Toyota ups RAV4 diesel tow capacity

Toyota Australia will increase the towing capacity of its fast-selling RAV4 diesel from July production following criticism of its meagre 550kg rating.

However, the first oil-burning RAV4’s tow capacity will rise only to 1000kg, falling short of popular mid-size diesel SUVs like the Mazda CX-5, all versions of which can tow up to 1800kg with a braked trailer (750kg unbraked).

Ford’s new Kuga can tow up to 750kg/1500kg in both AWD diesel and 2WD petrol manual form, while some versions of the Nissan X-TRAIL can tow up to 750kg/2000kg.

As we reported when the latest RAV4 was launched in February the torquey new 2.2-litre RAV4 turbo-diesel has the lowest towing capacity of any model in the range – 500kg for manual models and 550kg for automatics.

At the time, Toyota said Australia’s categorisation as a hot-climate market saw the RAV4 diesel’s towing capacity limited here to the same figure as the Yaris light-car, which can tow up to 900kg with trailer brakes.

The RAV4 diesel is rated to tow up to 2000kg in Europe, but in Australia its official towing capacity is less than that of both the 2.0- and 2.5-litre petrol models sold here (750 and 1500kg respectively).

Now Toyota says it has rectified that in response to customer demand – despite the fact that sales of the new RAV have exceeded the company’s expectations. The fix, according to the importer, is a software patch to change the thresholds for coolant sensors to kick in.

The RAV4 was Australia’s second best selling sub-$60,000 medium SUV last month and so far this year has attracted 4595 customers – up 1.4 per cent on 2012 figures.

That places it third behind the CX-5 (6284), which recently gained a larger 2.5-litre petrol variant, and Honda’s new CR-V (4737), which is yet to be offered with diesel power, pushing former segment leaders in the Subaru Forester (4592) and X-TRAIL (4381) outside the top three.

In spite of its low towing capacity, Toyota says diesel variants have accounted for almost 30 per cent of the new RAV4’s total sales – up from its long-term forecast of 20 per cent. As with most of its rivals, the diesel RAV is an AWD-only model, and accounts for almost half (46 per cent) of all RAV4 AWD sales.

Toyota is yet to advise what changes were made to Australian-spec RAV4 diesels to allow the increased tow capacity, but expects sales to increase further increase as a result.

“Diesel SUV sales rose 37 per cent last year, so the introduction of the RAV4 turbo-diesel has enabled Toyota to compete for the first time in this growth area of the medium SUV segment," said Toyota Australia Executive Director Sales and Marketing, Tony Cramb.

“Even better, Toyota Motor Corporation has just approved an increase in the RAV4 diesel's official braked towing capacity to 1000kg from July production.

“Our engineers here in Australia have worked closely with their counterparts in Japan to secure this increase. This change can only broaden the RAV4's overall appeal.”

Toyota says dealers were selling a richer model mix than planned, with top-spec Cruiser AWD variants accounting for 19 per cent of sales (almost double the level expected), the mid-range GXL running at almost 40 per cent (about 10 per cent higher than forecast) and the entry-level GX nudging 40 per cent – up from early expectations it would account for at least 60 per cent of total sales.

It says customers have been particularly attracted to the new RAV’s top-hinged tailgate, from which the spare wheel has been relocated to under the cargo floor, as well as its “stylish and contemporary” exterior design and more dynamic driving experience.

While RAV4 pricing opens at $28,490 plus on-road costs for the GX 2WD 2.0-litre petrol manual, diesel prices start at $35,490 –$4080 less than the CX-5 ($39,570) and the same as the Forester, but $300 more than the X-TRAIL ($35,190) and $500 more than the Suzuki Grand Vitara DDiS ($34,990).