{update}
My RAV is now nearly two-years old. I've not had any difficulties with it, other than the bull's eye on the rear end that got me rear-ended twice in the first six months I owned it. Both repairs were done in Carmel, Indiana at Butler Toyota and my RAV was returned to near new condition. Fortunately, no more visits to the body shop have been required. I've driven the RAV on long distance trips twice and now have over 20,000 miles accrued. I can honestly say that it handles the same as it did new and cleans up beautifully. I had it washed and waxed over the weekend and it looks like new. One minor annoyance has cropped up - the quality of the rear window wiper and washer system. The washer spout has become loose and frequently doesn't point its spray at the window. I imagine it is fixable, but I haven't taken it in to see. My only real qualm about this mini-SUV continues to be it's lack of power. I guess I'm used to driving sports cars, so the four-cylinder small engine has very little pick-up. However, the RAV is fine for my daily commute and reliable in all kinds of weather. I notice that most RAV drivers are female and I guess that it suits most of us -- we're not looking for a monster truck, just a reliable, attractive means of transportation. My other car is a BMW Z-3, so I get my speed thrills from it when the weather is perfect.

After buying gas today at >$1.60/gallon, I think I'd better point out that I get about 25 mpg with my fulltime, four-wheel drive RAV. I don't know of any other full-time four wheel drive SUV that is quite this economical.
{end update}

About a year ago, I was in a quandary. Living in the Midwest with some adverse driving conditions and having a job that doesn't stop for bad weather, I needed solid, reliable transportation and decided to evaluate some SUVs. I looked at Jeeps, Explorers, Honda CRVs, Kia Sportages and finally, Toyotas. The RAV4 answered my need. I didn't want to drive something with the "truck-like" feel. I wanted something with the performance and feel of a car, but that would offer a 4-wheel drive option. The Honda CRV reminded me too much of a mini-van, the Kia was too unknown and the others were trucks.

My RAV4 is the "L" trim, it came with power windows, full-time four-wheel drive and most of the possible options. I added a remote entry and alarm, and I pulled out the sound system and replaced all the speakers. The standard RAV sound system is pretty poor, especially for Toyota. I added a Jensen 12-disc changer under the front seat.

In the first year of driving, I've had no problems other than an apparent bull's eye for rear end collisions. In 20 years of driving, I'd never been rear-ended, but my poor RAV4 got it twice, each time encountering about $5,000 in damage. I guess that this probably accounts for the higher insurance rates one pays for SUVs! The Toyota body shop work was very good and I can't tell that the RAV4 has changed at all in driving feel, appearance or performance.

My RAV4 is white with gray trim panels. The seating is comfortable for 4 (even for tall people) and the cargo space is fair. I was able to transport a large headboard with the rear seats folded and it will carry a fair payload for a miniSUV. Handling and performance are about what you would expect in a small four-cylinder, four-wheel drive vehicle. Gas mileage is about 25 mpg, cruising range is just a little over 300 miles. I haven't had too much opportunity to test it's performance on ice or snow as it was being repaired from one of my rear-end collisions during the worst of our weather last year.

I've taken one 1500 mile round-trip in the car and found it quite comfortable for a long day of driving. Visibility is good and the seats adjust several ways to the driver. If you want the visibility, versatility and cargo space of a SUV but don't want to drive the heavy trucks of many of the models, you should test drive a RAV4.