You're looking at one of the hottest small SUVs on the market, the 2009 Toyota RAV4. Nationally, Toyota dealers have a 20-day supply; 60 days is considered normal. You may wonder why.
The RAV4 certainly doesn't win on its looks. But beauty is more than skin deep, and that's why the RAV4 shines.
But before we get to that, a bit of housekeeping. The RAV4 is a car-based SUV with front- or four-wheel drive. A 2.5-liter, 179-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic or 3.5-liter, 269-horsepower V6 and five-speed automatic provides the power. Available in Base, Sport, Sport Appearance and Limited models, the RAV4 can be had with two or three rows of seats. If you opt for three, try it out first -- the room in back is meager for humans of significant size. Otherwise, the cabin seems spacious for four, with good headroom and legroom.
The RAV4 boasts the high-quality cabin that Toyota is known for. Fit and finish are first-rate. Up front, the instrument panel has oddly shaped bulges and casts a shadow on a digital readout. I will leave it up to you as to its beauty, but function is clearly following form. That's the only glitch in an interior that's easy to use and operate.
Toyota provided a four-wheel-drive Limited with the 2.5-liter engine for a week's test drive. While power-hungry types may wish for the V6, this vehicle acquits itself well with two fewer cylinders. There's enough oomph for the sort of schlepping most of us do on a daily basis. This year's four-cylinder is slightly larger than last year's and provides an extra 13 horsepower.
Yet fuel economy remains a strong suit. In a mix of 40 percent city driving and 60 percent highway, the RAV4 used fuel at a rate of 27.3 mpg, excellent for a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
The RAV4's handling inspires confidence. Yes, there's a bit of body lean, not unusual given this vehicle's height. Ride quality is fairly good, although there's a bit more road noise than expected, but engine noise is well-muted.
New safety gear includes front-seat active headrests, which move forward in a collision to prevent whiplash, and a new keyless entry system that unlocks the car simply by touching the door handle with the key fob in your pocket. New options include a rear-view camera, integrated satellite radio and run-flat tires. The only gripe: The heavy side-hinged tailgate, which also holds the spare tire, requires a lot of space to open.
The RAV4's good qualities aren't always apparent at first glance, but they're there. Maybe they should call it the RAVE4.
