Toyota Rav4 Icon 2.2 D-4D

LAST February I spent a week tip-toing around in a £70,000 Porsche Carrera running on summer tyres as the country was gripped by sub-zero temperatures and two feet of snow.

Toyota Rav4 Icon 2.2 D-4D

Engine: 2,231cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel

Power: 147bhp and 251lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds and 118mph

Economy: 49.6mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 149g/km

Price: £26,495

I’ve spent numerous road tests of convertible cars avoiding torrential rain and I once completed a 2,000-mile tour of France — including a lap of Monaco harbour — in a 1.4-litre Renault Clio.

Truth told, I usually road test the cars that people want to read about without paying much regard to the weather or my personal commitments.

Amazingly, Toyota’s fourth iteration of the RAV4 landed at Advertiser HQ with a prime opportunity to shine.

Once upon a time the RAV4 could have come in three-door short-wheelbase guise, but now Toyota have now committed wholly to their SUV being full-fat family transport.

A full 205mm longer than its predeccessor, with a 100mm longer wheelbase, the 2013 RAV4 is a world away from the compact 4x4 that Toyota first spawned in 1994.

For my planned trip up to Peebles, in the Scottish borders, it was ideal.

A massive 547-litre boot swallowed weekend luggage for three and a travel cot, baby walker and inordinately huge high chair without compromising the cabin space or the driving position which Toyota claim is more comfortable than ever before.

With over 3cm more steering wheel reach and the same additional scope in driver’s seat height adjustment it immediately proved to be the case and on a journey like the one we had planned, l comfort would be king.

Our youngster might be too young to crow “are we there yet” from the back seat, but I anticipated stress.

Each time I get into a Toyota I’m surprised at just how close the build quality and materials feel to the Japanese giant’s premium brand, Lexus, and it is no different here.

Slim-backed seats optimise rear leg room and offer great natural lumbar support.

The dash is divided into two levels, the lower portion clad in faux-leather.

Touches of matte silver and carbon fibre-effect trim are nicely judged too, while blue back-lighting throughout adds a classy feel.

I was not such a fan of the RAV4’s new exterior design. While clearly communicating the brand’s new style and exuding a dose of big car presence, I found it overly wedgy with an awkward front overhang and slabby rump.

That large rump did raise electronically on my mid-range ‘Icon’ spec RAV4, though — a godsend when loading or unloading with armfuls of luggage.

Prices for the new RAV4 start at £22,595 for the two-wheel-drive, Active.

The Icon version seen here is the mid-range point. Coming in at £26,495 with four-wheel-drive, a manual gearbox and Toyota’s larger 2.2-litre D-4D turbodiesel engine.

Standard on all RAV4’s are 17-inch alloys, air conditioning, Bluetooth, electric windows front and rear, rear privacy glass and front fog lights.

Icon spec adds the powered boot, cruise control, folding door mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing headlamps, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, part-leather instrument panel trim and dual-zone air conditioning, along with the intuitive Toyota Touch multimedia touchscreen system which comes with a DAB radio and rear-view camera.

The reversing camera is a welcome addition, but the RAV4’s turning circle of a hair’s breadth over ten metres means manoeuvring is not as difficult as its dimensions might have you believe.

Dynamically, Toyota claim to have made improvements that will be welcome to a keen driver.

Central to this is four-wheel-drive equipped RAV4s is Integrated Dynamic Drive system which co-ordinates control of RAV4’s new Dynamic Torque Control four-wheel-drive, stability control and electric power steering to improve performance, handling and safety.

Working in conjunction with a Sport setting and responding to a series of sensors the system ensures that between zero and 50 per cent of torque can be transferred to the rear wheels to maximise traction or the vehicle’s trajectory through a corner.

In practice I found the RAV4 would slip into understeer in faster corners, but a less ambitious corner entry speed allowed the system to respond under a steady throttle and produce a more balanced cornering stance as the power shifted palpably rearward.

Overall progress was impressive for its refinement and the 148bhp engine (and 251lb.ft. of torque) provided decent pace. Even with a fully laden boot the RAV4 delivered strong acceleration and Toyota claim a 9.6 second sprint to 62mph and 118mph top speed.

More impressive was the trip computer’s recorded average fuel consumption of 50mpg. Not the most accurate indicator of real-world economy, perhaps, but encouraging considering Toyota’s claims of 49.6mpg and 149g/km CO2 emissions.

Going head-to-head with the Honda CR-V, the RAV4 serves up greater space than the likes of Volkswagen’s Tiguan or Kia Sportage for similar money and an appealing dose of brand confidence.

While not the most attractive of its breed, its all-round ability is on a different planet to that offered up by that original RAV4 of the mid-90s.

If I wanted to play it safe and fulfil  all my personal commitments in straightforward fashion every week...I’d probably test one every week.