The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 appears to be set for entry into the Malaysian market, as indicated by a teaser on the Toyota Malaysia website. Clicking the link leads to a ‘page not available’ error; webpage glitch regardless, it appears that the first steps for the RAV4’s Malaysian debut are in motion.
The XA50 RAV4 made its debut at the 2018 New York International Auto Show with a pair of 2.5 litre Dynamic Force petrol engines, while other markets such as Australia and the United Kingdom additionally receive the 2.0 litre engine option, with either manual or automatic transmissions. It is still early days for determining what the Malaysian market will find under the bonnet, though the 2.0 litre unit could be a safe bet.
In overseas markets, the RAV4 has been pitched against the likes of the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5, which are contenders within the same segment. In Malaysia however, the smaller C-HR is priced at RM150,000, compared to the CR-V at RM151,100 in base 2.0 2WD and the CX-5 at RM137,269 in 2.0 Mid Skyactiv-G 2WD forms, respectively, so we can expect the larger RAV4 to be priced above this range.
At the other end of the power output scale is the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, which mates the 2.5 litre Atkinson-cycle engine with more powerful electric motors for a total system output of 302 hp. Might this figure into Toyota Malaysia’s plan for the RAV4 in this country? Time will tell.
The latest model, codenamed XA50 joins the Camry and C-HR in adopting the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), and featuring multi-link rear suspension, which has been claimed to offer better ride and handling as well as improved noise, vibrations and harshness (NVH) performance.
The Japanese SUV clicked into the 10 million-unit sales milestone in April, and collected the 2019-2020 Japan Car of The Year award last December, beating the Mazda 3 and BMW 3 Series to the top spot.
GALLERY: Fifth-generation Toyota RAV4
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