VIDEO: ON THE LOOSE, ep. 6. Ryan Millen takes his rally RAV4 to the limit

Ryan Millen isn’t in rally racing just to make up the numbers – he’s in it because he wants to win. But even his dad, Pikes Peak and rally legend Rod, has been surprised by how quickly Ryan and navigator/fiancée Christina Fate have got their production-based Toyota RAV4 up to speed in its debut season.

In On The Loose, Episode 6, “An entirely different level,” the RAV4 competes in only its second rally, in Mendocino, Calif., but produces a performance that showcases its potential and leaves Rod impressed.

"Let's face it, the RAV4 doesn't have a history of being a rally car," he says. "But for me it was a thrill to watch how fast Ryan and Christina were able to push it. As a front-wheel drive car, it was running right up there with four-wheel drive cars."

Even more impressive, is how much of the rally RAV4 remains stock as it takes on some of the toughest loose-surface roads Northern California has to offer.

"Yeah, it really is a straight-up, stock RAV4," explains Ryan Millen. "It has a stock engine, stock transmission, stock suspension and stock brakes, and we're taking it to the absolute limit."

But was it enough to deliver a first class win for the RAV4? Check out episode 6 to find out more...

The back story: Ryan Millen, son of rally legend Rod and a 2014 SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 class winner, has switched to stage rallying this year in a production-based 2015 Toyota RAV4 LE.

Not an obvious choice? You could say that, but 30-year-old Millen wouldn't have it any other way.

The family-friendly, compact crossover SUV competes against rally-honed machinery, including Mini Coopers and Ford Fiestas, in a number of West Coast-based events during the 2015 season.

Sure, it's a challenge, but taking a different approach is what makes it such a compelling project. And Millen is confident that the road car RAV4 is a capable platform from which to develop a competitive rally racer.

RACER.com likes to do things differently, too, so we're following Ryan as he builds, tests and races his RAV4 with our On The Loose video series, plus blogs and feature stories through the year.

The rally RAV4, built to 2WD Open Class rules, sports a stock transmission and a stock 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, double-overhead cam engine that pushes out 176hp and 172lb.ft of torque. Millen and his crew removed more than 500lbs of stock weight, while adding a roll cage, gravel-spec rally tires, and upgrading to front and rear TEIN suspension.

• To watch episode 1,

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• To watch episode 2,

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• To watch episode 3, 

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• To watch episode 4,

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• To watch episode 5,

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