I had the Bridgestone Duelers for 2 winters (including the 1998 Ice Storm which is when I pickedup the Rav(Jan 6/98 is a momentous day)- I live in Ottawa, Ontario so I'm familair with the "nordic conditions" you speak of. I really did not like the stock Bridgestones from day one - even in a little rain I could not trust the RAV to stop without sidding a little bit. Bridgestones were not even part of my plans as I searched for new tires - I went with the Toyo Tranpath based on the information I read on the www.toyo.com and www.toyocanada.com sites.
I probably would have purchased the Toyo Observe GP-4 (a true winter tire) if the tire dealer I purchased from could have got his hands on 4. So I went with what I considered to be the next best - the Toyo Tranpath S/U. [I also considered the Michelin LTX M/S, but the tire dealer said that I would find them just as "slippery" as the Bridgestones]
So far, and it's only been a few days - but I've been happy with the Toyo's. Today it was 7 Celsius, wet and raining when I drove into work at 5:30am - stopping on the Toyo Tranpath S/U's was a JOY versus the Bridgestone Duelers - I actually stopped without skidding! The road grip is GREAT!
I'm surprised that Toyota Canada has the Bridegstones as the stock tire, not only for the Rav but for the Lexus equivalent.
The Toyota dealership I purchased the RAV from has told me that no one else has "complained"/reported the problems I had and they attributed my skidding with the Bridgestones to be directly related to my style of driving. Well I do beg to differ with them on their option especially with what I've experienced with the Toyo's this morning.
These are my personal opinions based on my personal experience - maybe I'm not a great driver, but I also don't consider Bridegstone to have a "great" tire line-up.
And let's face it - the 215/70R16 tire size is NOT a size that too many tire manufacturers make, so I also question Toyota's decision for selecting that particular tire sizing.