Test Drives 1997-toyota-rav4a

Published on January 23rd, 2019 | by BajaBusta

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1997 Toyota RAV4 Test Drive

1997-toyota-rav4b

The Japanese identified an untapped SUV market and rushed in with a variety of new sporty utilities. Among those was Toyota’s RAV4.

Its name stood for Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD.  Already a hit in Japan, the RAV4 went on sale in the U.S in late 1996, first as 3-door model and followed by the companion 5-door.

It was based on the Toyota Celica platform and included such car-like features as unibody construction, 4-wheel independent suspension, and an interior with dual air bags, seats for four adults, and a split folding rear seat.  From the SUV realm it bought standar permanently engaged 4WD, 8.3 inches of ground clearance, and short front and rear body overhangs.

The engine was a 120-horsepower 2.0 liter 4-cylinder that mated to a 5-speed manual transmission or optional 4-speed automatic.

with a wheelbase of 86.6 inches and overall length of 145.5 inches, the RAV4 was nearly identical in size to the 2-door GEO Tracker.  However, while Tracker and similar vehicles were basically small 4WD trucks, the RAV4 was clearly more car-like.



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