Toyota Kirloskar Motor had announced last year that they are considering the introduction of their RAV4 mid-sized SUV in India sometime around the mid-2021 time frame. And now, adding some serious weight to their claims of consideration, the Toyota RAV4 has been spotted testing undisguised on Indian roads. Currently, Toyota only offers 2 SUVs in India – the Fortuner and the Compact SUV, Urban Cruiser, so RAV4 should prove to be a handy addition.
More details
Over the years, various generations and models of the RAV4 were spotted testing on the Indian roads all around, but up until last year, there was never an official word of consideration from Toyota.
Talking about the RAV4 itself, for a funky name, it carries a rather good design. From the spy shot, only the rear 3 quarter is visible but it is easy to figure out that the RAV4 sits below the Fortuner in Toyota’s portfolio in global markets. It features a full-body cladding finished in black along with those muscular wheel arches. It features a simplistic alloy wheel design and carries a couple of badges on the rear.
On the inside, it gets ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, an 8” touch infotainment system, dual-zone climate control system, keyless entry etc. On the safety front, it houses features like lane departure warning, high beam assist, active cruise control, multiple airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, traction control, blind-spot monitor etc.
The current 5th-gen Toyota RAV4 is underpinned by the Toyota New Global Architecture ( TNGA ) platform which also underpins the current generation of the Camry. Talking about mechanicals, Toyota offers the RAV4 as a petrol, hybrid and a plug-in hybrid option. The hybrid powertrain consists of a 2.5L, naturally aspirated, Atkinson cycle petrol engine which is paired with an electric motor that produces a combines 219BHP of peak power. It can drive all 4-wheels via e4WD and a CVT transmission unit.
Toyota is expectedly looking to bring in the RAV4 into India via the CBU route which puts a 2500 unit limit on it and also removes the need for a local homologation. However, with this being a CBU unit and not locally assembled, the prices will definitely surge and most probably the RAV4 which otherwise sits under Fortuner, will cost more than the Fortuner at around INR 50-60 lakhs mark.