|
The RAV4 looks like other contemporary Toyotas, featuring an aerodynamically efficient ovoid profile strategically relieved by sharp character lines. A coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.33 is among the best in its segment and a major factor in minimizing wind noise and maximizing fuel economy.The RAV4's truck-like front end is tautly composed. Visually, the fenders are separate elements from the engine bay, a situation emphasized by a tight rectangular grille that seems to sit comfortably atop the wider bumper slits below. Headlights are compact and focused. Grille, bumpers, and fog light surrounds are all new for 2009. Most noticeable are the new, vertical brake scoops, lined with black ribs, that bite into the bumper beneath the headlights, where the fog lights used to be. (Fog lights nestle into these scoops on Sport models.) More subtle is the way the main grille now integrates better with the cooling slit just beneath it, while the formerly full-width slit beneath that has been replaced by three smaller slots. Limiteds have a look all their own, with a single, deep, trapezoidal grille opening bolding bisected by a body-color horizontal bar with a large, chrome Toyota World-T badge at its center. A pseudo-skid plate wraps up from the bottom, leaving no room for additional lower air intakes. Tubular nacelles supporting the fog lights replace the brake scoops of base and Sport models. None of these changes, fortunately, has affected the RAV4's low coefficient of drag. Alloy wheels have five spokes on Sport, six on Limited. A wide track gives the RAV4 a solid stance visually, while resisting rollovers in emergency maneuvers. The side view is oblong, a mix of boxy and oval, the better to accommodate that third-row seat. The fat, triangular C-pillar with the taillight at its base reminds us of the Subaru Tribeca, a larger, seven-passenger SUV priced a notch or two above the RAV4. An understated indent runs along the bottom of the RAV4's doors, softening the visual impression of bulk. Wheel arches blend smoothly into the fenders. In back, a single-piece rear bumper cradles the swing-open tailgate, which, sadly, still opens from the left side, so you have to walk around it when unloading curbside here in America. The taillights are new for 2009, as is the bumper itself, but the changes here are more subtle than at the front. Taillights are positioned high on the rear fenders. The spare tire bolts into a recess offset to the right in the swing-gate, and doesn't dip below the bumper line. The rear license plate, sunk into the lower left side of the swing-gate below the handle, visually balances the spare. The Sport model's spoiler hangs conspicuously off the top edge of the roof. The new Sport Appearance Package for 2009 eliminates the spare entirely, and centers the license plate up high beneath a bright metal strip that's just beneath another World-T badge that is just under the window. A bulge low down on the tailgate fills in the step in the standard bumper when the tailgate is closed. A handle on the left side still betrays the gate's swing-open design, but in spite of this the overall look with the Sport Appearance Package is remarkably more car-like, more station wagon than SUV.
|
