Toyota launched the RAV4 Giant in July of 1999, ‘Giant’ referring to a link up with the mountain bike maker. (You’ll find their logo on the wheel hubs and elsewhere.)
This limited edition could be identified by the chunky lower body mouldings with extended wheel arches – boasting 17-inch wheels with ABS beneath – and integral driving lamps up front.
Inside, the RAV’s seats sported quite a jazzy – and very Nineties – cloth trim, and the occupants could enjoy both a sunroof and/or air conditioning.
All the qualities the little 4x4 had when new, it still retains; sure-footed (variable) all-wheel drive, nimble handling, a practical folding rear seat interior and decent fuel economy.
It’s a two-owner car, and a very straight, unmessed about with example.
What’s more; Japanese, and especially Toyota 4x4s – and not just big sister Land Cruiser Amazon – have a strong and growing following.
Well, you could say there is just as much as there needs to be. This is a two-owner car, the first having kept it for 20 years. It has been driven, one feels, fairly sympathetically and has needed no major work or interventions.
Its service book has been meticulously stamped 24 times, with the car being looked after largely by the same two garages.
It had a cam-belt service some 6,000 miles ago. The present (equally enthusiastic and diligent) owner assures that it will have a fluids service before it is sold.
Limited edition flared wheel arches and body panels
Corrosion free
Though the RAV is quite a capable 4x4, there’s nothing to suggest as you look around it that it has ever been off road.
All the steel panels are very straight, as is the thick-set plastic trim – the joins from one to the other are a tight fit and the front and rear bumpers remain parallel to the metal. (There is a small crack to the lower front bumper near the grill on the near side.)
The bright red paint work presents well, retaining a good gloss, though there is a little fading here and there, and there are some small areas around the door mirrors where the lacquer is lifting.
The colour-coded red bars in the side panels are largely very good, though the paint has pealed in a couple of places. The coated black window frames remain a nice feature – no ‘bronzing’ or rust bubbling up from beneath, and the black highlights remain a nice contrast.
As already mentioned, the seat cloth is a little jazzier than the norm – after all, this was a limited edition.
The material, repeated in the door panels, retains all of its pattern and colour and remains in very good condition back and front, showing no tears or fading, save for perhaps a slight shining on the outer bolsters.
The rear seats fold down quite easily but show no signs of wear from either movement or being used as a luggage platform. Carpets, mats and headlining are clean and neat, while interior plastics have held up well to years of use.
All the switchgear is very much intact and in full working order and all controls remain easily identifiable by their printed symbols, which tells you in itself how they’ve been handled.
The gear knob and steering wheel too are scratch and fade free. (You may see a few rain drops in the pictures.)
Perhaps the biggest fault you’ll find is the three screw holes on the passenger side of the centre console where a mobile phone mounting was attached (there’s an antenna mount on the rear window).
The door panels feature some quite chunky panels and a ‘buttoned’ effect panel. Again, all are in good shape and pretty robust.
The RAV’s engine looks a little weathered, but closer inspection suggested that all the components are in excellent shape, and pretty clean.
There are no signs of leaks and only light oxidation/corrosion on some covers around the motor. Hoses and leads look a little dusty but in good condition, while the wiring and electrical components appear very sound. The underside of the bonnet looks very solid – no rust – but perhaps a bit dirty in places.
Moving underneath the truck, the edges of the plastic body mouldings remain very tidy – no major scuffs and cracks – and again, there is no evidence of going off-road (or even onto a grass verge).
There are no dents in the structures, and while there is surface rust on both the underside and (perhaps especially) on suspension components, everything appears robust and very much in working order. T
he chunky 17-in alloys (yes, more chunkiness) are in good shape with only a slight amount of oxidation around the centres, and are well shod on pretty new-looking tyres.
This small truck is ready to go and drive all day every day – in typical Toyota fashion – and could easily just be absorbed into the ranks of second and third cars, but really it deserves more attention than that. It’s cheeky and fun, and it’s a sturdy and well-fettled example of Toyota’s first-gen RAV and feels so much more nimble and lighter than the latest generation of stolid ‘small’ 4x4s.
A touch-up and detailing might be in order, and maybe a fresh undersealing before the next round of winters, and it will be very much ready for its next adventure.
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