 
 
• "North American Car and Truck of the Year short list
announced " 12.09.05 @ AutoWeek
• "North Staffs medics get Toyota treatment " 11.29.05
@ easier
• "Toyota Announces Prices For All-New
Third-Generation RAV4" 11.21.05 @ Toyota Pressroom
• "Toyota Stages U.S. Debut of All-New 2006 RAV4 SUV
and 2007 Yaris Liftback At The 2005 SEMA Show " 11.02.05 @ Toyota Pressroom
• "Toyota Breaks Ground in Woodstock New [RAV4] plant
to employ 1,300, open in 2008" 10.11.05 @ Toyota News
• "New RAV4 Nominated for 2006 North American Truck of
the Year" 10.05.05 @ Detroit Free Press
• "Solar tour provides peek at what's possible, for a
price" 10.05.05 @ Inside
Bay Area
• "Toyota Announces Best-Ever Third Quarter And
September Sales" 10.03.05 @ Pressroom Toyota
• "Romance Made Electric [RAV4]" 09.29.05 @ New York Times
• "More photos, info: New RAV4" 09.21.05 @ wheels24.co.za
• "Toyota enlarges and improves RAV4 to retake
segment" 09.16.05 @ Auto123.com
• "Toyota RAV4 [Frankfurt Auto Show Coverage]" 09.14.05
@ AutoBlog
• "Bridgestone Commercialises Support Ring Run-Flat
System [in Toyota's new RAV4]" 09.12.05 @ ReifenPresse.de
• "Toyota Reports 2005 Best-Ever August Sales" 09.01.05
@ The Auto Channel
• "DontCrush.com Announces Toyota Victory, Launches
Plug in America [RAV4 EV]" 09.01.05 @ Environmental
Media Services
• "Toyota lets drivers keep their [RAV4] electric
vehicles" 09.01.05 @ MSNBC
(Associated Press)
• 2006 RAV4 mini-site added to Toyota's "Future
Vehicles Section" 08.30.05 @ Toyota.com
• "It's a RAV-olution as top Toyota gets a new look"
08.30.05 @ AutoExpress
• "[2006] Toyota RAV4" 08.30.05 @ AutoBlog
• "The New Toyota RAV4" 08.29.05 @ CarPages UK
• "Toyota to Reveal All-New RAV4 and Yaris at 2005
Frankfurt International Motor Show" 08.29.05 @ Yahoo! Finance News
• "Toyota Yaris and RAV4 World Premieres at Frankfurt"
08.29.05 @ JapaneseCarFans
• "New RAV4 to debut at Frankfurt" 08.29.05 @ AutoBlog
• "Commuter on Train 48 loves to drive [her RAV4]"
08.26.05 @ Hamilton Ontario Mountain News
• "RAV4 Going Big in 2006" 08.15.05 @ Edmunds via AutoBlog
• "Toyota to Build New RAV4 Plant in Woodstock,
Ontario" 07.19.05 @ Automobile.com
• RAV4 among "Top 10 gas misers for 2005" 02.15.05
@ Bankrate.com
• RAV4 among "Best in class: SUVs under $25,000"
02.15.05 @ Bankrate.com
• Toyota RAV4 coming to Frankfurt 01.24.05 @ Edmunds
• Toyota: Newer RAV4 with Sex-Appeal 09.17.04 @
Auto Motor und Sport (German)
• AUTO INDUSTRY REPORT: Toyota's RAV4 earns praise
07.26.04 @ Detroit Free Press
• Small SUV from Toyota is first to earn "Best Pick"
07.25.04 @ HighwaySafety.org (IIHS)
•
Nine Toyota and Lexus Vehicles at the Top of Their Segments in J.D.
Power and Associates 2003 Vehicle Dependability Study 07.08.03 @ Yahoo!
Finance News
• Toyota Reports Strong June Sales: Sets
Second-Quarter and First-Half Sales Records 07.01.03 @ Yahoo! Finance
News
• Toyota Tops the Awards in the Automotive
Environmental Award Competition 05.22.03 @ Yahoo! Finance News
• United States Settles Clean Air Act Case Against
Toyota 03.07.03 @ Environmental Protection Agency
• 2002 RAV4 named Consumer Reports' Top-Rated Small SUVs
• Toyota to Begin Selling Zero Emission RAV4-EV To
California Retail Customers @ Yahoo! Finance News
• 2001 RAV4 is in the lead to receive the Automotive Loyalty
Award from R.L. Polk & Co among Compact SUVs
• 2001 RAV4 named Consumer Reports' Top-Rated Small SUVs
• 2001 RAV4 named "Most Environmentally Sensitive Compact
SUV" by Edmunds.com and AmesAward.com
• Canada gets rear drum brakes and no 2-door, but they have
a much cooler 2001 RAV4 presentation (use postal code T2H 1W8)
• J.D. Power lists the RAV4 as the best (and only) used Mini
SUV for the 1996 model year
• Toyota Announces Prices on All-New Tacoma Double Cab And
Lowers MSRP on Second Generation RAV4 @ Yahoo! Finance
• There's a much splashier introduction for the 2001 RAV4 at
Toyota
Deutchland (Germany)
• With absolutely no fanfare, Toyota US added the 2001 RAV4 to their
website -- most disappointing? four wheel disc brakes are not even an
option
• The 2001 RAV4 is also available in the Philippines
• The 2001 RAV4 officially goes on sale in Japan!
• Accessories for 2001 RAV4 L and J models
(Japanese)
• Boyfriend & Meeting "Ride your emotions!"-themed
Japanese TV Commercials (
QuickTime format)
• Toyota Takes Aim at Growing SUV Market @ Yahoo! News
• Toyota RAV4 wins Strategic Vision's 2000 Total Quality
Award
• Photo of the North American edition of the 2001 RAV4
• Toyota Unveils All-New RAV4 Compact SUV and Highlander
Mid-Size SUV at New York Auto Show @ PR NewsWire
• (New York) City Launches Fleet of Zero-Emission Vehicles
• Photos from (front angles, side angle) from the New York
International Auto Show
• Toyota will Unveil All-New Highlander And RAV4 Sport
Utility Vehicles at New York Auto Show @ Yahoo! News
• Consumer Reports names (something called the Subaru
Forester) and Toyota RAV4 Top Picks for 2000 among small SUVs
• RAV4 World Premiere @ Global Toyota
• Very short blurb with small picture @ Car and Driver
• The New RAV4: Everyday your own way with official
specs and info @ Toyota Europe Geneva Motorshow Website
• Humongous photo (warning!
2400x1800 pixels! 526K) of the 4-door at
the Geneva Motorshow @ carpix.net
• Short blurb and three photos @ Edmunds.com
• The 2001 RAV4 and Highlander will be at the New York Auto Show
(April 22-30 2000) @ Chicago Times
• Closeup photo of a 2001 2-door @ L'outrefranc
• It's RAV-olution Time As New RAV4 Revs Up @ AutoExpress
• The Car Enthusiast made a big splash on the new RAV4
with tons of details, including specifications (preliminary non-metric specs
here)
• Small article with even smaller picture of 2 & 4-door
2001's @ 4Car
• Also, a pair of articles at Auto.com and Yahoo! News with
a few words about the new RAV4 in Europe
• The Information Dirt Road grinds the RAV4 rumor mill @ Car
and Driver
|
| |
 |
|
 
The 2006 RAV4 has shown itself and this time it's real!
The Mag-X sketches really weren't far off the mark, but it was amazing
that Toyota kept real spy photos from surfacing before their official
press release. At this point, the official press kit has been limited
to exactly zero specification/option details and about a dozen
different photos.
 
The RAV4 was officially unveiled to the world September 12, 2005 on Toyota's website
and displayed to the public September 13, 2005 at the Frankfurt
Motor Show -- the new RAV4 was also shown in Japan for the first
time at the Tokyo Motor
Show, before its public opening on October 22, 2005 and its US
debut will be November
2, 2005 at the SEMA
Show in Las Vegas.
2006 Specifications are as
follows:
| |
North America |
Europe |
| Standard Powertrain |
2.4-liter four-cylinder with VVT-i
166 hp @ 5,700 rpm
165 lb.-ft torque @ 4,000 rpm
Four-speed automatic transmission
|
2.0-liter
four-cylinder with VVT-i
152 DIN hp (112 kW)
195 Nm torque
Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions
|
| Optional Powertrain(s) |
3.5-liter V6 with dual VVT-i
269 hp @ 6,200 rpm
246 lb.-ft. torque @ 4,000 rpm
Five-speed automatic transmission
|
2.2-liter D-4D 135 four-cylinder diesel
136 DIN hp (100 kW)@ 3,600
310 Nm torque @ 2,000-2,800 rpm
Six-speed manual transmission
2.2-liter D-4D 180 four-cylinder diesel
177 DIN hp (130 kW) @ 3,600 rpm
400 Nm torque @ 2,000-2,600 rpm
Six-speed manual transmission
|
| Wheelbase |
105.0 inches
(2,667 mm)
|
100.8 inches
(2,560 mm)
|
| Overall Length |
181.0 inches
(4,598 mm)
|
173.0 inches (4,395 mm / 4,315 without spare tire)
|
| Overall Width (without/with
overfenders) |
71.5/73.0 inches (1,815/1,855 mm)
|
71.5/73.0 inches (1,815/1,855 mm)
|
| Overall Height (without/with
roof rack) |
66.1/68.0 inches
(1,679/1,727 mm)
|
66.3 inches (1,685 mm)
|
In the months prior to the launch of the 2006, there
had been handfuls of fake
spy shots and illustrations
floating around that suggested another small bump-up in size and a
slightly less radical change to its appearance -- more or less an
evolution from the second-gen's sharply defined lines and a more
aggressive look to the nose. Of interest to many was the rumored
addition of a V6
engine and a hybrid powertrain to
the lineup and what looks to be a "real"
rear bumper for the first time in the RAV4's history (unconfirmed,
since the "photos" have been debunked
as photochopped
hacks of the RAV4.2, the Chevy
S3X and even a BMW X3).
At
first glance, the second incarnation of the RAV4
seemed to have more in common with a minivan or MPV than it's quirky
first-gen sibling, which was the first to successfully introduce the
"crossover" compact sport utility vehicle segment to the automotive
industry. Highlights were a more angular shape, with more of an
"edge" to the design, punctuated with defined lines and creases,
aggressive deep front spoiler and prominent front grill and headlamps
-- this design theme was apparent in the Celica and Echo and a few
other models only available in Japan. In terms of size, it was nearly
the same as the previous RAV4, stretching merely an inch or so in all
dimensions, which resulted in a slightly more spacious interior -- the
seating layout was made more flexible, with folding, tumbling, sliding
and removable rear seats. The RAV4 repeated an emphasis on sporty
road handling rather than off-road ability, with the addition of a rear
anti-roll bar to improve cornering performance. In some countries
the engine options were: 1.8L@125hp, 2.0L@149hp (2004 brought a
mid-life refresh and the addition of a 2.4L@161hp) -- all VVT-i
(Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) -- a turbo-diesel model
appeared in Europe as well as a few other countries. For the
North American market the RAV4's sole powerplant was a 2.0L inline-four
(replaced in 2004 with a 2.4L rated at 161HP) for both 2WD and 4WD
models. 2004 also brought the welcome inclusion of standard 4-wheel
disc brakes, vehicle stability control and optional side curtain
airbags, but the glaring omission of flashy options such as electronic
climate control or onboard DVD navigation systems available to other
world markets was somewhat disappointing.
The
"RAV4.2" debuted at the 2000 Geneva Motorshow as a 2001
model. There's a RAV4 article posted at LeQuotidienAuto.com
-- it's written in French, but there's plenty of photos (among best
quality yet, including an interior shot) -- if you don't speak the
language, you can always run it through the Babelfish to
make it understandable. There's also a short article on the new
RAV's Geneva introduction at CarEnthusiast.com.
If you look closely at this
picture, you can see the RAV4 presentation stage in the foreground.
Get
some 2001
RAV4 first impressions (two updates)
from Chips (who actually went to the Motorshow -- originally sent to
the RAV4 Owners Mailing List). 2001 RAV4 spy shots included a doctored
photo (courtesy of USA
Today ), cold-weather testing (courtesy of the RAV4Zone), completely undisguised?
(courtesy of RAV4 World
and SCOOP!) and early shots (courtesy of AutoExpress)
Kelly Smith's RAV4World
RAV4World
Forums
RAV4OZ
RAV4OZ
Forums
Mark Truman's
RAV4 Resource
RAV4 Expedition
Scott Cumming's RAV4Zone
Ken’s
List of Toyota RAV4 Sites
The RAV4 FAQ
Toyota Message Boards @ Yahoo! Autos
Toyota RAV4 @ MSN Groups
Toyota RAV
Forums @ SUV.com
RAV4 Owners @
Yahoo! Groups
New RAV4
Owners @ Yahoo! Groups
Classic
RAV4 Owners @ Yahoo! Groups
RAV4 EV @
Yahoo! Groups
Kelly
Malleck's RAV4 Stuff
Willam
Segura's RAV4 Page
Kenfusion's
RAV4World
Sarah's
RAV4
Tim's
Off-Road RAV4
The RAV4 Zonegerman
Yosh's RAV4 Websitejapanese
Harry's RAV4 EV Holiday
Naktom's RAV4 Pagejapanese
Patty Lakinsmith's
RAV4 EV and Info Page
|
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