A price reduction for the petrol models is the best news about the modest¬ changes to the 2009 Toyota RAV4.

At R287 700 the 2.0 petrol GX five-speed manual’s price is down R23 000 while the 2.0 VX five-speed manual (R345 200) and the 2.0 VX four-speed automatic (R356 200) are down R5 800 and R6 100 respectively.

A price reduction for the petrol models is the best news about the modest changes to the 2009 Toyota RAV4.

At R287 700 the 2.0 petrol GX five-speed manual’s price is down R23 000 while the 2.0 VX five-speed manual (R345 200) and the 2.0 VX four-speed automatic (R356 200) are down R5 800 and R6 100 respectively.

Other changes include an enhanced engine for the diesel models and minor exterior styling upgrades, such as a new grille, revised head- and fog lamps, side mirrors with integrated indicators and a restyled rear tail-light cluster.

The range consists of five models in two engine derivatives: besides the three petrol models, there’s a 2.2 litre turbo diesel in GX (R363 700) and VX (R408 600) specification levels.

The turbo diesel engines have an improved output of 110 kW @ 3 600 r/min and 340 Nm @ 2 000-2 800 r/min, but the 2.0 petrol engine remains relatively unchanged, producing 112 kW @ 6 000 r/min and 194 Nm @ 4 000 r/min.
Safety has also been improved with vehicle stability control on the VX models.

Originally published in Drive Out #32 | Aug-Sept 2009