I just got the new car and driver and in it they have an article about the new Toyota RAV4

The '05 RAV4 car with only a 4cyl., the new '06 RAV 4 comes with a 269HP 3.5L V6!!!!

Granted it grew a lot, it is now the size of an Equinox, but the RAV4 did 0-60 in 6.3 sec. and still beat out the 'nox with 20/27mpg (Torrent AWD has 18/23mpg and 185HP )

I can't beleive they used their big V6 in the once tiny RAV4. Maybe GM should start making all platform to use the LS4. On reason I like the new Impala is that they beat out the competition in terms of HP and torque with a V8 that gets 28mpg and has that nice V8 Rumble.

Imagine if you could get the Pontiac Torrent with a 303HP LS4 and 25mpg, GM need to look out for this new Toyota 3.5L V6.

...To be fair the RAV4 tested cost a boat load of money for a "cute'ute" , it was $28,000 Looks like it has jumped into the Highlanders market segment, it is no longer a small SUV.

 

Hmmm interesting. When will the insanity end? When the Cobalt comes 500HP, the Equinox has 600Hp, and the Vette has 1500?

I agree that at least the Torrent should come with something better than the 3400, like the 3.9L or the HF 3.6L. Even the 3.5L would have been better.

 

the reason that the ravs been moved upmarket is that highlanders are supposedly going all hybrid, and toyota wanted an alternative in the market.

 

Is the new rav still on a corolla chassis? Seems like it wouldn't be due to the big size increase.

That 3.5 (and other displacement) GR series is a sweet motor and fixes the one thing I think Toyota/Lexus models were weak in - V6 power trains. (the old 3.0/3.3 was getting very long in the tooth). They shoulda just killed it and put the direct injection 3.5 from the IS350 into that Rav4... 306 horsies.

 

They did, the 269HP 3.5L is the direct injection, just tuned a little more conservative.

Torque is 246ft-lb. @ 4700rpm on this engine so it probably doesn't feel too much different from a HV 3.5L or 5 cyl. 3.5L under 3000rpm.

 

Interesting... what did they tune so conservatively as to lose 37 horses??

I think the Avalon's 3.5 is making 280 without direct injection...?

 

Avalon is 268HP and DOES have Direct injection

The IS has a compression ratio of 11.8:1 the Toyota Avalon and RAV4 have a compression ratio of 10.8:1

by comparison GM has most they 3.5L engine set more mildly at 9.8:1 for the HV 3.5L and 10.0:1 for the 5 cyl. and 10.2:1 in the 255HP 3.6L DOHC V6

It would be interesting to see what GM's DOHC V6 could do at 11.8:1 compression.

 

I though the Toyota V6 lost like 30 HP in the new rating system?

 

Right. The Avalon and RAV4 V6s are the same. The only difference is the platform. Cars measured with the new SAE rating system have slightly different ratings in each platform. So the RAV4 has 1 more hp and 2 fewer torque.

The IS350 V6 is a higher performance model. I wonder if direct injection is possible with OHV engines? I suppose it should be, but if not, that will probably finally mark the end of the OHV.

Hopefully GM will have DI for their gas engines soon.

 

Only 12. That new Toyota V6 is very impressive, at least by its power and EPA mileage numbers. It's going to be in the new Camry also. Both the Avalon and the RAV4 are 14 second cars. And they lead their segments in fuel economy too. The IS350 outpowers the G35 (and leaves the CTS 3.6 and most of the other competition for that matter), yet it has a 20/28 (or is it 21/28) EPA rating.

 

Impressive. That Rav looks like a heck of a deal if you're looking for an SUV that's not a fat ***, isn't very expensive (generally speaking), and actually has something to offer when you hit the gas.

What a concept!

 

GM needs direct injection as soon as they can. Does anyone know if the Gen IV V8s are going to get direct injection? With More power and better milage I'd expect most companies to jump on this as fast as they can.


I don't know, $28K is still a lot of money for a RAV4, there is a lot of competition from roomier competators at that price.

 

RAV4 looks like a really good overall vehicle.

It brings to light an automotive phenomenon that, while not new, never ceases to amuse me.

Basically, vehicles get bigger and roomier (and heavier) each time they are redesigned, in order to offer the advantages of seating space/comfort and cargo space vs. their competitors.

So vehicles that started out as compacts morph into midsizes over the years, and then lo and behold, their is a gap at the low end that must be filled.

The RAV4 and CRV (and Vue, Escape, etc.) started out as small, compact car sized/based 4 cylinder SUVs that give some SUV advantages without resorting to the big midsize or fullsize SUVs. But they keep getting bigger and bigger, and so I imagine another "cute ute" (which a nearly $30k, 7 seater RAV4 would not be) will probably fill its place. Remember the old S10 based Blazer and Jimmy? They, along with the Explorer, grew into midsizes (they used to be called compact SUVs, with the alternatives being full sizers). Now we have the TB and Envoy, which left room for the "compact" Equinox (which is actually considerably larger than the cute utes, much like the RAV4).

No point to this, really. I just find it interesting.

As for the RAV4 getting the big V6, that ought to be the death of the 3400 in the Equinox/Torrent, or at least relegate them to base engine status. In reality, the 185 hp is PLENTY for that style of vehicle (honestly, does the average RAV4 driver need/want to go to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds?!). I've never felt that the Equinox is slow for daily driving, but it is slow compared to the 250 hp Vue or the new RAV4 V6. The 3900 would bring it into the same ballpark, but I hope it is able to do even better than the 3400 on fuel economy. The 3400 is aided, at least in terms of its performance, by the five speed auto in the Equinox/Torrent. If the 3900 should come with a 4 speed, it will be a bit slower than the RAV4, and will probably not equal the RAV4s fuel economy either.

 

One of direct injection's primary benefits is to allow CR to safely be run higher.

So unless those GM motors are using direct injection, the answer 'blow up' comes to mind.

 

At a lower octane too? even 10.8 is high in the Toyotas, that is usually 91 octane territory.