After celebrating the Toyota’s RAV4’s 20th birthday, our columnist remembers the Suzuki X-90 and asks, will there ever be another small off-roader?
Earlier this year, I highlighted the fact that the 2014 Geneva Motor Show marked 20 years since the pioneering Toyota RAV4 was launched to an unsuspecting 4×4 world. I was hoping that Toyota would mark this major landmark in some suitable way and indeed it has, as you will see on p52.
Toyota thought it fitting to invite journalists from all over the world to join a Toyota RAV4 adventure in the Greek mountains. We had a great time trundling up the steep, rocky mountain tracks and haring around fast gravel stages that formed part of the WRC Rally earlier this year. You can read all about it in the feature. We didn’t take part in any serious off-roading as, let’s face it, the modern RAV isn’t an off-road machine any more. It was good, however, to clap eyes once again on the original RAV three-door (pictured below right), with its independent suspension and permanent four-wheel drive, and reminisce about the old days when the little compact SUV was a mighty fine little off-roader that also offered a very pleasing on-road drive. It was a reminder of times past and how the world once was. How the 4×4 market has changed! Indeed, the term ‘SUV’ is really no longer synonymous with off-roading and 4x4s, at least not in any meaningful sense.
The new Nissan X-Trail will be in UK showrooms from July. The model, which will be available in both two and four-wheel drive and in the familiar Nissan trim levels of Visia, Acenta, n-tec and Tekna. We have commented before on the fact that the new X-Trail is a significant departure in looks from the present version, which has a good following from enthusiasts, including this magazine. The latest version looks like a Qashqai to us, although we have yet to see it in the metal. It is also sad, perhaps, to comment that Nissan expect the biggest selling version to be the 2WD Visia model. Prices for the remaining models start at £24,795 for the Acenta, the n-tec starts at £27,295 and the top of the range Tekna which is a hefty £29,295. The 4×4 models are also available with the XTRONIC CVT transmission, while the other 4WD models have the latest version of the familiar ALL MODE 4×4-I system. Every model in the range is available with the seven-seater option; the extra row of seats adding £700 to the price.
China was the venue for the unveiling of the revised Volkswagen Touareg. The new front end has larger headlamps, which are now bi-xenon across the whole range, not just the top end. There’s a deeper new radiator grille and re-profiled bumper, giving the vehicle a ‘wider’ appearance. A new wheel design and new paint range complete the redesign. Lower resistance tyres have been fitted, with stop/start and a battery regeneration system fitted to aid economy, which has increased and emissions, which are reduced. The entry level 3.0-litre V6 TDI remains as before, while the 242bhp version has been increased to 255bhp. The V8 and Hybrid versions will no longer be available in the UK. Orders for the new models in the UK start in August with deliveries expected by November.
It will be a pub trivia question soon to ask which manufacturer doesn’t have an SUV in their model range. The latest to announce that it will join the party is SEAT. The Spanish company says that the compact SUV is already under development at the Martorell facility and it is due to be launched in 2016. This particular segment of the market is presently estimated to be over one million vehicles in Europe alone, so in many cases it is just that a manufacturer cannot afford to ignore the SUV area. Of course, you do wonder how this will turn out, and just what the difference will be. SEAT is part of the VW Group, as is Skoda, who build one of the best compact SUVs on the market with the Yeti. Given also that the Yeti has now been able to build itself an excellent reputation, plus it’s been a Class winner in our 4×4 Of The Year competition for the last two years. The SEAT will have to go some to beat that.
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