IF YOU are not a fan of ‘soft’ SUVs, you can probably blame the Toyota RAV4. Since its inception in 1994, it has sold like hotcakes – to the tune of more than 8.5 million units globally. Now that is a serious result come 2019!

Its popularity has now reached the point that it is world’s best-selling SUV, with more than 800,000 examples sold last year. Mazda’s CX-5 might rule the roost in Australia, but the RAV4 has things on its own terms on a much larger scale.

Needless to say, when a new-generation RAV4 launches, it’s a big deal. And with the mid-sizer shifting to Toyota’s highly regarded TNGA platform, it can only mean good things are in store, right?

We’ve put it to test to make sure.