2019 Toyota RAV4 Update

I wrote about the restyled, fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 crossover SUV here.  My review was somewhat mixed.  That was because Toyota stylists created a drastic personality makeover for the RAV, changing its visual character completely.

That has to do with marketing strategy.  The previous two RAV generations, in production for 12 model years, had created an image that eventually resulted in very strong sales in the USA.  To wipe out that image was a gutsy move that runs the risk of failure: check back in a year or two to evaluate sales data.

However, I need to mention that the third and fourth generation RAVs represented a break from previous RAVs.  Go here to Wikipedia and scroll down to view all RAV4 generations.

The new styling theme is a rugged, outdoorsy, truck-like appearance for a vehicle mostly used to drive to the shopping mall instead of up a dry creek bed.  In the images below, compare the frontal styling to that of the new Toyota Tacoma pickup.

2019 Toyota RAV4

2019 Toyota Tacoma Note the thematic similarity.

In my previous RAV4 post I mentioned: "Now that the 2019s are here, I'm not at all sure I want to buy a new RAV4. That's because of the styling.... To me, the silliest, most unnecessary detail is that black strip which continues the backlight roof overhang to side window outline, running almost arbitrarily across the C-pillar. How did this detail ever get approved? This little joke is a design-killer, so far as I'm concerned. I'll go shopping for a Honda CR-V even though I'll admit that the new RAV4 looks better in the showroom than it does in these photos."

And that's what I recently did.  I test-drove a Honda CR-V and was not pleased.

My main gripe was outside visibility.  The windshield was comparatively narrow, perhaps the result of wind-tunnel testing, so the A-pillars intruded too much for my liking.  Due to that, to a slight degree my forward's vision was through the side windows.  Compounding this was the the limited visibility out the back window.  From the outside, the backlight seems nice and wide.  But a large amount of that is blanked out by sheet metal, resulting in a sort of tunnel view to the rear.  One actually has to sit in a CR-V driver's seat to understand this, but below are a few images that might provide a sense of the problem.

This marketing image shows that the windshield is indeed somewhat narrow and that its setting appears to be sculpted via wind tunnel tests.  Compare to the RAV4 image above.

Another marketing image, this of the instrument panel.  The windshield is largely cropped, but you can see that the A-pillar's base is atop the left side of the instrument panel.

I took this photo of a CR-V in a parking garage.  Note how small the rear window opening is compared to its potential.

The new RAV4 has a nice, panoramic views both fore and aft, as I discovered when test-driving one.  So I bought the car.

And as for that silly black stripe that bothered me so much, I was able to camouflage that by buying a black car.  I know, black shows road grime more than dark gray does, but for fussy me it was worth the bother.  Comparative images are below.

Gallery

Side publicity view of a 2019 RAV4.  Note the black stripe on the C-pillar.

Photo of my car, side view.  That stripe is barely visible.

Rear quarter view the same RAV with a light, bright paint scheme.

Rear quarter view of my car

* * * * *  FOOTNOTE   * * * * *

Shortly before I scheduled this post I spied an SUV with the same kind of C-pallar stipe as the '19 RAV4. It's the Hyundai Kona, first revealed in 2017 as a 2018 model.  Given its timing, I have little doubt that Toyota stylists were aware of this detail when they were designing the RAV.  Shame on them!