best suv ever...sell your suburban/excursion and get one of these

this is quite a good SUV.
For daily drive, the new Subaru is just as good, and a bit more comfortable.

Compared to this GM and Ford make Yugo's.

looks a bit lit a kia sportage/spectra in the front...but pretty good overall...

cobaltssman

Best small suv is the cx7 bar none that shits fast, comfy and has great interior quality and handles like a car very fun to whip around.
The Mazda dealership we got ours offer custom leather so the one my family's got no one else has that type of leather work in their cx7 besides us.

There is no point in arguing with the first 3 posters. They are the extreme rice burner a$$ kissers with no clue whatsoever about cars. They are not on here to talk about cars, but bashing the domestic brands every chance they got. By comparing a small SUV wanna be to the real SUVs, that very much tells a lot about their pool of knowledges.

Exactly, same three monkeys posting garbage. Every day the same BS. And I bet the site owners wonder why the post counts keep getting lower and lower. These three just talk to themselves all day and slap each other on the ass for good fanboyism.

@ Matt,

CX7 is the biggest joke of all: it is a Ford C-max sold against Cadillac margins....
If your family members are dwarfs, you might fit three in the back.

'!!!' would actually find this funny.

4-spd auto? Is it 1994?

@Matt

The CX-7 isn't as reliable or well rounded as the RAV4. The RAV4 has a better awd system than the CX-7 and offers better fuel mileage. Not everyone wants a fast SUV, but everyone will appreciate a few more mpg's and good durability.

Nick,
remember tho that the Rav4 is based on the Corolla; and if i remember correctly, there are 5 spd auto and a 5 spd manual available

other than that, I still like the Rav4, my family owned one a while back, but we upgraded to the 4Runner b/c we needed more space and power for hauling/cargo/etc. One of my biggest beefs about the Rav4 was about that spare wheel mount on the back - i hated it. but after seeing the screenie of that grey Rav4 w/ the sport package, I actually think it looks better with the spare wheel...

When has the Rav 4 been based on the Corolla? Possibly the Matrix, but even then all cars are Uni-body in design which means they don't really share much of anything in terms of body. The 2.4L of the old Rav4 is the same 2.4 that powers the Camry, new Corolla XRS, and higher end Matrix, and oh yeah the Tc.

I really like the fact they added the V6 options (albeit not the greatest V6 for this type of vehicle), but with the new redesign a couple of years back it just seems big. It seems as big as my wife's Isuzu Rodeo....

wah!!! i have nothing meaningful to say so i just post stupid comments about other posters. waaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!

The dash it very confused... Round outside vents (copy of a Ford Mustang), Square inside vents like a 80's Chevy, A very boring steering wheel with limited/no controls (cruise, radio, etc), an extremely boring cheap looking stereo display (when can asian cars get away from 80's technology backlit LCD's?, and two of them? gad who can read the tiny clock?) A utility looking shift knob, your typical Toyota missing switches with cheap plastic covers to constantly remind you that you didn't get all the options, blah switches on the doors for power windows and locks with no trim to speak of, space cadet blue gauge back light which is way out of place compared to the green back lights of all the other controls... Looks like it has plenty of storage, but it looks like a storage bin!, flat plastic everywhere, looks like you only have one wind shield wiper and a plane rear view mirror. Jeez, what an abortion.

Oh, ya, it is Toyota so it will be reliable (I owned a few, they are..) Good for groceries, but hardly fun. NO wonder they offer a DVD entertainment system, it will keep you eyes focused away from the interior.

The run-flat tires on the 4X4 option is good, so offer it on all of the models and get rid of the ugly spare tire humping the back of this egg crate.

I think this model will sell quite well.

I hope they put that new 2.4 engine in the Tacoma 2x4 trucks.

..!!!...:
Exactly, same three monkeys posting garbage. Every day the same BS. And I bet the site owners wonder why the post counts keep getting lower and lower. These three just talk to themselves all day and slap each other on the ass for good fanboyism.

sorry to see '...!!!...' that your brain has rusted-out in the same way that Detroit has.

If you dont like it here, then go to a site where they talk seriously about cars.

Oooh, you only speak english...

what a nonsence here. Is it school holidays? Or raining?

@Waldorf:

Just a short month or less away from the end of summer break, and all the little tykes will be back in school for the year. I'm counting down the days, myself.

As for the truck, I'm glad for one thing about the "gas crunch", in that it has forced innovation back into the marketplace in terms of drivetrains and power options. I would say in a scant few years, we will see many more efficient models and designs come out. Though I do hope we don't see the return of some of the rattle trap japanese and domestic cars of the mid 80's.

its not always the same 3 "Fanboys" on here we get a good mix of opinions aired here and when you respond to someones critisizms with blanket statements like we "hate america" your not looking at the big picture, GM makes money in china but cant turn a profit in its own back yard, they are spreading themselves out to thin and gaps in quality and reliability show up from time to time, like my friends 2002 avalanch that had a piston break after 70K miles, its not that we hate america but we have all felt the burden of world economies in diffrent ways some uf us fight for the home team and others want to see the visiting team take home the gold. What we should be focussed on is which car is right for our individual needs and how will this choice directally impact your life. If you buy a car because it has 1000hp and RWD it is a toy but if you buy a limited Rav4 you need this little bugger to run till the wheels fall off and in the case of a rav4 it might take a while to see that. the "fanboys" are not against america they are for themselves and i believe thats the way it should be.

wooo. 13 more horsepower. That's something to talk about!

Could probably get that and more just from upgrading the exhaust. And they could have bragged about the mpg improvement, too.

I was hoping to read that the V6 got more hp. Overkill IS good for you. Own a 2008 Rav4 Limited w/ the V6. Nice car, gets advertised mpg, nice acceleration, 5500 miles so far, not a problem one.

@...!!!...
lol the majority of the time it sitn even me posting. funny stuff! I drive american bro, and i will keep it that way.

@dennisil

agree!

This site attracts the 3% most sophisticated car criticasters and 3% retards.
You know who you are and what you drive :)))

We are preparing to look at the Honda CRV in the late fall as a replacement for our current gas-eater Ford Explorer. I have always like the RAV4, but hated the spare tire on the tailgate door. I am finding some conflicting information on the spare tire on the web and at this site. You state the spare will not be included on the tailgate door on the Limited V-6 model as the vehicle will have run-flat tires. At other sites I've read information that claims the rear has been redesigned to move the spare to the underside of the vehicle. I don't want to opt for the V-6 because we are interested in fuel savings so the spare might still be an issue for us. I'd sure like to find out if the spare is going to the underside of the truck or if it's only omitted on the V-6 model.

This looks like just a minor cosmetic update over the version introduced in the US in 2006.

I have had the AWD v6 sport for 2 years now and like any vehicle it has its good and bad points.

The good:

The reclining sofa-like back seat was a big influence - I thought that the girlfriend would actually share the vacation driving now that I have an automatic and I could ride in comfort. (I have never ridden in the back yet darnit.)

The stright-line acceleration is great - about 1.5 seconds faster to 60mph than a cx7 and about 0.5 seconds faster than a civic si. (Many pfahrt cannons and many v8 macho-trucks have been embarassed at stoplights.)

The fuel economy of the v6 Rav4 is very close to the 4cyl crv, but with 100 extra hp. I have gotten as high as 29.5mpg loaded @ 70+mph. (My city mileage is less than rated, but that's me.) I commute 40 miles per day in ZX3, and the gas that I save vs the RAV4 is not enough to cover the insurance of a second car.

The RAV4 is capable of handling corners well.

There is lots of interior storage.

The bad:

The rear door - the side-hinged design and the absence of a hinged or retracting window means nothing can hang out of the back. This is rarely missed, but when missed, it is REALLY missed - if something from Home Depot is 3" too long, there are no options. (This can be a positive if your significant other likes to pick up cast-off furniture from the road side.)

The spare tire destroys the lines.

The suspension is underdamped (in my opinion) and at least an inch too high. This probably helps off road, but who actually takes one of these off road. The suspension combined with poor seat bolstering does not inspire confidence when cornering. It can handle, but it takes gnads of steel to explore the handling limits. (The upside is that it will perform far beyond what you will push it too.)

My radio display is possessed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's blank, and sometimes it displays some kind of Asian symbols.

Though great for family travels, the RAV4 isn't what I would call a fun car.

Bubba,
What else is better out there that you could have purchased, surely not an american sled! Honda's CRV is only availible in a 4cyl. The Rav4 has more pep than anything in it's class. The display on your radio disappears because you have polorized sunglasses on most likely therefore you cannot see the display.

Bubba,
What else is better out there that you could have purchased, surely not an american sled! Honda's CRV is only availible in a 4cyl. The Rav4 has more pep than anything in it's class. The display on your radio disappears because you have polorized sunglasses on most likely therefore you cannot see the display.