When Toyota's latest generation RAV4 was first launched, it was pretty clear which of the engines available was the one to have. The marque's 2.2-litre 177bhp D-4D diesel had the firepower to take on and beat premium German rivals: the only problem was that, offered in single highly specified T180 flagship guise, it also had a £27,000 pricetag to match.

Toyota were quick to point out that such a price represented a useful saving on an equivalently specified BMW X3 or Land Rover Freelander2 - and they were right. Even so, it quickly became clear after a few months on the market that this kind of money was more than customers were accustomed to paying for a RAV4.

Hence the importance of the introduction of the SR180 model we look at here, a car offering the now deleted T180's same powerful engine but at an affordable £23,045 pricetag. At this figure, it may no longer be the flagship model of the range (the XT5 variants now sit in that place) but it's almost certainly the version to have. True, if ultimate power isn't a consideration, your Toyota dealer will sell you a leather-trimmed XT4 version of the RAV4 for around the same price with slightly more equipment than the SR180 offers: but you'll have to accept 'just' 136bhp from its 2.2-litre D-D4 diesel.

We'd opt for the 177bhp unit every time. After all, it isn't as if the SR180's poorly equipped. You get 18-inch alloy wheels with runflat tyre technology, extended wheelarches, darkened headlamps, climate-controlled air conditioning, cruise control, a driver's knee airbag, privacy glass and a sunroof. If you want more, there's the option of various packs that, at reasonably affordable prices, give you things like leather trim, satellite navigation and rear parking sensors.

Even if you don't stretch to these extra packs, the standard SR180's specification gives it key equipment advantages over obvious rivals costing around the same. In a pricier Volkswagen Tiguan TDI 170 Sport for example, you'd do without climate controlled air conditioning and cruise control. Land Rover Freelander TD4 GS buyers must do without privacy glass and a sunroof. And if you go for a Ford Kuga Titanium or a Honda CR-V i-CTDi ES, there are no knee airbags and that sunroof is missing again. None of these cars can come close to this RAV4's 177bhp output, so it comes as no surprise than none can match the 410Nm of torque it serves up, pulling power that will be crucial to potential owners with towing duties in mind.

"Buyers in this sector need to consider the RAV4 SR180's merits very seriously"

On the move, somewhat oddly, it doesn't feel as quick as you'd imagine, the onset of the turbocharger being gradual and progressive. The RAV4 SR180 is one of those vehicles which is often travelling a whole lot faster than you realise. It's also one of the few compact 4x4s that you'd choose to throw down a twisty road just for the fun of it. The electric power steering, so often a byword for anaesthetised response, weights up nicely the harder you put the RAV4 into a bend. The light weight of the diesel engine means that turn-in is excellent and front end grip, even on looser surfaces, is almost beyond reproach. It's an impressive ride and handling package.

Safety is another area where this car excels with no fewer than nine airbags as standard, including the aforementioned driver's knee airbag. The Interactive Drive System is a really smart piece of technology, marrying intelligent four-wheel drive to the VSC+ stability control and the EPS electric power steering. Brake with one side of the car on a slippery surface, such as a dirt verge, and the other on tarmac and in most cars you'd have to apply some carefully judged opposite lock with the steering to stay travelling straight ahead. With the RAV4, the Interactive Drive System computers recognise what's going on and apply a compensating torque to the steering system. Toyota's engineers are at pains to stress that the car doesn't steer for you: it merely assists in the task of staying in control.

Back to the engine. It's a high-tech unit, of all-aluminium construction with, as we've said, a 2.2-litre displacement. The light weight helps keep the front end of the RAV4 agile and also assists in Toyota's goals of low emissions and decent fuel economy for this model. Acceleration is punchy, the RAV hitting 60mph in 9 seconds and only topping out at 120mph. Drive a little less manically and you should average around 40mpg which, somewhat remarkably, is better than the old 114bhp D4-D diesel that powered this car's predecessor. The gearing is a little odd, perhaps as a sop to city or off-road driving, with the first couple of ratios being set very low with a relatively tall third gear. This means that unless you rev the engine hard in second gear, it's easy to rather lazily fall off the bottom of the engine's useful response when you slot third. Otherwise there's not a whole lot wrong with the six-speed transmission.

There are a couple of curiosities about this model that were never satisfactorily explained away. This powerplant is well suited to light off road duties but Toyota's Hill Descent Control is only offered on models with an automatic gearbox and, you've guessed it, the RAV4 SR180 doesn't have an auto option. The sideways opening rear hatch will also make loading in tight car parks rather tricky and there's no separately opening rear window option offered. Some of the plastics inside, most notably the map compartment door, aren't what you'd expect in a car that targets premium buyers either.

Rear seats that fold flat to the floor with one pull of a lever are one reason why the RAV4's load capacity has risen so dramatically with the latest generation model and it also helps that the rear seats can be slid backwards and forwards over a range of 165mm, optimising either luggage space or rear passenger leg room. The seat folding action is particularly slick. Whereas some rivals may also claim flat folding rear seats, the reality is that you will often have to spend time dismantling the head restraints or risk a hernia from flipping seat bases up before the operation can be completed. There's none of that palaver in the RAV4, a one-handed operation seeing the seat vanish flush with the load bay floor beneath which is a handy stowage area.

Overall, the SR180 is the RAV4 variant we should have had from this model's launch. Now that it's here, buyers in the £20,000-£25,000 sector searching for this type of car need to consider its merits very seriously.

TOP 1 RAV4 DEALS

The results below show the top RAV4 deals on buyacar

	Toyota RAV4 2.2 D-4D SR180 5dr Off Road
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,223	Price £20,817