Facelifted Toyota RAV4 here in December

HIGH-SPEC Cruiser variants of the Toyota RAV4 medium SUV will be loaded with extra standard safety kit when the facelifted model arrives in Australian showrooms this December.

Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and front parking sensors will be added to the blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and automatic high-beam already standard on Cruiser variants.

The technology package will also be optional on mid-spec GXL variants and all facelifted RAV4 variants will come with standard trailer sway control.

GXL and Cruiser variants will also gain a new instrument panel with a 4.2-inch colour multi-function display between the dials.

Changes under the skin will include a stiffer rear body shell section plus recalibrated shock absorbers and springs claimed to provide a “flatter, more comfortable ride” while improving straight-line stability, Euro 5 emissions-compliant engines and insulation improvements to reduce road, tyre and exhaust noise.

Styling updates revealed at the New York motor show in April will also be applied, comprising reshaped LED headlights with daytime running lights, tweaked LED tail-light clusters and redesigned bumpers with larger lower air intake.

Australian RAV4 sales hit a record 18,160 units last year, while this year’s tally of 12,119 units to the end of August is 1.3 per cent up on the same period in 2014.

The RAV4 is Australia’s second most popular medium SUV so far this year after the Mazda CX-5 (16,692 and 14.7 per cent up) and just ahead of the Nissan X-Trail (11,566 and up 42.7 per cent).