2020 Toyota RAV4 now open for booking in Malaysia – CBU Japan; RM204k for 2.0L CVT, RM224k for 2.5L 8AT - Latest Car News, Bike news & Reviews, Auto News

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has announced pricing for the 2020 Toyota RAV4, which will be launched on June 18. As revealed in a leaked brochure we reported on earlier in the day, two variants of the SUV will be offered, including the base 2.0L and 2.5L.

The former retails at RM203,880 on-the-road without insurance, while the 2.5L variant goes for RM223,880 – both prices are inclusive of a five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty. The company says order taking will begin from today (June 10), but there’s more to add.

The prices mentioned above are inclusive of sales and services tax (SST), which as the government has made clear previously, will be removed for CKD cars or lessened for CBU cars from June 15. As such, the RAV4’s prices will be revised to reflect this, with the both variants set to carry an estimated price of RM196,500 (2.0L) and RM215,700 (2.5L), respectively.

With the pricing out of the way, let’s talk specifications. The RAV4 rides on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform – like the C-HR and Camry – and will be available with two Dynamic Force engines corresponding to the variants.

Under the bonnet, the base 2.0L variant gets a M20A-FKS 2.0 litre four-cylinder with 173 PS and 207 Nm of torque, paired with a CVT, while the 2.5L variant is powered by a larger A25A-FKS 2.5 four-pot that provides 207 PS and 243 Nm, with a Direct Shift eight-speed automatic instead.

The Toyota Safety Sense suite of safety and driver assistance systems will be present as well, and includes Pre-collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert with steering correction and Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), all-speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) and Automatic High Beam (AHB).

For the rest of the kit list, the leaked brochure states both variants are equipped identically, with standard items like 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlamps with LED DRLs, LED taillights, automatic wipers, front and rear fog lamps, and a powered tailgate with hands-free operation.

Inside, you get an Optitron instrument cluster with a seven-inch multi-info display, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, leather upholstery, an eight-way powered driver’s seat with memory function, keyless entry and start, front and rear digital video recorders, along with a wireless charger.

For entertainment, there is a seven-inch touchscreen head unit that comes with support for Android Auto and Apply CarPlay, as well as a six-speaker sound system. The unit’s screen size is smaller than what is fitted to our local Corolla, Fortuner and Innova, and is fitted within a rather large housing so it stands out quite a bit.

Other features include a spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), ABS, hill start assist, front and rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system, seven airbags (front, side, curtain and driver’s knee), Isofix child seat anchors, and a seat belt warning system for the front seats.

The RAV4 also gets a Vehicle Telematics System (VTS) that allows owners to check their vehicle’s real-time location via a mobile app, which is also available for the Corolla, and requires drivers to subscribe to the service. Buyers will have six exterior colours to choose from – Dark Blue Mica, Red Mica, Silver Metallic, Grey Metallic, Attitude Black and White Pearl Crystal Shine, the last option will set you back an additional RM800.

With pricing now revealed, how does the RAV4 stack up against rivals like the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5? Well, the most expensive version of the CR-V is the 1.5 TC-P 2WD that goes for RM175,900, whereas the range-topper for the CX-5 is the turbocharged 2.5 4WD High at RM181,660.40.

The RAV4 clearly commands a premium over both models, even with its imminent SST-exempted pricing, although it is a CBU model from Japan compared to the Honda and Mazda SUVs that are locally assembled. Even so, it does seem to come with a rather rich feature set, but is that enough to attract your attention? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

GALLERY: 2020 Toyota RAV4 Malaysian brochure leak