Jeep Liberty test drive since 2007 SUV
Toyota Rav4 and Jeep Liberty Toyota Test
Toyota against Jeep. How do lovers of legendary brand console themselves? It's great that there is diversity in the market. There is something to choose from. To cover the entire cross -over reel, it was decided to take the Toyota Rav4 and Jeep Liberty on the steam test. The first sales leader in Russia, only Hyundai Tuscan can compete with him in popularity. The second in one of the last places according to the results of sales and does not really compete with anyone, just peacefully waits for his buyer. The first fascinated all women in Russia, and the second communicates with men more.
Fluffy and obedient
Due to the fact that in a long line behind Toyota Rav4 a lady’s continuous lady, I was somehow embarrassed to get in a test car. But after literally hundreds of meters drive, awkwardness scattered like a morning fog. Women cannot love a bad car. Ravik is only positive and no other emotions! Even hard plastic, which looks much more pleasant than plastic from Jeep, did not prevent the harmonious decoration of the Toyota salon.
Rav4 is obedient and very predictable on the road. He responds to the movement of the steering wheel clearly, but by no means acute and nervously, as, for example, it does Mitsubishi Outlander XL. The RAV4 suspension also works as well: not allowing the rolls, like the Nissan X-Trail, but also not overwhelming with stiffness, as in Outlander. In every movement, Rav4 brings out lightness, whether you are moving a lying policeman, if you take off to the hill, whether you go to the arc of a turn
You can enjoy such a fluffy car endlessly, and not only on the asphalt, but even having moved to a crossed area, where it is often the ease that serves good help. What I was convinced again, having overcome the snow -covered climb along a strange rut, interspersed with frozen mole hollers. Without even struggling the bottom, Toyota shot upstairs and, elegantly swaying between the pines, stared at the opponent. Jeep Liberty accepted the call and advanced to the original one.
You can't scare the jeep hill Peresia behind the wheel of a jeep, I began to worry about the front bumper. Toyota’s geometric cross -country ability is much better. Yes, and the rear overhang in Jeep is also very limited by the muffler jar. Only neatly nothing will come out into such climbs to climb. Let's go with overclocking, supporting high speeds. The variator growled, then a couple with the engine, and the American crossover rushed along the trail of Japanese. Flapping twice with the front overhang and with difficulty squeezing between the trees, he also stood on top.
A short race, and we can already say a lot about opponents. The American is heavy and pecks with his nose. The Japanese is light and does not hurt. With all this, in a jeep you feel like an SUV, busy with the usual routine work. And Rav4 looks like a car, which suddenly decided on an unexpected feat. But no matter how beautiful the Japanese is, and outside the scope of the dough, the idea to frolic on it in my career would never have arisen. And on this background, Jeep just easily turns all its shortcomings into advantages. Well, almost everything.
Legend drowns in plasticine
When you press the gas pedal in Toyota, nothing but acceleration happens. And the brake pedal is also quite clearly and simply reacts. The steering wheel lends itself with understandable effort, turning the car at the right angle. The suspension works as it should. Now we quickly transplant to Jeep, and it is not possible to go. It seems that under the accelerator, a meter layer of plasticine, and in the hydraulic wrapper, suspension and variator the same substance. In any case, these are the sensations in contrast with the competitor. It remains only to console yourself with an attaching to the legendary brand.
However, we have not finished yet. Ahead is a check of the work of the anti -tug systems of crossovers. Toyota Rav4 hung a wheel and then laughed Jeep Liberty. The Japanese may pass, but I am not ready to storm the soil differences on almost a car. But Jeep rode with a hanged wheel as it should be a jeep. Its electronic assistants really performed their functions on off -road, and on Rav4 electronics was created only for asphalt.
Matter: Toyota Rav4
Matter: Jeep Liberty
Thinking quickly or quickly go? The last test for crossovers were traditional paired starts. We rushed off. While Jeep was catching up with Toyota, I was tormented by the thought: is it worth the efficiency of the Liberty Variator, which is declared by the manufacturer, its stupidity? Should the variator think quickly? This is true. He thinks quickly, instantly drives the tachometer arrow to the red zone. But compared to the opponent, he does not go! RAV4, with its automatic transmission and a motor of volume similarly with Jeep, flies far ahead and waves goodbye to the pen.
Despite the identical design of two crossovers, Toyota is more thought out in all respects both in dynamics and ergonomics. The Jeep driver, who took part in our test, with a tricked smile concluded: you can transfer from Jeep Liberty to Toyota Rav4. But with Toyota on jeep, perhaps only if you really need a good anti -wings system. Or when with money it is so bad that the extra 140150 thousand rubles, which are the difference in the price of an American and the Japanese, cannot be found.
Author: Dmitry Leontyev, photo of Alexander Ortnova-Baranov
A source: Magazine 4x4 [April/2008]
