Bought the '99 Rav4 nearly a year ago, and it has been a great LITTLE car. Seems to hold the road better than the Tracker. I'm a safety nut and after reading the crash test results on the small Hondas, I wouldn't even get in one for a test drive. We get 28+ mpg for combined city + highway which is pretty important if you've been to a pump lately. Only complaint is that it is so little. A great little car for people without elbows, or purses, or kids with book bags. For a family of four with cargo there isn't much space. I'd like to keep my purse within reach, but if I have a passenger in the front seat, the only place for my purse is the dirty floor. I would have rather bought a 4-door Explorer or a 4Runner but this and all new cars are so expensive that this is already busting our budget to the seams. The Rav4 is in hot demand which means you'll be lucky to get anything better than full sticker price at standard bank rate financing. Don't know what it's like off the road because I just wouldn't do that to any new car. One advantage to the small size is that it is a breeze to get in and out of tight spaces.