Rally America is a prestigious rallying event in America that will enter its 11th year in 2015. Toyota has declared that it will take part this year with a modified RAV4 and unveiled this car in Las Vegas during Super cross Championships. For Toyota team, it will be Ryan Millen, champion of 2014 Baja, who will be driving this fantastic car. Millen is returning to team Toyota once again though he feels that it will be an altogether different experience as he drove Thundra the last time.
The cars generally seen in a rally event such as Rally America are modified hatchbacks. But Toyota has decided to enter Rally America 2015 with a SUV named RAV4. This is a vehicle that is more than a decade old having been introduced by Toyota in 1994. Ryan Millen is happy with the choice of the vehicle for Rally America. For those who do not know, he is the son of Rod Millen, the legendary rally driver, and brother of Rhys Millen, very popular in the category of drifting.
Millen has made many modifications in the car
Millen added that he has been fortunate enough to get a chance to drive practically every vehicle made by Toyota so far. He said that he has been very much impressed by the compact body design and the smooth performance of RAV4. He expressed confidence that he will do well for team Toyota this year. Millen has word hard with other team members to prepare for this prestigious event. This would be the debut of RAV4 at Rally America this year and the team does not want to take any chances. This is why the team has worked many modifications in RAV4.
Though Millen and his team have retained the 2.5 liter engine of RAV4 that produces a power of 176BHP and a torque of 172lbs-ft, they have made several changes in the tires, the roll cage, and the front and the rear suspensions. The team painstakingly made RAV4 to shed almost 500 pounds to make the car more maneuverable and faster for Rally America.
It will be the first time Toyota will try to pit RAV4 against street cars that have been modified. However, it is not the first time that Toyota has made use of RAV4 to set a precedent. Way back in 1994, the year when it was launched, RAV4 created a stir in the category of SUVs through its unibody construction. RAV4 is widely seen as a modified SUV that has a light and lean design. It is also very easy to handle. It is these features of RAV4 that make it ideal to take part in rallies that are conducted at beaches, deserts, and many other terrains. Toyota realizes the potential of this wonderful modified SUV and this is the reason why it has decided to enter Rally America with this car. Another reason to make use of RAV4 a part of Team Toyota is to showcase this SUV as a family friendly car full of wonderful features.
This post was written by
I am into the auto blogs field for quite a long time. Living my passion of reviewing cars.
Tagged: Toyota RAV4
Leave a Reply