In the Beginning
The “term” crossover was virtually unknown when the RAV4 arrived. Until that time, most SUVs were based on truck platforms and brought all manner of ruggedness with it. But ruggedness does not have widespread appeal, especially for those who do little to no off-roading.
What Toyota did with the RAV4 was to turn to its sedans, namely the Corolla, to create this model. Thus, the RAV4 was small and shared the handling and ride attributes of the brand’s most popular vehicle. It also added an important element missing from the Corolla: cargo utility. As such, the RAV4 arrived just as the market for what soon became widely known as crossover utility vehicles started to take off.
