR -V. Its name stands for "Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive," although not all RAV4s have four wheel drive, which is optional in some countries.

First Generation (1994–2000)

The RAV4 was originally based on the Corolla platform, and was offered in both two and four-door versions. Both Front wheel drive and Four-wheel drive were available, and the RAV4 could be had with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. In 1998, the RAV4 was slightly restyled on the front and rear fascias, and a soft-top two-door was made available exclusively in the US market. Horsepower was increased slightly to 127.

A significant criticism of the gasoline-powered first generation RAV4s, often called '4.1s', was that they were underpowered, and had relatively poor fuel economy via their 3SFE engines that were designed for earlier Camrys and 1987-1989 Toyota Celica GT, 1990-1993 S-R and Z-R, as well as 1994-1999 SS-I. Later generations of RAV4s, the so-called '4.2s' and '4.3s', have addressed this concern.