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Toyota Rav 4 Fails The Famous Moose Test

The Toyota Rav4 has always been a favourite out of a sea of similar looking and performing SUVs. It’s fast enough but its exterior styling and interior tech makes it a good alternative to the many competitors out there. But there’s one thing it couldn’t quite master, and that’s the Swedish Moose Test.

The test simulates the scenario of having to manoeuvre a car quickly around an obstacle. It measures the car’s ability to change direction, shift weight, and things like ABS and ESC. It turns out  the Japanese SUV isn’t so good at it.

It could reach a top speed of 42mph in the test, and exhibited “dangerous behaviour” on the twisty cone course. The tester also said that “the electronic stability control system engaged very late” on both the petrol and hybrid versions of the car which were loaded to the manufacturer’s maximum weight limit. Under weight transfer, it would often hop onto two wheels lowering stability and grip.

“Toyota RAV4 has quick front end reactions when we turn left into the lane,” says the tester Teknikens Varld. “When we turn right it cuts in and the car goes up on two wheels… Toyota has once again released a product on the market that fails to perform safely through the moose test.”

As shown in the video, the Toyota Hilux had similar issues, almost flipping on one of the tests.

Toyota Rav 4 Fails The Famous Moose Test

 

Toyota were keen to reply:

“At Toyota, the safety of our customers is our number one priority, and to ensure their security, we apply strict safety tests during the development of all our products. Our internal tests fully meet the global standards for obstacle avoidance, and since 2016, we have updated our processes to also reflect the procedures used by Teknikens Varld.

“During its development stage, RAV4 successfully passed all internal tests, including the ISO 3888-2 and the Teknikens Varld Elk test. We give our assurance to all Toyota customers that they can be confident in the safety of their vehicles.”

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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One Comment

  1. We just rented a rav 4 found it unstable I thought it could be tires not actual vehicale fail firestone’s were on it interesting to know if that makes the difference

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