Soft-roaders: How the SUV trend started with a tree frog
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Fun and refined, the first-generation Toyota RAV4 set the template for the modern soft-roader.
PHOTO: TOYOTA
SINGAPORE – The Suzuki eVitara is a soft-roader, the high-riding, urban-friendly breed of sport utility vehicle (SUV) that dominates Singapore’s roads, from the Honda HR-V to BMW X1.
It is a trend that really began with a quirky 1990s Toyota that looked like a tree frog.
Jeep may claim that it invented the compact SUV with the 1984 Cherokee, but it was the 1994 RAV4 that popularised the concept.
Toyota’s genius was realising that most people really do not want to bash dunes; they want a Corolla with a higher driving position and a spare tyre hanging on the tailgate. They want to look sporty and fun, even when doing routine things like going to the supermarket.
In three-door guise, its curvy and pert silhouette looked like a frog ready to leap.
In terms of substance, the RAV4 did without the “body-on-frame” truck chassis favoured by traditional off-roaders. By building the car this way, the RAV4 felt lighter and more alert.
The suspension and transmission were developed from the Celica GT-Four, which was a sports car, rather than something like the Land Cruiser. Without the bulky selectable transfer case for hardcore off-road use, the cabin was also more spacious.
Toyota even offered a front-wheel-drive version of the car, casually disregarding the fact that the “Recreation Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive” would be missing a key feature. But the truth was that the front-wheel drive was better for fuel economy, even if it limited how far the RAV4 could venture beyond paved roads.
The Honda CR-V from 1995 had a practical cabin and drove more like a Civic saloon than a truck.
PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
A slew of copycats naturally followed. Honda jumped in with the CR-V in 1995, which included a picnic table hidden under the boot floor.
Even the ultimate off-roading brand gave in: Land Rover launched the Freelander in 1997 without its traditional heavy-duty selectable transfer case for off-roading. Years later, Range Rover offered a front-wheel-drive Evoque.
The high-riding form of the soft-roader works perfectly in today’s electric age. Packing the bulky batteries into a flat “skateboard” chassis under the cabin inevitably pushes the cabin floor upwards. Adopting a tall soft-roader design is the easiest way to give passengers decent headroom.
Toyota was again ahead of the game when it built a small number of electric RAV4s in 1997. The car had a modest 50kW motor which drew from a 27kWh nickel metal hydride battery. It took five hours of charging to deliver less than 200km of operating range. After production ended in 2003, the idea of an electric RAV4 was revived in 2012 using Tesla-supplied running gear.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser is twinned with the Suzuki eVitara.
PHOTO: TOYOTA
Toyota continues to show it is keen on collaborations today, including partnering Suzuki to develop and build its Urban Cruiser, which is closely related to the eVitara.
