Some owners might want to deny it, citing the enhanced visibility, the feeling of security or their own inherent need for an off-road vehicle, but image is central to most compact 4x4 purchase decisions. The modern soft-roader does sit you up above other road users and it comes into its own on the two days a year when we get a dusting of snow but most of the time, the benefits it offers over a conventional family hatch are marginal with the exception of one key point. In the eyes of many, 4x4s look cool. If you're routinely seduced by trademark big wheels and chunky frontage of these urban warriors, Toyota's RAV4 XT-R will be right up your street.

Drive a family hatchback and people will assume you're going to work or to the supermarket. Drive a compact 4x4, a vehicle of similar size and equivalent cost, and you could be off surfing, rock climbing or mountain biking. You're probably going the supermarket but it's all about the perception. Despite being ill-equipped to clamber up rocky escarpments or wade through mud in the manner of serious offroaders, compact 4x4s still retain a smidgen of that rough and ready image. They're more interesting and trendy than a bog standard hatch and the Toyota RAV4 XT-R is more interesting and trendy again.

Buyers get a mid-range Toyota RAV4 - that's an XT4 model to those unfamiliar with the Japanese firm's trim hierarchy - with a collection of extras designed to make it look and feel a little bit special. The XT-R features privacy glass which virtually blacks-out the rear windows, front and rear scuff plates and metallic paint. The crux of the XT-R's value proposition centres around its leather trim or lack of it. Where the XT4 base vehicle has leather as standard, the XT-R doesn't but it does have those extras and a lower price. Starting at £20,045, the XT-R is £1,600 cheaper than the XT4 and £600 cheaper if you pay the £1,000 needed to get leather trim.

"The XT-R special edition adds extra value to the RAV4"

Additional specification runs to dual-zone climate control, a refrigerated glovebox, a six-disc CD autochanger, an electric sunroof, heated folding door mirrors, Hill start assist and the Integrated Active Drive System. There are four paint finishes to choose from - Tyrol Silver, Carbon Quartz, Dark Blue metallic and Astral Black - plus two engine options.

Likely to prove most popular is the 134bhp 2.2-litre turbodiesel, an engine that's not shy of muscle and yet, which will average a creditable 42.2mpg. Business users will prick up their ears at the prospect of 177g/km emissions, which mean that they're not about to get a wallop in the wallet when it comes to benefit in kind taxation. Naturally, it's also Euro IV compliant. If you're still not sold on the benefits of the black pump, Toyota also offer a 150bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine with the XT-R RAV4 that can struggle when the car's fully-loaded but features an average 32.1mpg fuel economy figure. Go this route and you also get an automatic gearbox option too.

The latest RAV4 has a lot to live up to. Before Toyota's entry into the market, small 4x4s were rather unlovely items of the 'tumble jeep' persuasion. Show them a corner and they'd show you the sort of low speed aerobatics that would have a Red Arrows pilot reaching for the barf bag. The RAV4 changed all that. With a taut ride and peppy engines here was a car that was designed around the realisation that at least 90% of its life would be spent on-road. Dubbed the GTi of 4x4s, the RAV4 soon became the hot ticket in town. That is until the rest of the market got with the programme and developed some seriously capable rivals like the Honda CR-V and the Land Rover Freelander.

The MK2 version took these contenders on with feeling and the more recent third generation model represents the most radical attack yet of the market's established players. Cute and chunky has been replaced with bold and aggressive. The frontal styling is still recognisably RAV4 but move aft and the new vehicle is a whole lot more angular and a good deal more spacious. There isn't a three-door version, Toyota reasoning that smaller leisure-oriented models weren't making the numbers in the UK market. Break-out the tape measure and you'll find the latest RAV4 is a whopping 145mm longer and a hefty 80mm wider. Couple that with smarter packaging and you end up with a car that's way bigger on the inside, offering some 25 per cent more luggage space. If you're worried that this will make it a nightmare to park, be reassured by the fact that it's still shorter than something like a Honda CR-V or a Land Rover Freelander.

Few people buy RAV4s to take them off-road. It'll manage a muddy lane at a pinch but if you're thinking of undertaking the Camel Trophy, you'll need to rearrange these words into a familiar phrase: tree up wrong the barking. This generation RAV4 runs in front-wheel-drive mode most of the time but when slippage is detected, the car instantly switches to four-wheel-drive mode. A switch can 'lock' the vehicle in all-wheel-drive and there's hill start as well as downhill assist controls but don't expect hardcore features like a low-range transfer box. Horses for courses and all that.

The XT-R special edition adds extra value to the RAV4 and capitalises on that crucial compact 4x4 asset, image. If you're after a well-equipped, good value soft-roader that's more adept than most on the tarmac, this model fits the bill.

TOP 3 RAV4 DEALS

The results below show the top RAV4 deals on buyacar

	Toyota RAV4 2.2 D-4D XT-R 5dr Spec edn Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £322	Saving £1,775	Price £19,515
	Toyota RAV4 2.0 VVT-i XT-R 5dr Auto Spec edn Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £334	Saving £1,754	Price £19,386
	Toyota RAV4 2.0 VVT-i XT-R 5dr Spec edn Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £316	Saving £1,631	Price £18,409

typical 10.14% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000