Turbodiesel RAV4 a tow slug

It might come as a surprise to most, but the most torquey RAV4 has the lowest towing capacity of any model in the new range.

The newly announced 2.2-litre turbodiesel RAV4 -- the first time an oiler is available on Toyota's compact SUV in Australia -- is capable of towing only 550kg; the same figure certified as the unbraked capacity for Toyota's Yaris, which can tow 900kg if trailer brakes are fitted.

Speaking at the launch of the fourth-generation RAV4, Toyota Australia's executive director of sales and marketing Matthew Callachor, said  that our hot climate was a limiting factor in the model's conservative towing capacity.

"The towing capacity [of the turbodiesel RAV4] is 550kg for the (six-speed) manual and 500kg for the (six-speed) automatic. This is the first time we have offered a diesel in the RAV4, in what's considered to be a harsh environment, so TMC adopted a relatively conservative approach to its towing capacity."

Callachor said market feedback would be a driving factor in any increase in towing capacity for the diesel model, which trails both petrol variants, and indeed European-spec models.

We were then told by another Toyota executive that some Euro variants quote a towing capacity of approximately 2000kg. That spokesperson, who wished to remain unnamed, said he believed cooling issues were behind the unusual decision, though he did not specify if these were related to the engine cooling, intercooler or transmission.

"We need to get feedback from the market segment to see if we can increase this in the future," Callachor said.

Petrol variants of the new RAV4 can tow up to 1500kg with trailer brakes fitted.

The latest version of Toyota’s popular SUV will offer a 110kW/340Nm, 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine alongside two petrol offerings, a 107kW/187Nm, 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 132kW/233Nm, 2.5-litre four-cylinder.

Available in 16 variants including two- or four-wheel drive and three equipment grades, the fourth-generation RAV4 is priced from $28,490 (plus on-road costs) for two-wheel drive (2WD) 2.0-litre petrol manual GX models, rising to $46,490 for the range-topping, 4WD auto Cruiser.

Toyota's RAV4 was the third biggest-selling medium SUV in Australia last year, just trailing Nissan's X-Trail and Mazda's CX-5; both of which in turbodiesel form, boast a maximum 2000kg and 1800kg towing capacity, respectively.